Style counsel: How Irish clothing designers plan comeback from Covid

WHEN Ireland went into lockdown in March to stem the spread of the coronavirus, disruption to businesses and supply chains was widespread. The Irish fashion industry was not immune to the impact of the restrictions with planned collections and production schedules suddenly halted. Bairbre Power spoke to top Irish designers like Heidi Higgins (above) about the effect the crisis had on their work and plans for the future.

Carpe Diem was an interesting – and rather appropriate name as it turns out – for Irish designer Heidi Higgins when she named her new casual separates fashion label. Eighteen months ago, the Portlaoise-born designer looked to the Roman poet Horace and embraced his suggestion to “seize the day”.

Fast forward to August 2020 when Heidi should have been releasing the latest collection of her eponymous occasionwear range but she’s not. Life has changed along with her business plan. She has a new son, Jasper, born during lockdown, a new ray of sunshine to join his sister, Matilda, at home in Co Tipperary with Heidi’s husband Gearoid.

After ten years in business, Heidi has closed her boutique on Portlaoise’s Grattan Street. Going forward, she is no longer supplying over a dozen boutiques around the country with her line of tailored dresses and coats and the glamorous occasion wear which once graced the rails in Brown Thomas on Grafton Street.

Quite simply, she has paused the Heidi Higgins label and instead, is choosing to concentrate on her Carpe Diem brand which she will sell exclusively from her own website.

“Yes, it is a very different world but now I will make what I want and when I want to,” said Heidi.

“My separates won’t be seasonal and I will be adding to the collection on a regular basis as I see what’s needed, as opposed to doing two fashion collections each year. My new business model means I will be selling exclusively online. The shop was a big part of the brand and I really enjoyed the face-to-face contact with my clients. But in light of how fashion is going, I felt this was the best move forward for the me.”

Heidi is not the only designer making big changes post Covid-19. Like Heidi, Aideen Bodkin has also dressed Presidents. In fact, Aideen’s career took off after she dressed Mary McAleese for her second inauguration in 2004, in a collarless raspberry suit under a purple coat.

Like other designers, she experienced the immediate issues of fashion going into lockdown around the world and has had time to reflect on how best to cut her cloth.

“This is the first time in 22 years that I have not produced a collection for a number of reasons,” says Aideen.

Her decision will be a blow for the stores and boutiques who loved selling her as part of their Irish offering. In a cruel twist of fate, Aideen’s planned Autumn/Winter 2020 range had sold very well into the stores but it was production issues that sealed its fate. “It started off with the fabric companies not being able to get some raw materials, followed by the manufacturers being closed down for most of the summer,” she said.

But when the factories reopened, Aideen couldn’t get the fabrics she wanted. It would have been a race against the clock to get samples done for Spring/Summer 2021 in just eight weeks so she decided not to rush out that collection “just for the sake of it”.

“With the restrictions on manufacturing and fabrics, I could not justify rushing something out that I would not have been able to guarantee the quality of,” she said.

“I didn’t want to damage the brand and our good name so the decision was made to step out temporarily to see how things settle and, in a sense, to look at the business as a whole and how I go forward in Autumn/ Winter2021.”

One should not think that the occasionwear sector is doomed but it undoubt the edly experiencing more pressure than other sectors in the fashion business. Thousands of weddings have postponed in 2020 and when they come back, the question is: will we be dressing down more?

Aideen Bodkin is philosophical. She had been tweaking her range over the past two-and-a-half years because “everyone is becoming much more conscious about the way they buy clothes and want to be able to wear them again”.

“I think the future has changed and for anybody who has been solely doing occasionwear, it is a very tough market,” she said.

“I think it will all be about a celebration of the occasion rather than dressing for the occasion. Being in the fashion business now is equally about making the right decision at the right time as having the right design at the right time.”

Fiona Heaney, creative director of FeeG, moved rapidly. She enjoyed a selling season with her Autumn/Winter2020 collection between January and March – then lockdown struck.

While there were some phone calls cutting orders, they were able to go ahead with production of most of the collection and that will go into Planning: Designer Heldi Higgins and, above, a new design by Fiona Heaney of

FeeG shops next week, including the autumn print shirtwaister dress pictured left.

When Fiona moved her studio into her home office in the middle of March, she had fire in her belly for designing Spring/Summer2021 during lockdown.

Fiona says her standpoint was: “We are not giving into this. We are not walking away from a business. We understand our product and customers and I decided I was going out to do the best collection we have done in years. It is the most positive, bright and colourful collection and I’m delighted to say that the reaction has been really strong since we started selling it last week. The Irish shops and boutiques have had a terrible time but they want to get new stock in asap. They are coming in to buy.”

The Council of Irish Fashion Designers (CIFD) hold a digital presentation of their new-season offerings next month and they have good news to share. Their numbers have grown this year, with four new members including their first ever childrenswear brand, a jewellery brand and two handbag brands.

Eddie Shanahan, founder and chairperson of the CIFD stresses the importance of the value proposition going forward and of businesses having an online presence.

Across the retail landscape, the bricks and mortar versus online offer continues to bite. The high street has taken a hammering with the exit of fast fashion brands and top designers are also finding it tough. Brands like Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham have just announced job losses.

Dublin yesterday saw its first fashion launch since March. Former model turned lifestyle brand owner, Pippa O’Connor unveiled the latest additions to her Poco range and naturally, she included trainers. This footwear is only rising in our affections post lockdown and the rule seems to be: “If you want to sell a dress these days, make sure it looks good with trainers.”

‘It’s a very different world but now I will make what I want andwhenIwantto’