FASHION:With big brands such as New Look and Forever 21 moving into Ireland, what hope is there for those struggling in the Irish fashion industry? Deirdre McQuillanmeets the Irish players launching vibrant new fashion ventures

Making its debut in a converted Victorian girls’ school off Camden Street in Dublin, Laundry Room’s vibrant collection of dresses is a cheerful antidote to the current sober mood and a boost for the festive season. With dresses at around €50 or less (left), Laundry Room is a fast-growing Irish high-street brand with booming sales in Arnotts and in some 40 outlets around the country. The colourful frocks have a vintage but light-hearted feel; the prints are fresh and quirky and their shapes are modern and flattering.

It’s the brainchild of Barbara Coady and Eoghan Mulholland, who have extensive experience in the wholesale trade in Ireland, having acted as agents for international brands before setting up on their own. Mulholland got his first job working with Pepe – “it was graft all the way up”, he says with a knowing smile – and went on to become an independent agent eight years ago for brands such as Miss Sixty and others. Coady later joined the company. “We were frustrated as agents because brands were not specifically aimed at the Irish market,” he says, “so we went to China and had the clothes made to our own requirements.”

According to Coady: “Irish girls want pockets in their dresses, dresses that cover their arms, and we are trying to tailor this collection for them,” she says. Coady (29), whose background is in marketing, is responsible for the look of the collection and its style reflects her own taste and experience.

Dressed in a navy chiffon dress with gold buttons, in the style of Marc Jacobs at a fraction of the price, Coady points to a printed A-line tunic with long sleeves as one of their best sellers this season. Although the collection is 60 per cent dresses, there are also fluid jackets and short skirts with some accessories. “Price matters now,” says Mulholland. “People don’t have money and there’s a downward pressure on the fashion industry.”

They each spend four months of the year in China, where they have an office in Hong Kong. Mulholland is learning Mandarin to be better able to communicate with suppliers (who call foreign entrepreneurs like him “ghost men”) and wants to develop a slightly more upmarket range as well as a jeans line. “This business is all about control,” he says. “It’s about control of the collection, the business end, the cash flow, and the fabrics. We have taken on seven people [in Dublin] in the past six months and we hope to have our own stand-alone store by the end of next year.”