There is a widespread - and understandable - temptation at the moment to imagine clothing sales in Ireland have entirely surrendered to English chain stores. While it is undeniably true that the high-rental main streets and shopping centres in every city are now dominated by multiples, a little further investigation reveals independent retailing continues to thrive here. One successful example of Irish entrepreneurship is Costume, a small shop in Dublin which has been building up business since opening 15 months ago. Costume is not multi-storeyed and over-lit by strips of fluorescent tubing; loud music is not pumped over a tannoy system; and a chain of identical outlets is unlikely to open everywhere else is the country. Instead the low-key, white-painted interior offers customers an instant, inviting welcome thanks to the presence of mother-and-daughter team Billie Taylor and Tracy Tucker. They are an ideal pairing, concluding one another's sentences, giggling over shared memories of buying trips and complementing (as well as complimenting) one another's taste. "We've never had a row," they say almost in unison and insist their partnership is an ideal working arrangement.
The rag-trade looms large in their background: Billie Taylor is Mrs Brian Tucker and she still buys cloth and does some styling for the long-established label. Tracy worked for five years in Brown Thomas and the same length of time in New York, principally at Bergdorf Goodman. While in the United States, she also did some buying for cult label Tocca "but wouldn't take a buyer's job because they worked on commission". Billie Taylor has owned other shops before, including one called Tracy's and another with the name Billie's. The Costume premises had been a showroom for Brian Tucker but had become dilapidated and in need of an overhaul. So she teamed up with Tracy and opened a new outlet. From the start, the duo had a very clear idea of who would be their customers - young professional women in need of a good suit which would be a little different, "but not cost a million dollars". That sums up the clientele they have managed to attract. "We've lots of young solicitors, barristers and businesswomen. We always try to follow up sales with a phone call and our customers seem to be happy."
The Costume style is pared-back, cleancut and, appropriately enough, very businesslike. Around 20 per cent of stock is under the shop's own label - another of Billie Taylor's daughters, Leigh, studied fashion at NCAD and she designs items which can then conveniently be manufactured at the Brian Tucker factory. One obvious advantage to this arrangement is that if any particular garment proves to be a strong seller, additional numbers can be produced at relatively short notice.
Costume has even been known to produce pieces for individual clients. "We try to slide things into the factory when it's not too busy, which means we often get new clothes in the shop when the rest of the order has arrived. That means anyone calling here might find something new she hadn't seen before." The core of each season's stock is suiting, but there are also dresses for day and evening as well as coats. Italy and France are where the pair source most of their clothes and since so much of what they carry is highly tailored, they try to throw in a few unstructured pieces as well such as the new season's layered, tulle slip-tops. Costume aims to bridge the gap between chain stores and the upper end of the market, with prices pitched accordingly. Trouser suits accordingly tend to cost from £250 to £350 and many other items are considerably less. Thanks in part to these figures, Costume is an inviting place to shop. "The image we want to project is comfortable and easy-going," say its owners. Easy-going they may appear, but their success is due to sound business sense and a thorough understanding of the market.