Business
I LOVE VISITING …
A DAY IN THE LIFE
For Dublin glovemaker Paula Rowan, no day is ever quite the same as designing goes hand in hand with her retail business.
6am I wake up about six, I have no need for an alarm clock anymore. As soon as I’m out of bed I walk into the living room, which overlooks the sea – my main source of inspiration when designing. It’s a great start to the day.
I start I don’t stop. I was always told when you love what you’re doing, the time will fly. Around this time, I have a quick lunch and take a stroll on the beach if I’m working from home – the fresh air rejuvenates me. If I’m in town, it’s all go.
6.30am I like to exercise every morning for at least an hour and twice a week I do yoga or Pilates. Exercise has become an important part of my routine but, these days, I’m spending more time in Italy for work and I am finding it hard to make the time.
3pm I like to be in the shop because this is where it all began. I originally started working for my brother when I was studying in university. I think it’s important to meet my clients and hear their feedback, which I take into account when I’m designing. My shop is situated below the Westbury hotel, which has a lot of international visitors. I love meeting people and think it’s important to be hands on – pun intended.
7.30am I have a quick breakfast, usually something healthy. I love anything green: juices and teas, and have a quick read of the papers before I sit down to make work calls and answer emails. Italy is an hour ahead so this gives me ample opportunity, then I can work on my designs. 9am Realistically, I never know what exactly will happen on a given day. I don’t work only as a designer – I also have a boutique in the (paularowan.com) city centre, so I work in every single field of the business. When I’m designing my collection, I’m working on my designs all the time. I take inspiration from everything – a piece of art, architecture or what’s happening on the catwalk. I have a little notebook filled with images and swatches and sometimes I will work on a new design for the entire day. First the drawings, which I usually tweak several times, then I work on a silhouette, stitching, pinning, repositioning and tweaking bows, buttons, studs … whatever trim I’m working on until I’m finally happy. Then I sketch my final drawing. 2pm Often I don’t have a spare moment until well after 2pm. Scheduling is not easy as once
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6pm Close of business, but I regularly I stay late working on window displays. Although the shop is closed I often see faces peering in, and I’m always fascinated to see fingerprints on my window the next morning – it indicates how many people have been looking in the night before. 7pm During the week, when I get home, I like to relax. I love to cook, I find it really therapeutic. I’m so inspired by the food and flavours in Italy that I test a lot of these ideas at home. On the weekends, I usually go out for dinner as there are so many great restaurants in Dublin – Forest Avenue, DeVille’s in Dalkey … so many to choose from. 9pm There’s nothing nicer after a busy day than listening to good music and getting stuck into a great read – I’ve just finished reading Midnight in Sicily by Peter Robb. This should be accompanied by a good Irish whiskey, to quote Mark Twain: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough”.
DONEGAL For a real treat, I’d stay in Lough Eske Castle, a 15th-century, lavish estate with stunning views. It’s the ultimate indulgence. solishotels.com
NAPLES It’s a really edgy city, steeped in Italian history and culture. Generally I go there once a month for work, visiting the glove factories and overseeing the production. I love food and wine so it’s the perfect place for me. I love wandering around the old historic centre of Naples, Via dei Tribunali … it’s like a walk back in time and truly inspirational.
CADAQUÉS When I get the chance to take a holiday, I love to go to Cadaqués in Spain. This was a wellkept secret amongst artists such as Picasso and Dalí (and my favourite antiques shop outside Ireland, Es Doll, is there). It’s such a relaxing spot, the inspiration for my designs just flows when I’m there. I find myself working on sketches before I know it.