Full coverage: Fashion

Two years ago, the popular homeware and gifts marketplace branched into fashion with a $1.6bn UK acquisition. The Dublin holding company conducting the deal has now wiped 90% off its value.

An analysis of the retailer’s financial performance over a four-year period shows the full extent of its Covid restructuring, and the issues impacting the wider retail sector.

Maybe I want to read books written by three-legged weirdos who have never heard of Elon Musk and aren’t on Twitter. God forbid. Maybe I don’t want to buy badly designed handbags with PHARRELL written across them for $800; I rather like my Foreign Affairs bag that I got with my subscription for free.

Keanes Jewellers is more than a family business – it is a Cork institution. And its heritage is significant for Patrick Keane, a third-generation scion of the business. He talks about the future of retail and the importance of securing the right brands.

The pandemic has forced many fashion brands to rethink how they work. In the shadow of deserted catwalks, Aileen Carville and her fashion-tech start-up SKMMP are leading the way online, and raising half a million euro to develop new tools.

Just before lockdowns pushed shoppers online, Jenny Timony had launched her FitPink brand of athleisure wear. She’s now raising funds to expand overseas, targeting a €3m valuation for her business – all from her hometown of Donegal.

Television presenter Anna Daly always wanted to set up her own business, and the lockdown prompted her to launch fashion brand Little Bliss. She talks about building a brand from scratch, why sustainability matters and the future of retail.

Kerry-born designer Don O’Neill may have enjoyed the “Meghan effect” but it wasn’t enough to save his job in light of Covid-19. From his brownstone in New York, he talks about burn out, the vagaries of fashion and why he won't start from scratch again.

Luxury leather accessories brand My Name is Ted was founded in 2017. However, its biggest growth came during the pandemic, when sales increased by 400%. Co-founder Kasia Gaborec-McEvoy talks about pivoting online, attracting well-heeled clients and why the company is now looking to raise funds.

The Irish jewellery group Anthony Nicholas, owner of the Fields chain, paid off its senior debt after selling four UK stores. With Covid impacting its business heavily, it has adjusted its facilities.