FashionHse celebrates 90 years and generations of success

FashionHse, a distributor, designer and manufacturer of women’s clothing brands, is preparing to celebrate 90 years in business at the start of October and hopes to continue its success by expanding into new markets across the world.

The company, which was founded in 1933 by Frank O’Rourke and Joe Taaffe, now spans four generations and managing director Colm O’Rourke said there is an emotional connection to his grandfather that feeds the business.

“We are proud of the achievement of reaching 90 years in business and more personally proud of myself as a third generation, steering the company for the last 30 years. In a way I have played a third of the role in getting the company to where it is today and equally proud that we have two members of the next generation in the business now too,” he said.

O’Rourke said that the firm not only has connections to his own family but there are employees who have been deeply involved in the business.

“We have many members of staff who have been working with us for 20 years plus and we have one member who has been working with us for 45 years. We are very humbled by the loyal support we have had to the family business,” he said.

FashionHse was founded during the Anglo-Irish trade war of the 1930s.

‘It was like a reverse Brexit. De Valera cut off one of Ireland's biggest imports and a silver lining was that the business was created’

Joe Taaffe was a clothing manufacturer, with his main source material coming from the UK. When De Valera decided to impose high import tariffs on UK imports, Taaffe’s supply chain became too costly. Frank O’Rourke was an agent for Italian fabrics at the time and the two men decided to merge. They founded Taaffe & O’Rourke, which later became FahionHse.

“It was like a reverse Brexit. De Valera cut off one of Ireland's biggest imports and a silver lining was that the business was created,” Colm O’Rourke said.

The company currently employs 71 people and is on course to turnover €9 million this year. It consists of three aspects, with the flagship being its own ladies fashion brand Peruzzi. Established by the company in the 1990s, Peruzzi consists of an Irish design team working with Italian fabrics and manufacturers.

The company’s main exports are to the UK, Canada, Switzerland and Greece, and O’Rourke said there is an ambition to expand further.

“We've just recently started in New Zealand and Australia, and we are excited about serious growth in this market. We are assessing the German market currently and we see lots of potential growth. We were in the German market pre-crash in 2010 and we are looking to get back into this market”, O’Rourke said.

The company's distribution service represents seven labels around the world in countries including Spain, France, Denmark, Germany, and Turkey.

FashionHse also has boutique stores, with five in Dublin and four outside of the capital, but O’Rourke told the Business Post that the thrust of growth is through the digital marketing channel.

O’Rourke said that Enterprise Ireland has been supportive, with funding and courses to help the company in new markets.

O’Rourke said the company has had its difficulties but that has made its upcoming 90th anniversary that much sweeter.

“We've certainly lived a few lives, but we have never hit the wall or gone into receivership or examinership; we have come through clean and paid our bills. We have never had a bad debt, never failed to pay anybody. Honesty is important when surviving 90 years. We have seen World War Two, we have seen the good times and the bleak times, but we are still here.”