3 days ago
Conor Buckley, son of Christine Buckley: ‘I set up Human Collective to keep her legacy alive'
The minute you meet Conor Buckley, founder of the Human Collective sustainable leisurewear brand, you are struck by his engaging personality, his energy and one of the biggest smiles in Ireland. But behind all that lies a deeply serious commitment to equality and diversity, both in life and business. In his clothing collection, this is symbolised by the subtle equality logo that adorns every garment.
At home in Clonskeagh in Dublin, which he shares with his wife, Lauren, and their three children, our conversation turns to his mother,
Christine Buckley
, one of Ireland's most prominent anti-racism activists and campaigner for survivors of institutional abuse, who died in 2014. 'My mum had a big influence on me – she believed in empathy and compassion, an amazing woman who changed people's perceptions,' he says. 'I set up the Human Collective to keep her legacy alive.'
His father, Donal Buckley, is a freelance journalist from Cork, and Conor is the youngest of three, after his brother, Darragh, and sister, Cliona. The Buckleys grew up in Goatstown. In a past interview with RTÉ, the brothers revealed how they were often called names because of their mixed race, and would prefer if their father picked them up from school as it drew less attention, as 'he looked white, he looked like everybody else'. Buckley recalls his first personal experience of racism. 'My mum called up to the child's parents' house to explain that it was not acceptable. She didn't blame the child but instead focused on the parents. She was determined to stop racism, but always through education.'
I asked myself: why can't you put a message on something premium?
He remembers Christmas and other celebratory occasions when they would come home to find total strangers staying in the house. 'We wanted just to be together at Christmas, but Mum would explain that these people had no family, no homes and so we should welcome them as we were privileged. It was a great way to say these things to a teenager, because you learned about empathy. I remember meeting a man on George's Street once and he said to me, 'Your mum saved my life'.'
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Buckley, a history and information studies graduate from UCD, began a career after university setting up venues and nightclubs in Dublin, including Krystle on Harcourt Street. He worked for the
Press Up
hospitality group for 10 years as head of business development, 'the right-hand man to [founders] Paddy [McKillen jnr] and Matt [Ryan]'.
Buckley was searching 'for something with a bit more purpose in life', he says. He spent his free time in disadvantaged schools and outreach centres speaking about inclusion and exclusion, 'and that came from my mum'.
The murder of African-American George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020 had a huge impact on him. The role of activist Jane Elliott in questioning hate and discrimination with her T-shirt slogan 'There is only one race, the human race', showed him how small but significant changes could be made with clothing. 'And I asked myself: why can't you put a message on something premium?'
Organic T-shirt in evergreen, €35
Oversize hoodie in twilight, €85
Pride T-shirt, Fiesta, €38
Since co-founding the Human Collective in 2021 with his wife, shortly after the birth of their daughter, the brand's colourful range of T-shirts, crew necks, hoodies, shirts and sherpa jackets, made with organic cotton and recycled polyester, has developed a dedicated following.
The brand's logo is just two small stripes, and its mission statement is clear: 'to create a future where comfort meets conscious ... our equal signs embodying our belief that we are all human and equal.
'The message had to be subtle, because I don't think people want to shove their values in people's faces, so it had to be enough that people felt comfortable wearing it,' says Buckley.
'One of my proudest moments was seeing Brian O'Driscoll wearing one of our Pride T-shirts at Coldplay last year and posting it on Instagram‚' he says. Other celebrity fans of the brand include Laura Whitmore, Bressie, the Happy Pear twins Stephen and David Flynn ('who wear it nonstop') and Joe Wicks, the UK fitness guru, who have also posted pictures of themselves wearing the clothing on social media 'which is great because we can't afford to pay people', he says.
There have also been collaborations with the Late Late Toy Show star Adam King on a line for children, a collection with Rosanna Davison, and last year for Pride, Mark Feehily launched their Pride T-shirt, and the Irish women's soccer team promoted their Pride socks, with proceeds going to Outhouse.
Men's oversize black hoodie, €85
Oversize hoodie in stone, €85
Newport shirt in harbour blue, €80
Mint green organic cotton T-shirt, €35
Buckley also gives talks to schools and companies about sustainability and values. 'Clothing is a great way for people to share values. These companies want their teams to be open-minded.' He has produced clothing with company logos for big multinationals including Google, Irish Life, Avalon and the RSA.
As for the collections, shape and silhouette are clean and simple and the range of colours is varied and subtle – currently the line includes T-shirts in a muted pink and a sunbeam yellow for both men and women. 'Our market is 30-55-year-olds and customers are 70 per cent women, many buying for their partners. Bold design doesn't work for us,' he says.
As an urban leisure brand, the shape, fit and weight of their clothing is better than high-street equivalents, he says. The collection is made in Portugal, Turkey and Bangladesh, 'as we try to keep it affordable. They are elevated essentials with better fabrics, better feel and colours that give you a bit of a lift.'
White Newport shirt, €80
Sunbeam yellow organic cotton T-shirt, €38
Muted pink crew, €70
They opened the Human Collective shop on the ground floor of St Stephen's Green Centre in 2023. 'I think people trust you more when you have a shop. Our online sales went up,' says Buckley.
He credits his success to a devoted team. 'My wife, Lauren, is great on product and has such energy, and I also have a brilliant operations manager, a Bulgarian called Krum. Peter Dowling, head of digital, has been with us since the start, and our amazing Chinese design and marketing executive, Zhenni Dulaer – they care so much.'
He is now hoping to attract investment to scale up and expand the team, and continue to spread the message 'that we are all human and all equal'.
Prices start at €35 for T-shirts, €75 for hoodies and €160 for puffer jackets.
