Rose Barrett
A first-generation immigrant from Nigeria, Gori came to Ireland 20 years ago when he was just six years old. With his parents mum Simbi, dad Michael and siblings Abraham, Stephen and Mary, the family lived in Donnybrook before settling in Palmerstown.
It was a huge culture shock for the young family and for the children who attended new schools and became ingrained in a completely new culture. Now based in Dundrum, Gori completed his undergraduate and post graduate degrees at Maynooth University (in Accountancy & Finance) and now works in the finance sector, for a US bank in Ireland.
Next Wednesday (March 30), Gori and business partner Matt O’Boyle will be launching their new business venture, ‘Forever Worldwide’.
“Since my sister Mary first bought me a t-shirt with a distinctive skull pattern on it, I began to take a big interest in fashion. The new clothing line could be described as chic, casual streetwear.
“All lines are of good quality and we’ve sourced different manufacturers in Ireland, Slovakia, Portugal and Pakistan. Our lines consist of hoodies, sweat pants, hooded jackets, cargo pants and t-shirts with fleeces coming soon. Also socks, tote bags and sunglasses. Cool and casual look!”
He continued: “Worldwide Apparel is a streetwear and lifestyle brand located in the heart of Dublin. Our objective is to provide premium quality and comfortable clothing, inspired by vintage, 90’s era graphics and bootleg tees.
“Energised by various Irish owned brands and collectives such as our friends over at @NothingToProve and @999IRE. Worldwide is the latest addition to Dublin’s growing streetwear/urban scene.”
Matt and Gori added their in house team is constantly designing new silhouettes and the pair are only selling online, using no retailers and therefore, they can avoid the huge markups associated with traditional retail.
“We have spent countless hours conducting research, in order to find the right supplier that can create high-quality garments to meet our standards. Lastly, every item produced is of limited quantity. This helps us avoid markdowns or overstocking, so we can sell items at a fair price because let’s face it, we are all trying to save some money!”
The pair funded the enterprise themselves and the website will go live on next week, at
“Being a first generational black person to set up business in Ireland, I just didn’t have the contacts,” said Gori. “But we did all the research and costings ourselves and we are delighted now to go live on March 20!”
Has Gori experienced much racism here in Ireland?
“Subtle racism, my name Gori was often repeated back as Gorilla. A lot of situations were only poking fun when I was younger but as I got older, I recognised more subtle incidents of racism. For instance, my brother and I played basketball. One of the other players said: ‘I don’t usually like blacks but you guys are cool!’ A backhanded racist compliment!”
Gori welcomed all support for their new venture and encourages fashion fans of cool streetwear to check out the website from March 30: https://foreverworldwide.wixsite.com/home
“To celebrate our first launch, we are giving away items from our limited release. Head over to our page to find out how to win: @foreverworldwide_”
Forever Worldwide launching on March 20, 2022.
#blackandirish #blackirish #sundayspotlight #irishblackowned @irishblackowned
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