Boy George will open an exhibition of his style and fashion in Co Kildare this May – and it will feature items made by his late mother Dinah.
Boy George: Chameleon of Style runs from 2 May to 1 June at Newbridge Silverware and brings together his most famous garments and hats.
It will be the only public viewing of the collection anywhere in the world, before it travels to Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills where it will be sold at auction.
The exhibition will chart the singer’s career and style, including his many hats designed by renowned Irish milliner Philip Treacy, the yellow two-piece ensemble worn during his performance of Karma Chameleon on The Late Show with David Letterman, and a flamboyant headdress worn at Wembley Arena in 1984.
A couture mid-length jacket by Jean Paul Gaultier, worn during the designer’s Spring 2020 Haute Couture show, and a jade teal wool bowler hat worn during his time on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK will also be on display.
Born George Alan O’Dowd and raised in Eltham, South East London, Boy George is the son of Irish parents, Jerry and Dinah O’Dowd.
His mother, Dinah (née Glynn), was born in Dublin and moved to London in the 1950s when she was 19. She met and married Jerry O’ Dowd, who had roots in County Tipperary and George was raised in a working-class Irish Catholic household, which influenced many of the themes in his music.
Jerry and Dinah O’Dowd pictured in 1985
Dinah O’Dowd, who passed away in 2023, was a seamstress and dressmaker, and her influence is felt directly within the exhibition, including a purple plaid ensemble she made for her famous son.
The pop star’s maternal granduncle, Thomas Bryan, was one of the “Forgotten Ten” executed in Mountjoy Prison during the Irish War of Independence and organisers say George’s Irish lineage can be felt in the exhibition.
Emerging from London’s underground club scene in the late 1970s, Boy George became a defining figure of the New Romantic movement.
His androgynous style drew inspiration from glam rock pioneers such as David Bowie and Marc Bolan of T-Rex.
As the frontman of Culture Club, he rose to global fame in the 1980s, with hits such as Karma Chameleon and Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
The collection forms part of Bold Luxury: Boy George Edit, which will be sold by Julien’s Auctions later this summer after it is exhibited at Newbridge Silverware.
Speaking about the exhibition, William Doyle, CEO of Newbridge Silverware, said: “Boy George is synonymous with style and colour. His bold garments and stage-worn outfits captured the vibrant spirit of the 1980s.
“A true chameleon of style and fashion, his ever-changing and daring looks, complemented by his bold and distinctive Philip Treacy hats are both memorable and show stopping.
“We are delighted to showcase some of Boy George’s eclectic collection and to offer the public the chance to see inside the wardrobe of one of pop’s most distinctive stars.”