STYLE

Heidi Higgins

I am originally from Portlaoise, Co. Laois. Three years ago I moved to Co. Tipperary where we built our house on my husband’s farm and now live with our three kids.

I loved fashion and style from a young age. Like lots of young girls, I loved dressing up and putting my own outfits together – something my 6-year-old daughter Matilda loves to do now too!

I was in my early 20s when I set up my label under my own name. A year later I opened my first flagship store and soon grew out of that space and moved to a bigger premises. I have built up a great team who work with me in the store and in my design studio.

I also work very closely with my customers each season, and I dress women for special moments in their lives; maybe a job promotion, a wedding, or a special family day out. I design each collection myself and I am particularly proud to be able to produce the full collection in Ireland.

Fashion is a very tough business. The key is to keep customers excited each season while maintaining a unique silhouette and style. Building relationships with suppliers, production facilities, modern technology, and of course implementing a sustainable way of working are the biggest challenges facing designers at the moment.

There is something very special about creating a dress and seeing customers style it in their own way to suit their personality. That never fails to excite me! It is so rewarding to see my designs worn by my customers. It is especially nice when customers wear a design from one of my first collections with something from my new collection – then I know I have maintained my unique style and the quality of my design stands the test of time. www.heidihiggins.com