ABOUT
An independent Irish cultural brand, founded in Derry
Our story
Slí Amach. Way out.
In 2017, I was driving to Dublin on Sunday evenings and returning home late on Thursdays. I earned decent money and liked the people I worked with, but I felt unfulfilled. At 36, I worried that the chance to do something I loved was slipping away.
I’d dreamed for years of designing clothes, studying at Central Saint Martins, even working with Raf Simons or Vivienne Westwood. Lofty dreams, but I could never get things like that out of my mind. But I had a family, and being there for them came first. I couldn’t see how to make that life possible.
On those journeys, I kept noticing the road signs: Slí Amach. Way out. The words began to feel personal.
Eventually, I taught myself design and began building AMACH. A different direction, rooted in where I came from.
— Liam McDaid, Founder / Creative Director
What we do
AMACH creates apparel, collaborations and cultural projects rooted in storytelling, identity, place, memory and craftsmanship.
We believe clothing can be more than a product. It can communicate ideas, preserve stories and create connections between people and place.
Our mission
To create meaningful cultural products that connect people through storytelling, creativity and contemporary design.
Our vision
To build a globally recognised Irish cultural brand while remaining authentic to our roots, our community and our values.
Carlisle Road
Our home at 2–4 Carlisle Road has its own clothing history: once a haberdashery, later my godmother’s clothing shop. We opened AMACH here on 27 September 2025.
Inside, the space is stripped back and industrial, with purpose-built wardrobes along the walls. You’ll find me, Erin or Kate behind the counter.
Alongside our collections, we host evenings bringing together music, painting and film. A flagship shop, and an open space for collaboration.
Visit us
2–4 Carlisle Road, Derry
Monday–Saturday: 10am–6pm
Sunday: 1pm–6pm
Design ethos
Our designs begin with the life and culture around us: working-class Derry, music, politics, sport and personal memories.
We care about how a garment feels and falls: the fabric, the silhouette, the details. Sometimes the story becomes a bold graphic; sometimes it sits quietly in a stitch, a patch or a choice of material.
Punk’s DIY spirit runs through our work: the freedom to experiment, rework and make something your own. We bring that attitude to carefully considered clothing, made to be worn and lived in.
Collaborations
Collaborations have become part of our identity: a way of sharing our love of culture and giving a platform to the stories that matter to us. From culinary talent to gritty street art, music makers to comic-book artists, we try to shine a light on who and what inspires us to create.
The ledger
Stitched into the city
A short history of the city's shirt trade and the brand, kept the way the old shirtmakers kept their books: one line at a time.
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1851
Industry
Under one roof
William Tillie and John Henderson open Derry's first true shirt factory. By the 1890s Tillie & Henderson on Foyle Road is the largest shirt factory in the world.
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1920s
Industry
Shirt capital
Around forty factories, and nine in ten of the workers are women. Shirts sewn in Derry end up everywhere from Savile Row to the other side of the world.
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1960s
People
The factory girls
Girls start on the floor at fourteen or fifteen, learning to band collars and set cuffs, singing over the machines and looking out for one another. In many homes theirs is the wage that keeps the house going.
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1990s
Industry
Last orders
Production moves overseas and, one by one, the city's shirt factories fall quiet.
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2017
Amach
Slí Amach
Driving to Dublin for work each week, Liam McDaid keeps noticing the road signs: Slí Amach. Way out.
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2018
Amach
Amach
An independent Irish cultural brand starts in Derry, named after the Slí Amach signs that always pointed the way out.
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2025
Amach
Carlisle Road
On 27 September 2025 Amach opens its own shop at 2–4 Carlisle Road, once a haberdashery and later Liam’s godmother’s clothing shop.
Our philosophy
“Every road has an exit point, and every exit is a new beginning, a new opportunity, a new path.”
— Liam McDaid, Founder / Creative Director
When I design, I return to the life that shaped me: working-class Derry, music, politics, culture and sport. A memory, a person or a moment can become the starting point for a garment. AMACH gave me a way to turn those experiences into something I could share.
Made in DerryWorn out
2–4 Carlisle Road, Derry
Designed by Liam McDaid. Printed, finished and packed by a small team in Derry.
