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Has Paul Mescal made GAA shorts fashionable?

Updated / Friday, 8 Jul 2022 09:44
Paul Mescal
Paul Mescal

Has Paul Mescal single-handedly made GAA shorts fashionable? RTÉ Today's fashion expert, Rob Kenny, gives us the low down.

This summer, to help raise money for Ukrainian filmmakers, Paul Mescal's signed GAA shorts from Normal People are up for auction alongside a signed script from the award-winning series based on the novel of the same name by Irish author Sally Rooney, and a signed hardback book of scripts, featuring photography by Enda Bowe.

The auction will take place from Wednesday June 29 until Sunday July 17 at 6pm on Easy Live Auction.

Ahead of this charitable event, Rob Kenny looks back at the rise and rise of the GAA short since Mescal hit our screens.

Has the guy from the Ballyhaunis sausage ad managed to turn GAA shorts into a statement piece worthy of an international editorial shoot? In short, the answer is yes. Yes, he has.

Or at least, he has stacked the bonfire and lit the initial embers. Now we just have to wait and see if the entire trend will burst aflame or fizzle out.

Keep in mind, if you had told any Irish person that their old gym shorts would be considered high fashion a few months ago, it would have seemed inconceivable, but I suppose we're well used to unprecedented events by now.

How did it start?
If you're willing to look hard enough, there have been some clues pointing to the fact that Irish sportswear had the potential to be ultra fashionable.

Back in 2018, an Irish hurler-turned-model named Oisin Murphy appeared in Vogue Paris wearing a Cushendall GAA jersey designed by O'Neill's. You can see him pictured below alongside fellow model Adwoa Aboah.

Then, in 2019, a young Japanese model called Ryoki was featured on a Tokyo street style website. He stood out from the crowd thanks to his 2002 Ireland jersey.

The post stated: "Sporting a blunt bob, Ryoki is dressed in a green Umbro soccer jersey, which he tucked into grey Balenciaga cropped pants and cinched with a Comme des Garcons leather belt."

Most recently, of course, we saw Paul Mescal pose in the now-famous GQ editorial shoot, featuring a £10,000 Hermès pullover paired with "vintage shorts by Kildare GAA".

Never in our existence as a nation did we envisage seeing the words 'Kildare GAA’ beside ‘Hermès’.

So, what's going on? Should we all really be rooting out our old GAA shorts and rocking them in a fashionable way? (Not a hope I ever owned a pair, but let’s give me this hypothetical athletic moment).

Well, before you go digging around your wardrobe, let's have a look at some of the pivotal factors at play here. …

1. Mescalmania
Paul Mescal is the breakthrough star and heart throb of 2020 (and beyond). We’re definitely a nation obsessed - we'll never forget that particular day of Liveline - but it appears that the broader Western world is too.

This is undoubtedly thanks to Mescal's role as the mysterious, deeply emotional, and respectful character of Connell in the hit show Normal People.

Following that show, anyone with a sexual preference for men simply seemed to fall in love with him. And a lot of this lust was down to his Irish country charm - particularly for those overseas.

Spotted rocking his wee GAA shorts throughout the Emmy nominated series, Mescal was stoking the embers of this particular trend.

2. Shorts are on trend right now
Short-shorts, or ‘boxer shorts’ as fashion editors have labelled them, have been a men’s Spring/Summer fashion staple for a couple of seasons now.

Designers such as Dior Homme, Versace, and Fendi saw the boxer short reign supreme throughout their recent collections.

model walks the runway at the Dior Homme show during Paris Men's Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020 on June 21, 2019
Model walks the runway at the Dior Homme show during Paris Men's Fashion Week

As it turns out, the cut of GAA shorts just so happens to be fashionable right now. In contrast to a rugby or football short, the noticeable snug cut of the GAA short has grabbed the attention of stylists everywhere.

In combination with their immediate association with Connell - and our beating hearts - they can be added into an editorial shoot in a tongue-in-cheek way.

Mescal has now been papped in London multiple times wearing his Kildare shorts in a street-style manner, massively adding to the appeal of this look.

3. Gucci's Shorts
Gucci took things a step further when they doubled down on the shorts trend just as Mescalmania was building.

If this seems like an outlandish statement, we should probably remind you that even Paul's character's accessories got an Instagram account - such was the popularity of the show. An account that now over 182k followers.

As one of the world’s most revered fashion houses, Gucci cemented Connell's iconic shorts as a notable men’s fashion trend by adding similar shorts to their ready-to-wear collection.

Their most recent addition - a likely nod to the GAA uniform - is retailing at €550.

4. Shock Value
Fashion houses and fashion editorials love to shock audiences; it's their own version of a PR stunt. When you think of the amount of press attention Mescal's GQ shoot has already received, simply by shrewdly including his GAA shorts to the shoot, it has clearly worked.

Going by Dáithí Ó Sé's viral-worthy look, this trend has caught fire.

What happens next?
All of the above elements had to be in place to allow this trend to take off; the fact that the actor has been spotted wearing them off-screen; Gucci’s apparent seal of approval; the physical cut of the short being seen on catwalks. It all works.

Simply put, we're all a little bit obsessed with Mescal at the minute, and we immediately associate him with his GAA shorts.

This, of course, is helped along by the fact that the 24-year-old really did grow up playing the sport, representing Kildare at minor and U21 level.

You couldn't dream up that kind of brand association.

Dublin captain Con O'Callaghan, Kildare captain Paul Mescal, and referee John Hickey. Picture credit: Ray McManus/SPORTSFILE via Getty Images)
Dublin captain Con O'Callaghan, Kildare captain Paul Mescal, and referee John Hickey. Picture credit: Ray McManus/SPORTSFILE via Getty Images)

The juxtaposition between the Gaelic Athletic Association and the world of high fashion adds a level of shock value that holds heavy appeal for editors and designers alike. Now we just have to see if consumers agree.

If the trend-tailing cool kids of the world start pairing oversized Balenciaga puffer jackets with GAA shorts, the team at O'Neill's will undoubtedly be busy stocking up on extra shorts for Christmas presents around the globe.

Not bad for the lad from the Ballyhaunis ad.

You can follow Rob Kenny on Instagram here: @robkenny_

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