Meet the women who have set up new clothing businesses in Cork

TWO Cork mums who spent most of their pregnancies wearing their husbands’ sweaters because they couldn’t find anything else, came up with the perfect solution – they launched their own maternity range.

Lorna Sewell, 40, originally from Blarney, and now living in Rathcormac, is a mum of four children ranging in age from three to 12.

Joanna Dwornicka, 41, originally from Poland, and living in Ireland for the last 20 years, and Rathcormac for the last four, is a mum-of-one.

Lorna is a midwife and Joanna is a dental nurse and the pair became pals through their sons, who are best friends.

The friendship deepened during Covid as they’re also neighbours and they helped each other out with childcare.

“And now, we’re two moms just taking a chance in business!” they said.

Their lightbulb moment for their new online and breastfeeding clothing range came last September, said Joanna.

“We were chatting over a cuppa around Lorna’s kitchen table and we started talking about our pregnancies. It came up that both of us struggled to get clothes to fit our changing body shapes, despite our very different sizes. We had one main thing in common, that both of us spent most of our pregnancies wearing our husbands’ oversized, unflattering jumpers. This got us agreeing that there was a need for more choice in maternity clothing,” she said.

Lorna added: “To be honest, we both kind of walked away laughing that it was a pipe dream. But at 3am I was awake looking at wholesalers online!”

What followed, she said, ‘was a whirlwind few weeks.’

“Myself and Joanna were messaging at all hours of the day and night, back and forth, bouncing ideas off each other. Then we decided we’d take the plunge. We booked flights to Poland within three weeks of our original chat, with our two sons, during mid-term break, to meet prospective suppliers last October.

“This gave us a unique opportunity to assess the quality of the products before we ordered and also see the locations and working conditions where they were being made.

“On return from our trip, we had fire in our bellies and with this motivation we started looking for a Cork-based web designer and accountant,” said Lorna.

The friends readily admit it was a ‘huge leap into the unknown’ as well as being a financial risk.

“We have both invested our personal savings into setting this up. There were many a days where one of us just wanted to give up, but those were the days where we spurred each other on,” they said.

Even though most definitely out of their comfort zone, they were determined.

“After research, visits to suppliers, time, energy and personal finance, Maternitytobaby.ie was launched the end of January and is growing from strength to strength,” said Lorna.

“We are already seeing a growing number of women who may have purchased from us during pregnancy and are returning now to purchase breastfeeding clothes.

“This to us is testament to the fact that what we are offering is quality and comfort at affordable prices.”

The two are also very proud to be able to say that 95% of their stock is made in Europe by small suppliers, who make to their order quantities, reducing waste and fast fashion.

Maternity-wear is a busy market but the pals pride themselves on quality and comfort, crucially at competitive prices.

“As mothers, we understand that comfort is key during pregnancy and breastfeeding,” said Lorna.

Launching a business at such a challenging time in terms of rising energy costs hasn’t been ideal.

“The rising cost of fuel has made our logistics costs between Poland and Ireland a bit more expensive and some of our suppliers have been forced to increase their prices due to rising material costs. We have tried to keep our prices as competitive as we can for our customers and even absorbed some of these costs ourselves,” said Joanna.

Future plans include showcasing some of the products at the Pregnancy & Baby Fair in the RDS.

“And we are working with our main supplier to have prototypes made and hope to have a specific collection of Maternitytobaby branded clothing within the next year,” said Lorna.

Every day is a learning day for them.

“Quality checking products before we order is key. Learning to navigate social media and the website, while still learning to try and have some work/life balance, especially when the kids are still young – it’s a juggle but we love it,” they said.

KINSALE SISTERS GO SUSTAINABLE WITH NEW BRAND

THE fast fashion industry has had a detrimental impact on the environment, and not only that, it also impacts the quality of the clothes we wear, writes Aisling Meath

Kinsale-based sisters Orla and Aoife Lynch have responded to the situation by recently launching a sustainable clothing brand, Firkail, with all their garments made from hemp, one of nature’s most sustainable fabrics.

Their range includes wardrobe staples such as tee shirts, hoodies and jumpers.

