Everyone loves a birthday celebration and Fia are no exception.

To celebrate our first year online we came up with the idea of celebrating this milestone by telling you a little more about how we got here and recognizing those who helped us make it happen.

As Fia clothing turns 1 it may seem as if we are new to this game. The truth is the brand has taken years to build and it took a village! Today is a celebration of all the people that have stuck by us down through the years. 

It goes without saying it has been a year of challenges. I mean honestly, you’d have to be half mad to launch a brand in the middle of a global pandemic.

But one year on we remember the small wins  (and a few big ones), all in all it has been a year of togetherness. There is an Irish saying, “Ní neart go cur le cheile” I think it says it all, there is no strength without unity. We are always stronger when we stand together, supporting each other.

To mark the occasion, we thought it would be nice to tell you a little bit about us and our journey so far. In 1999 I acquired a business called M&S Latchford from a lovely gentleman called Michael Latchford. He had built a wholesale business distributing Irish manufactured goods to the US market. He showed me the ropes and in 2000 handed over the reins. Since then, I gained a lot of insight into what customers want and what they value. What I also learned was that running a business requires a lot of energy and hard work. To do this, I could only promote products I genuinely loved and could stand over. It wasn’t hard to find such products as Ireland has a wealth of the finest manufacturers. Based on years of experience in this market and our love for natural materials and local suppliers we created our own brand – Fia

This allowed us to have a hand in the design of each product, choosing the highest quality natural materials from ethical suppliers. This is something we are deeply passionate about. Doing the right thing even when no one is looking is important to us. It was from this belief that we developed our tag line “Take the high ground”. Sustainability is core to the brand's beliefs and Fia is committed to minimising its impact on the environment. Taking the high ground also means a moral high ground. This can be seen not only in our policies but most importantly our actions. We believe that in business not everything should be about the bottom line. And our success to date has proven that you can remain moral, uphold a standard of justice or goodness and enjoy a thriving business.

Fiona Sheehan

Anna Sheehan

Barry Brennan

Lorna Diwa

Maura Walsh