The Design Centre was established more than 30 years ago, starting life in the Galleria on Stephen's Green in Dublin. It was effectively a gallery of Irish design, established to showcase the work of emerging fashion designers such as John Rocha, who played a key role in the early days and whose collections were stocked in the Design Centre every year until his recent retirement.
Beginning as a collective of eight or nine designers, the Design Centre evolved to take on 12 designers and preempted the boom in Dublin’s boutique scene.
In 1987, it moved into the Powerscourt Centre at a time when Powerscourt was being run by Robin Power of Power Corp. Power's wife Michelle took over the Design Centre space and began to run it with more of a retail focus rather than simply as a showcase.
The Design Centre has been dedicated to stocking the work of emerging and established Irish designers, with well-known names such as Louise Kennedy, Philip Treacy and Mariad Whisker alongside Rocha. More recently designers such as Synan O'Mahony, Jill de Burca and Caroline Kilkenny have been making names for themselves from the rails of the Design Centre.
Retail bug
When current owner
Ashling Kilduff
returned as a 20-year-old from Australia in the early 1990s having been bitten by the retail bug, she knew she wanted to head to the Design Centre.
“I was hooked by the whole way of retail, the whole buying side of the business. The first port of call was the Design Centre. To me it was like a wonder world, there was so much life in the Irish design scene,” she says. “It was really at the forefront of boutique retail in the city; other than the Design Centre, there was really only Marian Gale and Switzers.”
For Kilduff, a large part of the business is what she describes as “the art of dressing” or knowing what clients want and how to dress them, advise that has been invaluable to the young designers stocked on the rails.
“I enjoy working with the designers and I am very involved with many of our designers on their collections, helping them to pick fabrics, choose sleeve length, zips and finishes. A lot of designers over the years wouldn’t have designed their collections without first asking my advice.”
Clarendon Properties, current owner of the Powerscourt Centre, has a 25 per cent stake in Kilduff’s business, something she describes as a choice made at the time she took over the shop in 2005. “I liked the idea of a landlord interest in the business.”
The business has completely evolved over time. In the past 10 years, it has moved to the second floor and the space has been redesigned.
Business model
The business used to operate on the basis of designers renting a space in the centre; now it is on a commission basis. The clothes are taken from the designers who are charged a commission on what sells.
“Obviously it is in both our interests that the stock sells,” says Kilduff. “This model of business works better because, in the past, the designers rented a space and could effectively put anything they wanted on the rails. You’re also dealing with a huge amount of personalities and there was a lot going on. The difference with the concession basis is they have to sell it and I have to sell it and be confident that it is going to sell.
“The new way of doing things gave me a lot more control over what I had coming into the store, where I placed the merchandise and it’s a better arrangement for the designers who don’t have to pay me a rail rent every month regardless of whether they sell or not.”
While Kilduff says that the success of the Design Centre has always been focused on good design, she says it is also about the individual designer and the amount of commitment they are willing to put in.
“They have got to have the commitment, they have got to come in on time, the garments have to have the right finish because at the end of the day our reputation and client base are what has kept the Design Centre in business for 30 years. I know straight away what works and can spot that collection a mile off but it also depends on the designer: if they can show up for their appointments on time, if they can keep a level head.”
Keeping a level head during the recession is something Kilduff had to do, introducing quality items at an affordable price point while maintaining Design Centre standards.
Unique focus
When the shop started, it was unique in terms of its focus on Irish design (and Kilduff says a misconception still exists that it is funded by the government). Other retailers have sought to emphasise Irish design in a similar vein but Kilduff is undeterred.
The last two years have been steady for the Design Centre, due to customer loyalty and increase in spending confidence.
“We strive to keep ourselves unique – looking for designers that aren’t in other stores and nurturing the talent from stage one,” says Kilduff. “Every store has their own way of dressing people or presenting their collections and our customers are confident about how we will make them look. We’ve worked hard to keep our standing in the industry, we have real passion and that’s what we are all about.” www.designcentre.ie
