TheCity

Author: Niamh Geoghegan

City of a Thousand Welcomes

Have you ever wondered how to show off your knowledge of our fair city, meet new people and get a free beer or coffee in the process? Well then the City of a Thousand Welcomes programme may be just the thing for you.

Coordinated by The Little Museum of Dublin, the programme is an award-winning civic initiative which allows tourists to sign up and be matched with an ‘Ambassador’ from Dublin. They then schedule to meet for a free coffee or drink, with the Ambassador providing the tourist with an authentic view of Dublin, free of charge.

Sponsored by organisations such as Fáilte Ireland, KPMG, Luas Cross City and Dublin City Council, the initiative has consistently grown since it first commenced in 2011.

“Well when we first started the programme we were hoping to get 1,000 volunteers, but within the first few weeks we had over 2,500 people looking to volunteer. Since then, we run at capacity of 2,000 visitors each year,” Simon O’Connor from The Little Museum of Dublin explains.

According to Simon, many of the Ambassadors are retired and semi-retired professionals, however a small number of students are involved in the programme as well.

Interested individuals must be over 21 and can apply online. The process also requires that you fill out a short questionnaire and take an online quiz that tests your basic knowledge of the city.

If successful, potential Ambassadors are then invited for an informal interview in The Little Museum of Dublin, where a representative of the programme will assess the candidate’s suitability, as well as asking for some general information about the candidate and their interests.

With summer positions usually filling up by March, Simon explains that despite the programme’s popularity, they are hesitant to expand the initiative for fear of it becoming commercialised.

“The programme runs so well at the moment, we have a 100% immaculate customer service… and our ambassadors are absolutely brilliant. We’ve had four years of proofing the programme in a way, but of course it’d be great if the programme was at a stage where every Dubliner felt it was obligatory to even take part and meet a tourist once,” he said.

“However we don’t up-sell and we resist the temptation to commercialise the service,” he added.

Simon admits that tourists are sometimes “baffled” by the fact the service is free. “They always wonder what the catch is, but then we just have to tell them that there is no catch,” he said jokingly.

Well with no catches involved and the chance to meet new people and a free drink, what more could you want?

For more information about the service, just visit their website here.

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December 15, 2015
A catch up with Fresh Cuts Clothing

Developing a start up in Ireland can be challenging to say the least. High production costs and a saturated market can leave a company struggling to stay afloat.

Fresh Cuts Clothing is a fashion lifestyle brand based in Dublin that designs eco-friendly clothes and active apparel. While still in its infancy, having only launched in December last year, the company has already taken part in a national charity campaign and have just released their newest range.

We spoke with Steven Murphy, founder of Fresh Cuts, about the company’s origins, social responsibility and their plans for 2016.

First off, how did Fresh Cuts Clothing come about?
A lot of it came from being unhappy in my previous job and wanting something more exciting and fulfilling in my life. This and the fact I live in t-shirts and hoodies was basically where it started. I had no experience in any of it, but thankfully it’s come a long way since then – or so I hope!

How do you differentiate yourselves from other clothing companies within the market?
I like to describe the company as an athleisure wear brand. At the end of the day it is casual clothing that people wear every day and feel comfortable in. I don’t see it on the catwalks of Paris Fashion Week any time soon, but in saying that it does have some great qualities that differentiate it from other clothing companies within the market.

Our Fresh Designs line are limited edition pieces that are printed on a run of 100. You know buying that t-shirt or jumper that there is only 99 others printed. All these items are screen print, labelled and designed here in Dublin. Our Eco-Cuts line is simple in design, but superior in fabric. We source top of the line fabrics and processes to create that unmissable feel of our hoodies and jumpers. This, coupled with the fact that they are ethically produced under fair working conditions [makes] for a very guilt free purchase!

Have you faced many challenges as a relatively new start up?
The company is pretty much a one man band at the minute. Working from a spare room I do everything from website development to sewing labels. As with all start-ups there is always challenges. Time and money has been a huge factor for me so far as I’ve been working by myself.

My plan was always to start off small and grow naturally. I didn’t have the resources to do it any other way and it’s working out so far. The industry itself is very tough and competing with global brands was always going to be a challenge, but what’s life without a few challenges? It makes it all the more sweet when you succeed.

One of Fresh Cut’s main slogans is ‘Designed by you – For you’. