When I first chatted to John McElhinney with the idea of starting my own brand, his words of encouragement gave me the final push that I needed to believe in myself and just do it.
Last November, almost a year later, I made the trip up to show him and his team my sample collection. I was completely blown away that they seemed to love the Monessa Joan collection as much as I did, and placed an order. I was going to be stocked in McElhinney’s!! See? I told you dreams really do come true.
The collection was delivered at the end of February, and last Saturday I got too spend the day on their very busy occasion wear shop floor, chatting to customers and showing them my designs. That kind of opportunity for a designer is worth its weight in gold. It gives you a chance to see all the moving pieces of how the collection works and gives you new ideas for future designs.
Having been a retailer myself in a previous life, I know how important that connection to the end customer is. After all, that’s who I am designing for. My experience of the customer in the fitting room is a massive advantage when it comes to my new venture as a designer, but it has been nearly five years since I owned my own shop, so that day in McElhinney’s was invaluable to me as I move this brand forward.
Ballybofey, I’ll be back. Thank you to all the wonderful staff up there for welcoming me with open arms and making me feel part of their very special team.
