The pandemic gave me time, lots of time. Lots of heartache too, but also, lots of time.
Having spent so many years in retail, with a dream of owning my own occasion wear brand, I really needed this time to work out what was truly important to me. And it became very clear that one of the things that was really a non-negotiable when it came to starting over, and creating a brand, was that it was made here in Ireland.
I spoke to many people and was kind of told that unless I was going to make each item myself then that wouldn’t be possible. I knew I wanted to create a brand that would be much bigger than that, and I wasn’t going to be able to sew each piece myself!
But who was going to make it for me? And how was I going to find them? I remember going to an astrologer in May 2022, and ranting about the fact that there was no fashion manufacturing in Ireland, and he told me not to worry, that it would happen for me, just as I planned. I told him that it was highly unlikely, and he said, “You don’t know that there isn’t someone at this very moment, with a dream just as big as yours, who wants to help Irish designers have a production facility in Ireland. They might be a small business with their own brand, and are ready to expand and take on production for other brands. You don’t know what dreams other people are dreaming that will have a direct impact on your dreams, just trust the timing.”
And so off I went and dreamt about this imaginary person who was as mad as myself, and had a crazy dream to make manufacturing in Ireland a reality for small designers.
In November 2023, I was sent an Irish Times article about Anneleise Duffy who had opened a manufacturing facility Fashion Connect in New Ross, Co. Wexford, with the dream of helping Irish designers get up and running in creating a brand. Anneleise is a third generation garment manufacturer and literally grew up on a factory floor in Dublin in the 1980’s.
When all manufacturing of Irish brands left this country and overseas production became the reality, in the quest to keep prices low for the customer, we lost something as a nation. And I think Anneleise feels that in her soul. And so here she was, this person I was destined to find, this person with a dream as big as my own, this person who was going to be the final piece in my jigsaw, and was going to make it possible for me to have MADE IN IRELAND on my labels.
Surely it wasn’t going to be as simple as that. Was it?
We first met in June 2024 and yes there have been plenty bumps along the road, but actually it was that simple. We met, we clicked, and we started the process. I brought her down my patterns, I told her my ideas, and we took it from there. And many rounds of sampling later, I had a collection ready to go on the road with, and show to four boutiques around the country. All four boutiques placed an order and production started. Was this really happening?
I can’t tell you what the last 8 months have been like! They have been so surreal. To think that there are pieces hanging in boutiques with my name on them and a label inside that says Made In Ireland means more than I can ever tell you.
But let this be a lesson to any of you with a big dream. Keep believing, keep focused and things have a funny way of working out. It also helps if you meet someone who’s as mad as yourself! So keep going, you’ll get there. Trust the timing.
