A marriage of tradition and technology proves to be the right mix for Magee 1866
Based in Donegal Town, the firm was founded by John Magee in 1866 and is now run by the fifth generation of the family. It has 108 staff and annual revenue of €13 million.
'The heart of the business is our weaving mill, which designs and finishes high quality fabrics such as wool, linens, cashmere, silks and alpaca. Sustainability comes naturally with the use of natural fibres, which are biodegradable,' Rosy Temple, chief executive of Magee Clothing at the firm, told the Business Post.
'Our fabric is sold worldwide to international luxury brands and is included in our own lifestyle collections.'
In addition to having a broad range of stockists, the company has stores in both Donegal and Dublin and a strong e-commerce presence.
Temple is the great granddaughter of Robert Temple, a cousin of John Magee, who took over the business.
'Weaving is synonymous with south-west Donegal and the business grew from this highly skilled tradition. We're grown from our 19th century origins to now manufacturing fabric and have developed ready to wear collections,' Temple said.
'Over the decades we've developed new sales channels across business to business wholesale, our own retail and ecommerce. Our growth has relied on staying true to our values around quality and design, while making sure our collections stay relevant to today's consumer.'
Temple joined the business in 2018 after working in London with Christie's, focused on fine art. She felt the pull to come home and was intrigued by how the company was evolving.
'The exciting thing is the focus on developing direct to consumer sales. We've really seen the brand grow through that, as it allows us to bring our story to life,' she said.
'We have a unique story and process around the manufacturing and design processes coming together. Unlike my grandfather's time, we now have more opportunities in terms of how we bring the brand to life on the digital front. It's exciting that we can marry tradition with these channels.'
The business is supported by Enterprise Ireland and Temple praised the agency for its help.
'We've worked really closely with them over the years. They've been really supportive of our journey from assisting with upgrading machinery to providing opportunities to take part in excellent courses, like their Leadership for Growth programme,' Temple said.
'They've also been great in organising market research trips. Last year I went to the US with them and that really helped me understand the opportunities there.'
That has helped Magee 1866 focus on building up its sales channels and Temple is confident of driving growth through ecommerce.
'We're ambitious for the brand to grow through omnichannel sales, in store and online, and we're aiming for 25 per cent growth in online sales this year with a focus on Ireland, the UK and US,' she said.
'We are also aiming to achieve protected geographical indication for Donegal tweed, working with other mills in Donegal to secure this vital EU protection. Much like Champagne can only come from Champagne, we're aiming for the same thing for Donegal tweed.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Post
2 days ago
- Business Post
From Diageo to Glencore: How the ‘Taco trade' is powering the FTSE 100's record high
Business Post subscribers can read: • Why UK mining and materials stocks are rallying despite US tariff threats. • The overlooked FTSE 100 firms quietly outperforming Wall Street this year. • How the so-called 'Taco trade' is changing investor behaviour in global markets.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
‘Amazing' plans for Dublin's Sheriff Street include offices and a hotel. Amazing for whom?
For generations, communities in Dublin 1 have been neglected, under-resourced and are now dealing with a wave of incongruous development that prioritises hotels, offices and luxury student accommodation over communities' needs. Nevertheless, Dublin 1 represents the beating heart of life in the capital, along with the Liberties in Dublin 8. These are areas that hold our stories, culture and character. Residents, businesses and social spaces can trace their roots across centuries, alongside the immigrant communities now contributing hugely to contemporary culture. Dublin 1 and Dublin 8 offer examples of what bustling, diverse urban ecosystems actually look like when, as the urbanist Jane Jacobs put it, they encapsulate the 'sidewalk ballet' of functioning street life. Some of the few streets in the capital that can authentically claim to reflect the essential features of what Jacobs described as the 'marvellous order' under 'the seeming disorder', are in both postcodes, including Parnell Street in Dublin 1, and Meath Street in Dublin 8. In a recent article in the Business Post, the chief executive of An Post and chair of the Dublin City Taskforce, David McRedmond, declared: 'Dublin 1 can become one of Europe's most happening neighbourhoods.' This statement ignores the area's existing vibrant culture and community. Happening for whom? READ MORE 'If we transform the core, there are other amazing adjacent plans such as Ballymore's to completely rebuild the Sheriff St area from Amiens Street to Spencer Dock,' McRedmond wrote. 'Amazing' is subjective. These plans include large office blocks and a hotel, along with build-to-rent apartments. So, 'amazing' for whom? Statements about rebuilding the Sheriff Street area can come across as insensitive because of the context of how the needs of the area were generally disregarded during the development of the IFSC. That left a legacy of existential fear within the community that it might be bulldozed once more. In a follow-up interview with the Dublin Inquirer, McRedmond said he was referring to plans about public space, and would 'hate to think that anyone would feel in any way insecure about their homes'. But, fundamentally, the future of this area should not be about more commercial development and expensive apartments, which few people in Dublin 1 can afford, but a grassroots approach that extends across public housing, amenities and facilities that meet the social, cultural and economic needs and aspirations of this unique part of the capital and those who live there. Underserved and under-resourced communities are not development opportunities. Cities are also about streets. It's unfortunate that so much contemporary development across the city results in hostile architecture that sucks life out of places, when we could instead be focusing on streetscapes with a sense of place and human-scale architecture. This cuts to the heart of conversations about 'regeneration' in Dublin 1. When it comes to 'potential', we have to differentiate between what is shared urban space presenting opportunities for all, and what looks like displacement through corporate gentrification. Ambitious plans with vision need to happen. For neighbourhoods, that's about listening, not declaring. In landmark buildings, it's about a coherent mission and purpose. This brings us to the GPO on O'Connell Street. First of all, it is unfortunate that parts of the building – over 75 per cent of it currently vacant – have not already been utilised as short-term cultural use in a city starved of both community centres and spaces for artists and collectives to meet, work and create. Secondly, the Government's recent communication about 'mixed-use' incorporating retail and offices raised more questions than it answered. If you don't actually have a plan, don't toss out something vague and random. It's no wonder the vacuum was then filled with outrage about the building's historic importance being undermined. The GPO should become neither shopping mall nor commercial offices. It represents a brilliant opportunity to create a landmark engine of creativity for Dublin that can inspire and facilitate generations to come. By creating something that both reflects and hosts contemporary Dublin – while taking inspiration from the positive aspects of entities such as the Southbank Centre in London, Factory International in Manchester, Kulturbrauerei in Berlin, Viernulvier in Ghent (and I could go on) – an ambitious, inclusive project would transform cultural activity in the city, alongside the Dublin Port Company's plans for the Artist Campus. The building's historic significance can also be preserved and expressed with a museum of revolution on its ground floor, which could also include a people's canteen. In tandem, Aldborough House – vacant, and on An Taisce's list of most-at-risk buildings, despite it being one of the finest Georgian buildings in the capital – should become a community and cultural space specifically for the communities of Dublin 1. The GPO is O'Connell Street's gem. We should be aspiring to create a world-class centre of culture, for and by the people. Let our diverse communities lead neighbourhood development and let artists inform the opportunity the GPO presents – just as so many of them urged our republic from the realm of the imagination into reality.
Business Post
6 days ago
- Business Post
Ireland's original influencer: Lisa McGowan on building a €10m business, and her new menswear range
Business Post subscribers can read: • How one €10,000 prize at Galway races launched McGowan's €10m fashion and beauty empire • The strategy behind Lisa's Lust List • The legal battle McGowan fought to protect her brand and family This month marks a significant full-circle moment for Lisa McGowan. It was nine years ago that she won the Best Dressed Lady award at the ...
