Fashion designer Richard Malone from Co. Wexford was scheduled to hold a pop-up shop in the window of Selfridges, one of the biggest names on London’s high street.

Instead of displaying luxury items, he decided to use the premium window space to stage a demonstration against the eighth amendment covering the facade in messages which he coined READ, REACT, REPEAL – a protest against the Eighth Amendment in Ireland.

Irish fashion designer #RichardMalone swapped displaying luxury items in @Selfridges front window today & opted to run this powerful #Repealthe8th protest instead.
•READ•REACT•REPEAL• pic.twitter.com/WGNCiNTPWL

— Grace O' Reilly (@graceyosmiley) April 17, 2018

The pop-up shop was part of a week-long takeover by Gareth Pugh Studio called ‘The Anatomy of Luxury’. The studio said: “as part of our week-long take-over of Selfridges Corner Shop we’ve invited a handful of radical young creatives to stage daily ‘interventions’ in the window of the space.”

Malone has been vocal about the eighth amendment, back in February during his show at London Fashion Week he wore the Maser repeal t-shirt and has spoken about the referendum on social media numerous times.

The HunReal Issues reported that while the protest was taking place, excerpts from Una Mullally’s Repeal the 8th Anthology were read.

In a video posted on London Irish Abortion Rights Campaign, he said, “I’ve done this at Selfridges at Oxford Street because I think we need to vote for repeal on the 25th.”

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A post shared by London-Irish ARC (@londonirisharc)

London Irish ARC also reported that the designer received some pushback from Selfridges who “halted his installation and asked him to continue on the condition that he did not use the word REPEAL as it was deemed too political.”

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A post shared by r i c h a r d m a l o n e (@richardmalone)

Malone had hinted at his plans on social media before the installation sharing a post which said:

“On the 25th May 2018, Ireland will vote in the referendum liberalise its strict abortion laws.

“Voters will be asked if they want to repeal article 40.3.3 – know as the 8th amendment.

“Since 1983, the 8th amendment has made abortion illegal in almost every circumstance – including fatal fetal abnormality and rape; denying women basic bodily autonomy, basic human rights and basic health care under its constitution.

“9 Irish women travel to the UK every day for an abortion without support.”