Dubliner Aoife Lafferty has returned from Abhu Dhabi to establish Athrú by Aoife, a curated clothing company.
Athrú by Aoife founder Aoife Lafferty is a recent alumni of the Irish Government’s Back for Business programme.
The development programme, which is now in its 8th year, was created to foster and support entrepreneurial activity among emigrants recently returned to Ireland and is funded by the Irish Abroad Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs.
“It made me think I may not be totally crazy to be getting myself into this”
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Making sartorial sense
Aoife Lafferty, who is from Kilmovee, Co Mayo, left Ireland for Edinburgh in 2017 to take up a scholarship for a Master’s in Inclusive Education. With the course completed, she spent three years working as a primary school teacher in Abu Dhabi before returning to Ireland in August 2022.
While still in Abu Dhabi, Aoife experienced a shopping ‘crisis’ when feeling an expectation to have a new outfit for every brunch that ultimately led her to set up her own business – Athrú by Aoife.
Athrú by Aoife is a curated clothing company that allows customers guilt-free circular shopping. It specialises in hand-picking beautiful and stylish pieces for its collections of high quality, on-trend occasion wear.
“It started from my own personal pain point when I was in Abu Dhabi. I couldn’t find clothes for a special occasion, so I set up a cocktails and clothes event where people would give me their occasion wear and I sold it for them. The idea grew from there,” Aoife says.
After returning to Ireland, Aoife, who still works as a teacher in Dublin, did a start your own business programme with her Local Enterprise Office before launching Athrú by Aoife in June 2024.
“When I came home I really wanted to set up something similar. I had noticed that the pain point here would be wedding guest wear mainly. People don’t want to be seen in the same thing again and again, so I came up with this idea of not only having clothes that are new and pre-loved but that are available to rent and also to buy.”
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