For the third in a new series of editorials on Her.ie focusing on Irish Women in Business, we chat to Irish fashion designer Emma Manley, of Manley fashion line, about her years of experience in the industry and the extraordinary adventures along the way. Here, Emma explains in her own words what inspired her label, how the idea became a reality, her business ethos, and where the future lies for the ever expanding Manley fashion line. We have to say, our hats are off to this lady, this is a phenomenal story. _________________________________________________________________________________ I suppose my love of fashion started very early on. My Mum remembers sitting front row at a Louise Kennedy SS show, very heavily pregnant with me and once the music started and the models hit the catwalk, I began frantically kicking! I got a kid's sewing machine for my 4th birthday. I sat alongside my Mum, she made clothes for women, I made clothes for barbies and the likes! School was always somewhat of a struggle for me. I knew what I wanted very early on and couldn't but focus on that. Everything else seemed like a waste of time. If I could only turn back the clocks I would have done things very differently. I should have just enjoyed the learning process simply because I could. My Mum didn't want me to study fashion. She knew what it was like and I suppose she didn't want the same struggle she had for me. After many rows across the dinner table we came to an agreement. I had to do a one year fashion and textile foundation to prove that fashion was really what I wanted. So I did. I won the 'Achiever of the Year' for that art department that year and I was on my way to study Fashion! I had a pit stop for a year between my foundation and Diploma, as I went to be a style advisor for Topshop. That lead onto the setting up of the Topshop To Go service in Ireland. A huge learning curve for me and I suppose my first real full-time job. I loved every second of it and feel that my understanding of women, their body hang ups, body shapes, and general fashion insecurities has really influenced what Manley is today. Following my graduation I hopped on a plane to New York for my first interning experience. I was supposed to be going with a friend but she pulled out last minute! I ended up going on my own which was pretty daunting as I had never been to New York. It's a very long story that includes me being homeless, soaked on the streets of Brooklyn, with only a rucksack on my back, and my portfolio in hand. A man gave me the keys to a house to stay until I got on my feet, and a friend of a friend came to rescue me from the, ‘house I thought I was going to be murdered in', and that was only the first three days! From there it only got better. It was three months packed with extremely hard work and a hell of a lot of learning, but it was an experience that really gave me a taster of the fashion world. It gave me the wind in my sails to take me onto the next adventure. From New York I had a quick pit stop in Dublin and then made the move to London. I didn't know for how long but I knew I needed to continuing learning on the job, I had a lot of learning left to do! I luckily landed my dream internship with McQueen… It was a totally insane experience for me. I had come from working in New York with VPL, which was a small scale start up label working within very limited boundaries, and only 4 full time employed staff. I arrived to the very swanky McQueen offices where in reception not only are there 2 receptionists, but there were larger than life stuffed polar bears from their most recent catwalk show, 5 levels full to the brim of employees, and an army of interns! I had applied to work on the design team but got wrongly placed on the embellishment team. My heart sank and I just thought, “it was too good to be true”. Embellishment was something I didn't experiment greatly with through college, so my interest in it was virtually non existent! In my first week I got sent to the McQueen archives where I was sorting through and arranging old collections. Working that closely with the samples really made me open my eyes and start to appreciate embellishment. I didn’t realise the effect it had on me until someone commented on the sheer quantity of embellishment in the Manley line, and I thought, “when did all this happen?” My time at McQueen had a huge influence on my work and it was an experience that money could never buy. What inspired you to open up your own business? I don't think I ever made a conscious decision to launch Manley, it all happened quite organically really. The day I left McQueen was the day I ordered a role of pattern paper. That pattern paper ended up being the starting point for a the first Manley collection. I suppose at that point I sat down, evaluated my situation and thought, okay if I'm going to do this, what's the best way of going about it. For me, moving home to where I had the support of family and friends was essential, so I made the move home and haven’t regretted it for one second since. I'm the daughter of an entrepreneur and a self employed fashion designer, sometimes these things just run in the blood! Do you think it is more difficult to make a name for yourself in an arena that is dominant with male figures?  Everything runs in cycles. Everything in fashion runs in cycles too. Maybe at this time, there are many famed and celebrated male designers, but that will eventually change. Everyone will have their time. If you’re good enough at what you do, being male or female won’t come into it. Where does the future lie for Manley? Three years later and what can I say, its been a roller coaster and I have learned an awful lot. Manley really has been a learn on the job experience for me. In the beginning I made more mistakes than right decisions, I'm happy to say its quite the opposite now, so I am learning. Its all about making small and conscious steps now. Not every opportunity is one worth taking, it's picking the opportunities that are right for Manley. Growth is a wonderful thing but only when you can handle what it brings with it. Manley is now ready for that and we’re so looking forward to expanding. Right now Manley is stocked in Ireland, the U.K and Egypt, and we’re ready to go even further afield. There are so many elements to running a fashion business and getting the balance right is the most difficult part. Im still learning but I’m kind of proud to say that, I suppose, I’m doing something right.   To find out more about Emma and her fashion line, or purchase one or her fabulous designs, visit emmamanley.com To suggest other great Irish women to feature in this series, please drop us a line to editorial@her.ie