How delighted am I to have been featured in the Business Post yesterday?
Written by Bairbre Power, who has always been a huge advocate for Irish fashion throughout her journaling and editorial career, she truly captured the essence of my story. My long and complicated story in the industry of occasion wear and retail.
When I first showed my collection of samples to Bairbre, she immediately saw the vision. She just got it. She understood my desire to change the use of special occasion wear and create something that would be versatile and wearable long after the event. And she applauded it. I was beaming from ear to ear for days after that meeting. It gave me the stamp of approval that I needed.
There are many motivational factors behind my desire to create Monessa Joan. Many factors, that I will share gradually. But for this post let’s talk a little about re-wearing and repurposing our clothes.
Having sold thousands of dresses for special occasions and weddings to women over the years, I knew that most of those wonderful, amazing dresses spent the rest of their lives living in a wardrobe! And that always pulled at a part of my soul. For me clothes are for wearing, and enjoying. The work that goes into the whole production of an item of clothing is phenomenal.
Each garment goes through many different stages. From the weaving of the fabric, to the drafting of the pattern, the cutting and sewing, and all the other steps in between that are necessary to produce a finished garment, clothes really are works of magic. To be celebrated not worn once or twice.
But as I’ve said before, I understand the desire for newness. We are fed newness on a daily basis. Even an hourly basis, for those of us with any social media exposure! We are bombarded with it. And no matter how many dresses there are hanging in the wardrobe, when that wedding invitation comes through the door, our minds shift immediately to what new dress we are going to purchase.
But what if there was a dress in your wardrobe that you could wear in a different way? What if there was a dress that made you feel amazing and you had the opportunity to add to it, so it was a “new” dress?
That is my vision for your Monessa Joan outfit. An outfit that will continue to offer you new ways to wear it, so it continually feels fresh and new, year after year. This is only the beginning of the dream. Each season will build on the foundations of this initial collection, delivering you quality options for newness time and time again. That is my commitment to you. To keep your needs at the forefront of my mind as I design each new piece.
The whole vision might not be within your sight at the moment, but it will unfold with time. I am not going to rush this. Fashion needs to slow down. So the development of this brand will be slow and steady. That’s what wins the race.
I am very much looking forward to the future of Monessa Joan, and I can’t thank you enough for being part of this journey.
