Designing Handbags & Shoes

Entrepreneur Nicki Hoyne has just launched her new shoe collection, hot on the heels of her debut bag collection and all from her home base in Kilkenny in the midst of a pandemic. Here she is, in her own words…

Tell us about early life – what did you want to be – what did you end up doing?

When I was little I wanted to be a popstar, singing and dancing all day in crazy outfits. I always wanted to do something fun and enjoy every day. I could never do a job I didn’t enjoy. I had no interest in school and didn’t do a good leaving cert so I didn’t get into any of my college choices which in hindsight was a blessing as I would have failed miserably. I studied theatre for 3 years which got all the messing out of my system. After that I applied to study business entrepreneurship in IADT. I loved it and surprised everyone (including myself) with how academic I was when I applied myself. After college I fell into events and field marketing which gave me an opportunity to work with brands like Nintendo and Diageo. I then moved into sales management in London at Elizabeth Arden and Coty working with brands like Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein & Balenciaga.  

At what point did you decide to go out on your own – was it gradual or a eureka moment?

I come from an entrepreneurial family and have always been described as a chip off the old block but the recession had hit and I was having a lot of fun in London so I put it off. My family were all tut tutting at me that I had hit 30 and had still not started my own business. In 2013 I came home to work in the family business, Merlyn Showering. I absolutely hated it. Instagram was emerging, I saw small businesses using Instagram to build businesses from their kitchen table. I knew I could do it and with my experience I could do it even better than what I was seeing.

Were you worried about taking that leap with your first venture in 2014?

Not at all. I had a really clear vision of what I wanted to do. Everyone thought I was mad trying to sell jewellery online (My Shining Armour). How fast things have changed! I focused on animating my brand with lots of personality, having excellent customer service and wow packaging. This was almost unheard of for a small business at the time. Five months in, I featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine and it took off from there.  

Which came first – your love of fashion or entrepreneurship?

Definitely fashion, as of a child of the 80’s I was mad for colour, bangles and blue eyeshadow! I always loved to work but I wasn’t the one making or selling anything. My younger brother was always up to a money making scheme. I love the variety of business but having worked with different brands over the years, fashion just sets my soul on fire.

What inspired you to launch your own handbag collection – did you discover a niche?

It probably sounds very cringe but I just had this need to do it. I wasn’t going to sit still until I did it. 

What’s different about what you do?

I love fashion. I want to celebrate and enjoy pieces not consume them and throw them away. I wanted to build a slow fashion sustainable brand that was fun. There is a perception that sustainability is green and brown and boring. It’s either fast fashion that falls apart or high end minimalism. I wanted really high quality products that had colour and fun. I knew there must be people like me out there.

When the pandemic hit what happened to your business?

I had just come back from Milan where I had met suppliers. I had decided to move on from My Shining Armour so I was winding down that workload. I needed to put the head down and do the graft to get the Nicki Hoyne Collection up and running. I needed to have the shoes developed and the bags in production by summer so I took the opportunity to lock myself away without distractions and make it even better than I planned. 

What happened to you personally?

I was living between Kilkenny and London and travelling a lot. I went from being on a plane most weeks to being in Kilkenny full time. It is such a gorgeous place to live, my family is here, I feel safest here so it was no contest to stay here. I thought I’d lose the plot being in the one place but it feels like I got off a crazy treadmill and took a breath for the first time in my life. I fortunately have continued to work and had an exciting project so that has been a huge distraction. It is hard but I just focus on the positive, as long as my family are safe nothing else really matters. We’ve spent so much time together that we never would have had. That is the one big positive of the last year.  

What were the pros and cons of launching during a pandemic?

I only really saw a positive in that it could only get better from here. I have always been one to go against the grain. I love a challenge and the fact that most people would think it’s a terrible idea. I wasn’t trying to sell 1000’s of pieces. I was focused on small high quality pieces and I just knew there was nothing like my bags out there.

And now your own shoe collection – was that always on the cards or did it evolve following the success of the handbags?

The shoes actually came before the bags. They were a longer, more complicated process. It has been a long process but I would never have launched anything I was not 100 per cent happy with. The fit and quality are perfection.    

What advice would you give to someone following in your entrepreneurship footsteps?

Go for it,  you’ll be sorry you waited so long. Be unique, do something different. Forget the voices in your head or the thoughts of what anyone else will think. No one really cares what you’re doing. Life is so short you should do something that excites you and challenges you every day. 

I know they are all your creations but can you share with us your favourite bag and favourite shoe from your own collection?

I keep changing my mind but right now the blue dot pony hair bag is my favourite bag and the silver glitter shoes. The glitter is made of 40 per cent recycled material so I am super proud of them.

And finally where to now.

It feels like the sky is the limit. I just lean in to all the scary opportunities. I am signing off on AW21and working on SS22 collections. We will be rolling out the collection in Wolf & Badger stores in London & NYC this summer. I would love some key stockists in Ireland and more in the UK & USA. 

For more visit nickihoyne.com