Cork-based businesswoman introduces beautiful baby throws 

HAVING set up a small online company in 2015 selling beautiful throws, Cork-based Jamie Monagan’s Loominations has just introduced a new line of luxury throw blankets for babies. They are made out of 100% cotton, 70% of which is recycled.

“There’s that sustainable element, which is something a lot of people are looking for these days,” says Jamie.

This American entrepreneur (on a small scale basis) moved to Ireland 23 years ago with her writer husband, David Monagan and their three children.

One evening, in her Military Hill home, she had an idea. Jamie had a throw growing up which had been bought by her mother, “probably from the same mill where I have my throws woven.

“The throw had a picture of the New Jersey shore woven into it. 

My mother gave it to me when we came to live here.

"It was white and green. I had it for years and it was still in great shape, despite having been washed and put in a drier a thousand times.

“I had it over my lap, reading my book, and I realised I’d never seen anything like it in Ireland. So I decided to start a business.”

With the help of graphic artist John MacMonagle, she designed three throws depicting a map of Ireland and maps of the Atlantic Way and the Ring of Kerry.

While those appeal to the tourist market, Jamie’s collection now also includes ‘museum masterpieces,’ ‘20th century modern,’ ‘William Morris’ and ‘trees of life’ as well as the throws for babies – which are heirloom pieces.

The line for babies comprise a design called ‘patchwork magic’, suitable for girls, ‘wheels on the bus’ for boys, and two gender neutral designs called ‘baby’s building blocks’ and ‘Noah’s Ark.’

“The throws are woven in an American, state-of-the-art hi-tech computer-driven jacquard loom. There are very few of them in the world.

“The looms are actually manufactured in Germany. Generally, you’ll only find a mill that can make this kind of throw blanket close to where cotton is grown. 

So it makes sense to have them woven in the US. You’re never going to grow cotton in Ireland.

“The weaving technique is very specific. It’s a wonderful mill. I have visited it. It’s been in the same family for generations and the throws are woven in safe and ethical conditions. They’re expensive to make and I have to ship them. I’m the only carrier of these throws in Ireland.

“The larger one (137x178cm), ‘patchwork magic’ has eight miles of pre-shrunk cotton woven into every throw. It costs €159. The smaller ones cost €140.”

Jamie references a survey commissioned by One4All gift vouchers in the UK which found that people are spending “an all time high of £180 on a gift for a family or friend’s baby. Before the baby is even born, £80 is spent. So there is definitely a market for people who want a high quality baby gift that is going to last and last.

“A throw is something you can buy for the first baby. 

They can crawl on it, it can be hung on a wall as a piece of tapestry, or it can be tucked around baby in the buggy.

The throw can be passed on to any other children that come along although it might be difficult to get the first-born to part with it, given the way young children become attached to blankets.

Jamie says her eldest child, Laura, now aged 35, still talks about her childhood blanket which she called ‘moonie’.

With American rituals such as the baby shower imported to Ireland, a Loominations baby throw would be a great gift.

“If you don’t know the baby’s sex, you can give a neutral throw as a gift. (And then there are ‘gender reveal’ parties – yet another excuse to buy a gift.)

“I did my own market research before introducing the baby line. You need to buy gifts with a personal, hand-selected feel. People are buying fewer gifts but higher quality ones. You can buy a child an adorable little outfit but very quickly, they’ll grow out of it. 

There are all the milestones such as the announcement of the pregnancy, the gender reveal, the birth, baby’s first birthday and Christmas.

Having worked in PR for theatre in Cork, including a ten year stint at the Cork Opera House, Jamie currently looks after publicity for The Grainstore music venue at Ballymaloe. Asked if she always had an entrepreneurial streak, she says: “David and I had talked about 50 different ideas and never acted on them because none of them really made sense. I thought Loominations was a runner. I sell the maps of Ireland in stores in the US, particularly in stores that specialise in Irish stuff. I sell them in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.”

The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in Cork was a fantastic support, from day one. Jamie adds: “I’m doing something with them on expanding into Europe.”

Jamie, whose grandfather was a Donnelly from Roscommon, is delighted to have made the move to Cork. At one point, she and her family returned to Connecticut for a year, but realised they really missed Cork. Her children have spread their wings. Laura, a management consultant with PWC, lives in London with her Australian husband, whom she met in Cork. Harris is a chef who has returned to Cork, having travelled around south-east Asia for five months. Eoghan is involved in a start-up company in Manhattan where he lives with his Brazilian wife whom he met in Dublin.

For more on Jamie’s business see www.loominations.ie