Claire Doyle - Dress Designer
Tuesday 14 May 2013
CLAIRE Doyle is an accomplished businesswoman, dress designer and manufacturer, with an assurance and poise that belie her 27 years.
Totally focused on her target market of "the elegant working woman", Doyle set up shop in 2009 in the Distiller's Building at New Church Street in Dublin. This a stone's throw from the Four Courts and Law Library where many of her legal clients are located during working hours. It is also ideal for clients from the financial arena.
In a very short space of time, her label has gained a firm foothold in the executive tailoring market and her clients have included former President Mary McAleese, Attorney-General Maire Whelan and chef Rachel Allen. Doyle's designs are elegant and classy, made from beautiful Italian fabrics – but, very importantly, they are manufactured in factories in Dublin.
With a ready-to-wear collection available in her shop, Doyle also offers a bespoke service to clients who have specific needs in terms of size or colour or who want to commission styles for special occasions such as weddings and race meetings.
Claire, who is from Straffan in Co Kildare, took me through the rudiments of making a dress at the cutting table of the factory where her clothes are made. Everything is hand crafted and finished under the masterful eye of the long-experienced tailor here.
"I am delighted to be able to manufacture all my garments in Dublin and help maintain employment with people who have been working in this industry for over 20 years," Doyle says.
Having worked for Louise Kennedy for six years, Doyle was well positioned to learn about the rag trade. However, whilst loving fashion, she felt it important to have a business training also.
"My background is business, I did business studies in DCU. But I'd started working for Louise Kennedy when I was 16, which is where the love of fashion started, especially the love of tailoring.
"I worked there on Saturdays when I was in school. I was working behind the scenes, and on the floor.
"I saw the side of production, meeting with pattern cutters, but I was only a retail assistant when I started. I worked all the way through college," she says.
This was in Louise Kennedy's flagship store on Merrion Square, the former home of legendary Irish designer Sybil Connolly.
"When I finished college, I got a job with Google doing audits, and then I got a contract job with Revenue. I loved business and tax – I did a course on tax as well.
"When I left the Revenue, I met Elizabeth Moore – my former manager at Louise Kennedy's – for dinner and we decided to set up our own label together, Elizabeth & Claire. Within two months, we had the collection designed and we had it produced in Poland. We found our premises in Smithfield and started trading in November."
Six months later, the duo went their separate ways. "I am trading now as 'Claire Doyle' for over three years and it has gone from strength to strength. I've dressed President McAleese, the Attorney- General, and Rachel Allen, and getting those people, and being allowed to use their names, has been a great starting point."
Claire has no formal training in clothing design – but she has a natural ability and eye, developed through her experience.
"I design every piece and I sketch it. It is on-the-ground experience working with each client and through my experience with Louise Kennedy.
"Really, when people say 'how do you design your collection and what colours do you pick?', it comes down to the clients and the feedback. I deal with every single client who comes in and you know straight away what styles are working and each season you try to pair pare them down and really get those styles and colours.
"All my pieces are seasonless – I don't really adhere to trends. These women want classic investment pieces. I pick colours I know would work in their wardrobe so, if they are partners of big law firms, I would know they have to have very muted colours that go with their black and navy. With my made-to-measure service, when picking fabrics, I know that Irish women love pinks and purples, colours that go with the Irish skin tone.
"For example, I never did red before now but that's all I heard over the last two years! I decided to do red but it's a very light red that goes with the Irish skin tone because red is such a hard colour to wear. It's really just listening to your clients and understanding. I do have an eye for it, and because my target is such a niche market, it makes it easier because you are not trying to be someone to everyone, if that makes sense."
Doyle says that over the past three years she has really fine-tuned the collection and come to understand her clients' needs. When someone walks through the door she knows immediately what styles and colour she would put them in – a great gift.
"Being a designer, it is really important to actually be on the shop floor and meeting the customers because they will dictate what goes into next season, and they will dictate what styles they want."
Claire says she loves Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton, and the Coco Chanel look, but reiterates that really her inspiration comes down to her clients – "real Irish women who are in business and like well-tailored clothing".
"If I am really honest that would be my inspiration but ever since I was six years old, I was always sketching dresses. I always had that tailored, simple line look, classic pieces, that's what I always loved – so it was the natural progression to go into that market. You can see my stamp in each design and colour.
"One lady said to me, 'it's good you are a size 12, you understand how women's bodies work'. It's true, I have the same problems as anybody else. Instead of being stick thin and saying 'I understand how you feel about arms or tummies', I can see myself in all the clothes – that's why they feature belts, higher waistbands, and a nice shape around the bust because I think every woman is conscious of that. You want to put on a dress and feel really good – nearly like a uniform that you can just put on and step out."
Claire also has another service designing also designs uniforms and did the Newbridge Silverware uniform and has also just finished an order for a hotel in Wexford.
Claire has clients coming from all over the country for mother-of-the-bride (or groom) wedding outfits. "The first words they all say are 'I don't want a mother of the bride or groom outfit, I just want something very simple'. In the last year or so that market has really opened up and we work with them to design what they like.
"The fabrics I use are wool crepe but I also recently got swatches of washable wool crepe. All of the fabrics are from Italy including a jersey fabric with a little spandex."
Claire showed me a beautiful deep tropical pattern which can be worn on its own – day into evening. Laces come from France. Lace is very popular at the moment and the inspiration for it has been Kate Midleton. Dresses are from €260 to €320. Jackets are €350, jersey tops are €140 and blouses are €120. Skirts are €205 and trousers are €250, all in 100 per cent wool fabrics.( Jersey is less because wool is the most expensive fabric.)
Claire Doyle, Suite 10, The Distillers Building, New Church Street, Smithfield,
Dublin 7. Tel: (01) 804-7226
www.clairedoyle.ie