Our Mission
Since the near collapse of the Irish fashion production industry in the nineties & early noughties, Irish designers have been forced to look abroad to have their collections created. Dealing with overseas producers causes its own problems: some logistical, some quality control, some cultural…
..and this is especially so for designers who focus on high quality and low volumes.
The Fashion Hothouse solves this problem by providing high quality sampling and collection development services from our base in The Mill, in Harolds Cross, Dublin.
But there is another potentially more serious problem: the fact that Ireland’s advanced pattern, sewing and machining skills risk being lost forever, as those highly skilled people who used to be at the forefront of the industry here have moved on; some to other lines of work, some to other countries, and others to retirement.
There is a very real risk that as these highly skilled people retire, that their hard earned and high value production skills will pass on with them…
The idea behind the Fashion Hothouse was to create a space where Irish fashion designers could access the skills and services needed to produce their collections, 100% in Ireland; and also allow the older fashion generation to pass on their advanced skill-sets and detailed knowledge to those who will use, value, and keep them alive for the generations to come.
Operating as a facility dedicated to the needs of today’s fashion designers, the Fashion Hothouse provides:
- pattern drafting & cutting services
- sampling services
- production services
- fabric & trim resources
- collaborative opportunities
- enterprise support services
- fashion & marketing consultancy services
..and more, to Irish fashion designers.
- Read about the production services available in the Fashion Hothouse.
The Fashion Hothouse is an evolving creation, and we ask your patience as we work towards fulfilling the aims we set out for it, in a way that is commercially sustainable and responsive to the needs of Irish Designers.