Making a living from the great fashion detox

Armed with an passion for fashion and a strong desire to succeed, Elizabeth Nuzum recently set up her own business enterprise and, so far, she has little reason to regret her move. Undaunted by all the talk of recession, the mother of three launched The Designer Circle on its maiden voyage a few months ago and now she says she is getting calls from an increasing number of customers wishing to utilise the service. She felt that the timing was ripe to go with the project as it gives people the opportunity to off-load luxury goods - in this case, designer clothes - to generate cash. 'Detox your wardrobe' is her motto. While she lives in Clonee with her husband, Alan, and their three children aged from two to four, Nuzum runs The Designer Circle business from a family-owned outlet in Fairyhouse. So far, because of her commitment as a mother, she has run the enterprise on a part-time basis. At least in theory. She has discovered that one of the realities of operating up her own business is that there is no such thing as just closing the door to the office at the end of the evening and forgetting about it all. "I give Thursdays and Saturdays totally over to the business but, in reality, when you have your own company, you are working 24/7, you have to try and fit the business in around the kids and all the rest of what you need to do, you're constantly with the head in the laptop. I have an au pair on Thursdays and Saturdays and that helps," she says. Recycling has become one of the features of modern business world with companies set up to make money from the collection and re-use of a variety of items, such as mobile phones. This trend stems from a the decision by the EU earlier this decade to issue a waste electrical and electronic equipment directive which ensured that old gadgets and household appliances could no longer be dumped on rubbish tips but had to be disposed of in a controlled an environmentally friendly way. Nuzum spotted an opening to recycle cloths. However, she believed that the clothes just couldn't be any old, moth-eaten garments. She felt the concept would only work if she concentrated on obtaining good quality designer items before selling them on and making a profit for both herself and the customer. "Ladies who have designer outfits in their wardrobes and think they are not going to wear them again or feel they can't be seen in them again can contact me. They can either drop the clothes to Fairyhouse or I can arrange to have them picked up and, when I sell them, they get 50 per cent back," she said by way of explaining how her business model works. "I was thinking of business ideas and something that would be flexible that I could run along with family and kids and this fitted the bill. I had a flair for fashion and all of that and thought about the project but the clothes we get must be in pristine condition and they have to be dry cleaned; they can't be dated." One of the aspects of the business that attracted Nuzum was the fact that no big investment was needed to get the show on the road. Literally all that was required was a small sum to get some business cards printed. Having a premises available owned by her in-laws was a big help, too. While business was slow initially, it has started to steadily build. The early months were largely taken up with getting the word about that The Designer Circle was open for business. Nuzum went about spreading the word by dropping her business cards into local retail outlets and sending a blizzard of e-mails to people she felt might be interested. She also contacted various media outlets to see what the response would be. She organised coffee mornings and a fashion show. She has also raised funds for the Marie Keating Foundation. A few years ago Nuzum discovered that she had "a touch" of skin cancer. Early detection proved crucial and she now she says she avoids long spells in the sun. "Pale is interesting," she adds with a laugh. She works hard in ensuring that potential customers know what clothes she has available for sale at any given time. "Every few weeks when I get new items in, I photograph them and send them to all the people who have contacted me and, to be honest with you, the list is growing all the time," she adds. Now in her mid-30s, Nuzum can draw on extensive experience in the workplace gained at home and abroad. Afer leaving school in her native Dublin, she went on to get a job with the European Commission as a personal assistant to various groups. With a knowledge of French she worked in both Brussels and Copenhagen, spending eight years abroad in total before returning home. Back in Ireland, she obtained a job in administration with TV3 as well as with a production company. When marriage and children came along, she started looking to set up a business that would give her that invaluable commodity - flexibility. She insists that the "taboo" some people have of wearing second-hand clothes doesn't apply in this case as she only makes available quality designer garments. The most expensive item Nuzum has sold on so far was a Valentino dress. "It was originally worth €2,000 but I sold it for €3,950," she reveals. In recent years, Nuzum has sought to broaden her horizons by completing a variety of courses from event management to journalism. She felt such courses have proved very useful, even though she has not worked directly in these sectors. Anyone who runs their own business, she says, must be prepared to give the project commitment and time. Now that she has launched The Designer Circle, she is looking forward to seeing where it leads her in the world of business.