Hemp is one of the oldest cultivated plants in history, with research estimating that it has been used since as far back as 8,000BC.

Today, with serious concerns about protecting the fragility of the planet, more and more people are searching out alternative ways of living, and this includes making informed choices about what they wear.

“I had eczema growing up, and have always been really drawn towards natural fibres as a result. I find them more breathable and kinder to my skin,” said Aoife.

“When I buy an item of clothing that I like, I tend to want to hold on to it. I’m a bit of a hoarder in that way, in that I like to re-wear items which I love over and over again.

“What you have next to your skin impacts how you feel. When I had a baby for the first time, that’s when I became really conscious of the fabric I was wearing. I wore only natural fibre because I was so warm having a baby close to me all the time, and I was also conscious of the baby’s skin next to it.”

“We always had an interest in sustainability and clothing, but particularly after we had our own children, it was something that kept niggling at us, so we wanted to create something that was not only kind to the skin, but that would last,” said Orla.

“We really wanted to set up a causal clothing company, mostly for women initially, and it had to be truly sustainable if we were going to do it, as we wanted to address the problem of clothes sitting in landfill.

“Aoife had just turned 40, and I was at the end of my maternity leave through lockdown. It was at that point we both realised that we wanted to do something to make a difference, and we both shared a passion for fashion.

“We discussed at length our vision for Firkail in term of sustainability, textiles and style.

“Over some great chats, coffees, and a few happy tears and hugs later, we realised how well we could work and create together. There’s not much we disagree on, and it became obvious that our hopes for this company were very much aligned.”

When the sisters were growing up in Cork, they were always naturally aware of sustainability from the example set by their parents, who always recycled and supported local businesses.

“Mom always brought her reusable shopping bags with her long before the ‘Bag for Life’ came in, and my parents were always very conscious of waste and turned their backs on over-packaging.

“Our grandparents had always grown their own veg, so sustainability was very much something that was at the heart of the lifestyle in our family, and this in turn was passed down to us.”

Aoife did a lot of research into the best textiles to use for the garments.

“We designed every piece of clothing ourselves at the kitchen table and we do all the work at Firkail together, finding our niche as we go along.

“We decided that hemp was the best option for us. It’s biodegradable, and our products are made with natural dyes and without any plastics, so we won’t be leaving any trace behind us. The more we investigated it, the more benefits we found.

“Hemp cotton is such an amazing material to wear. It’s soft and long lasting and has natural UV protection.

“As well as the advantages to wearing it, hemp is a ‘super crop’, so if you are conscious of your carbon footprint, then hemp is worth the investment.

“It consumes 50% more carbon than trees, and is pesticide free. It enhances soil health by adding nutrients and reducing soil toxicity. This is the plant that just keeps on giving!

“We think that if Ireland could ease the legal restrictions on hemp to enable more widespread growing, it would help to reduce its cost.

“Despite this obstacle for now, if we can educate people as to why hemp is so great and long lasting, than hopefully people will be willing to invest when they realise that they will be able to get much longer out of their clothes.

“Ireland is ideal for growing this crop - it’s a weed after all. Resources such as the Hemp Cooperative and Hemp4Soil on Loop head have lots of information on its amazing benefits.

“All our clothes are made by an Irish supplier who works directly with farmers in the south-west of Ireland, who are keen to grow the plant locally. The next step is to build the infrastructure to make an Irish hemp fabric.

“Our goal to is to have a 100% Irish product from seed to stitch, and we have lots of plans for the future, including sustainability workshops,” said Aoife.

The sisters have clearly tapped into a growing interest in leaving behind fast fashion.

“Fast fashion is so destructive, not only because of the waste it causes in landfills all over the world, but because the plastics in the clothing are not biodegradable, not to mention the negative effects on the climate in terms of emissions, and also on people in terms of unfair wages and child labour.

“We wanted our clothes to be ethically sourced and balance out the negatives with something positive, both for the wellbeing of the planet and also for our children,” said Orla.

Right from the very start, we agreed that Firkail could not be part of this problem. We aim to always try to do better, and to keep adapting to what’s available.

We must be role models for our children in order to make real change in their future. We can only do our best, but small changes can make a big difference.”