WOMEN WHO LAUNCH

– A.Rubanesque Goes Under The Microscope

Words: Liv Morgan

From ribbons to lace, buttons to embellishments, twenty-seven year old Alexa O'Byrne has created a treasure trove with her haberdashery, A.Rubanesque. Located in the Powerscourt Shopping Centre in Dublin, A. Rubanesque is benefiting from a revival of the 'make do with what you have' attitude.

"The positive aspects of the recession are women are less throw away with their clothing so they're recycling, they're adding cuffs, they're adding collars, they're adding lace. They're also accessorising in a different sort of way; Rather than going out and buying a fascinator or a hat they're coming into the shop and getting the different elements to make their own. So in that way the customisation and revamping side of things has shot through the roof."

Textiles have always been part of Alexa's life. With her father being a renowned commercial photographer and her mother an Art teacher as well as a member of the embroiders guild, she jokes that she "was doomed from the beginning!" Alexa graduated from NCAD with a degree in Embroidered textiles but unlike many young graduates who set their sights on travelling, her attention was drawn to business.

Read more about Alexa O'Byrne in the Winter 2010 issue of WMB, on newsstands now.