She’s a final year Arts student who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to take it: Lisa Gorry chats to up and coming fashionista, Erin Grant.
She’s the girl we all want to be: with a killer sense of style and time management skills I could only dream of, Erin Grant, final year English, History and Women’s Studies student in NUIG, is really making a name for herself in the vintage underground. Having set up Runway Rabbits in June of this year, Erin, along with her housemate partner Emma, has not only managed to entice Irish stars, such as MayKay of Fight Like Apes fame, to partake in a bit of vintage clothes clawing, but has also bagged herself a fashion show commissioned by Tony & Guy and made a proper name for herself among the vintage markets in Galway. With ever the eye for expansion, I asked Erin how this “wonderful idea materialized” came to fruition.
Things are really taking off for Runway Rabbits these days! What sparked its creation?
“Yeah, things are going really well at the moment! Runway Rabbits was an idea which hit me one sunny summer morning while I was taking notes on my bed. Fashion is something which drives me and I approached my housemate Emma with the idea of selling our clothes to make money. We’re both students so, it was desperately needed because at the time I had no job and I was saving for college. Emma had some excellent ideas and together we created our own business.”
As a final year student, it’s insane to believe that one girl can manage it all. How do you balance college with the business?
“Finding the balance between this and college was easy for me because I enjoy having heaps of tasks. I really can’t sit still for a minute and I always need to be writing, creating or planning something. It is a big thing to take on a business, blog, part-time job and college all at the same time but my way of balancing is to always pick things you enjoy. If you enjoy all the things you do – you’ll make time for them. I also sit down every Sunday with a cuppa’ tea and create a rough plan for the week. It’s all about time management.”
It’s a fantastic inspiration for students, like yourself, who are looking to make a living out of something they love and that drives them. Any advice for those students looking to give it a go?
“My tips for anyone who wants to start up their own business are pretty simple. I think you need to be very focused on what you want from your business. You need to be 100% ready for the commitment and I always think that if you’re going to start you need to work out is there a market for what you want to do. We were blessed with setting up in Galway as the market for unique style here is very large. If someone tells you that your idea is worthless then ignore them. You need to pursue your passion with a readiness to fail at first, but the ability to always get back up and continue. The best people go through lots of problems before they get where they want to be.”
With all these big ideas on the go you must have mighty plans for the future! Care to share?
“I have so many plans for the future for Runway Rabbits! Emma and I keep being approached asking do we have a shop so, eventually that would be a wonderful thing to have. Since the summer the company has gone from strength to strength and we really are amazed with the amount of people who support what we do! The biggest thing we have planned at the moment is in December. We were approached by Toni & Guy in Galway and asked to host our very own fashion show! As you can imagine, this is an incredible opportunity for us. It really is my dream to organize a show so I am really overwhelmed by this idea.”
Finally, three style icons?
“David Bowie, Alexander McQueen, Marilyn Monroe
If you’re looking for more from this feisty fashionista, you can check out her blog, morethansoupfashion.blogspot.ie, which frequently hosts competitions and keeps you up to date on how Runway Rabbits is going. Alternatively, you can find them on Facebook, Runway Rabbits Clothing, and on their website, rrclothing.wix.com/runwayrabbitsclothing.Here come the girls!
