Gorey shop features on Nationwide
THE popular Gorey Shop Tweed in the Valley has been giving a boost after featuring on RTE’s popular magazine show ‘Nationwide’.
A short film about the Avoca-based Tweed in the Valley was shown during the last Wednesday’s programme which was broadcast from Showcase. The annual trade fair gives Irish craft producers and designers the chance to meet international buyers.
‘They got in touch in October to say they were interested in filming, but didn’t say they were thinking of using it for Showcase 2020,’ said Anna Dobson, founder of Tweed in the Valley.
‘They called on a Monday and the day shoot took place in Gorey on the Friday.’
The segment received a positive response as lots of shoppers searched for the Wicklow-based business and its Gorey, Co.Wexford shop online during the broadcast.
‘My website crashed. We had over 10,000 hits during the programme,’ Anna said, adding that people also got in touch on social media.
The company designs and manufactures tweed accessories and fashion pieces. It was one of the Wicklow’s businesses at the Local Enterprise Showcase in the trade fair.
Anna studied Fashion and Textiles at University of Ulster before working in the fashion industry in the UK. Anna returned to Donegal in 2008 and spent the following years freelancing for Irish and UK fashion houses. In 2015, she returned to Wicklow with her three young sons, setting up her tweed brand, Love Mo Chuisle, in 2017.
Anna recently re-branded her clothing brand from Love Mo Chuisle to Tweed in the Valley as international buyers can struggle to pronounce Irish words.
‘Showcase went well. We met new shops in Japan, Canada, France, Italy and Germany. It was also an opportunity for our existing suppliers to see new stock,’ Anna said.