A Co Fermanagh woman is hoping to bring an innovative new concept to the area with the launch of her new business, which offers designer dresses for hire on special occasions.
Nicolle Collins, from Enniskillen, emigrated to Australia shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic began, but has now returned to her hometown to launch Occasion Rotation.
Designer dresses and outfits can be hired for a number of days, saving people the hundreds or thousands they might spend on purchasing a dress.
The 27-year-old has always worked in the fashion industry and says her new business aims to bring sustainability and affordability to designer outfits.
“In Sydney where I lived, the whole dress hire industry is just huge. Everyone hires dresses to go to events,” she told MyFermanagh.
“It really appeals to me because it’s definitely a more sustainable approach to the fashion industry.
“I have worked in the industry for a while, I studied fashion and worked in the head office in Penney’s for five years so it’s always been something that has appealed to me.
“With everyone becoming more environmentally aware I thought that it was a good approach to take.
“I buy the dresses, which are a bit more on the higher end of things, and then you can rent it at a lower price instead of having to buy it yourself.”
The impact of the pandemic led to a lot of changes for Nicolle, and she thought the time was right to open up her new business, which is based online initially.
“With the pandemic so many things have been cancelled so everyone has so much coming up.
“It gives people the opportunity to wear different dresses without spending an absolute fortune on them.
“Having the business has definitely helped me to adjust since coming home, and seeing the support you receive from everyone is just so nice.
“The next few months is going to be a real trial to see what our customers are looking for and then we want to try to nail down what our demographic is, and tailoring the business towards that.”
