When you step inside Emerald & Wax, the newly opened boutique on Dominick Street Lower by designer Virtue Shine, you’re immediately wrapped in warmth and not just from the rich textiles and radiant colours that fill the space, but from Virtue herself. Her work, a beautiful dance between continents and traditions, is depicted within vibrant African prints, clean Japanese-inspired silhouettes, and the comforting texture of Irish tweed. It’s fashion, yes, but also heritage, heart, and community.
“I’ve always had a love affair with fabric.”
Virtue’s story begins in Ghana, where her grandmother, Carridor, ran one of the first fabric warehouses owned by a woman. “She sold fabrics to women, to empower them to make a living for themselves, rather than just staying at home under the influence of their husbands, which is quite traditional.” With Carridor in charge, fabric became so much more than a business. “Before she retired, she made sure to pass on the contacts and sources of her fabrics, so the women could continue. Fabric is a huge thing in Ghana now, and it’s, not just her, but she started that movement. It’s so wonderful to see,” Virtue smiles.
above: photo by Ciarán MacChoncarraige
Creativity, courage, and community were key elements that Virtue saw in her grandmother’s ethos and they would stay with her long after she left Ghana.
Virtue’s next chapter unfolded in New York, a city that would change everything. “I was immediately taken with how people dressed,” she remembers. “People would mix orange with yellow, blue with grey, all at once. I remember, I was fascinated by it all. I would look at what somebody was wearing, and then I'd go home, and search for the fabric.”
It was there, during a sweltering New York summer, that Emerald & Wax was born, completely organically. “I was pregnant, and it was really hot,” she recalls. “The only [maternity clothes] available were like stretchy polyester and I was like no,” Virtue laughs. “So I literally pulled out a fabric, a really soft cotton, and I just cut a wrap skirt at my table. I made one, and I thought ‘oh, this is nice,’ so I made more.”
After that first wrap skirt, Virtue began making trousers and other clothing for her children and for herself. Soon, people began stopping her in the street, asking where they could buy what she was wearing. “At first I thought it was just curiosity,” she admits. “But then the requests kept coming and it just grew from there.”
After moving to Ireland, Virtue opened her first shop with a business partner in Barna before setting out on her own journey. “One thing I’ve realised with all my shops,” she says, “is that I always end up with a community. There’s a community that welcomes me, and I welcome them.” On any given day, walking past Emerald & Wax you’ll notice a gathering of five or six women in store chatting and browsing the rails together. “It’s not always about the selling. It’s a connection - what it gives me and what I bring for people,” explains Virtue.
Virtue’s designs are defined by a unique trifecta: colourful African prints, minimalist Japanese-inspired silhouettes, and rich Irish tweed.
“When I lived in New York, I slowly gravitated towards the Japanese community, I loved the food.” she explains. Speaking about Japanese clothing, she adds, “I like the clean lines and with the prints, you know, because they're so bold I try to make just very simple silhouettes and let the prints talk.” In particular the kimono, which Virtue adores thanks to the ease of styling them. Dress it up or dress it down, accessorise it with jewellery or leave it plain - it’s all about the convenience and style.
“One thing that I found out later, is that there is a huge kind of adoration and respect between Japanese and African culture.” The discovery deepened when she realised that traditional African garments, like the boubou or agbada, share the same flowing structure as the kimono. “I was really, really delighted when I made that connection.”
And there is the Irish tweed, “For me, this is my story. It's my life story. It's my children's story. It's my love story. Because I am from Ghana. I am married to an Irish man, and [Irish tweed] this represents my children. And also, the love I have for both cultures.”
At Emerald & Wax’s core, sustainability isn’t a trend but a responsibility, and a desire to leave the world better than she found it. “I’m a mother,” Virtue says softly. “I would love to have the earth to still be pure and last a long time for my children. I would like the world to be decent for them." She adds, “I think as humans we have wrecked the environment, so we can try and do a little bit to repair it. We owe the planet that and we owe our children that.”
Her most recent collection showcased at Brown Thomas’s Create pop-up, was inspired by this very idea, “the legacy of clothes.” Virtue sources her fabrics from Ghana and through the Ghanaian community in the UK, reducing travel to limit her carbon footprint. All of her pieces are manufactured in Ireland, in collaboration with We Make Good, a manufacturing partnership of makers, designers and stockists, and supporters working to build a fairer, more inclusive economy. They promote equality, sustainable production, as a way of doing business that is good for people and the planet. “It’s all about community and circular economy,” she says. Building relationships, supporting others, giving back. Virtue also lovingly champions local craftsmanship, collaborating with one of the best small dressmaking houses here in the West — a partnership rooted in pride, trust, and shared creativity.
Inside Emerald & Wax, the rails are an abundance of colour and texture; kimono-style jackets, wrap skirts in bold Ghanaian prints, and soft Irish tweed culottes that ground the collection with quiet elegance. Every piece tells a story and each garment is made to last, to be worn and loved, then passed down - a reflection of Virtue’s belief in the legacy of clothes. There’s also an ever-changing collection of handmade jewellery, sourced from small artisans in Ireland, France, and Spain.
Emerald & Wax is a vibrant, heartfelt celebration of colour, craftsmanship, and culture, stitched together by one woman’s story. The space itself is more than a boutique; visitors linger to chat, try things on, and connect - sometimes leaving with a new outfit, accessory or sometimes just a smile.
Visit Emerald & Wax in Galway at 43 Dominick Street Lower, or shop online at emeraldandwax.com. For more on the Emerald & Wax story as it unfolds, follow them on socials @emeraldandwax.
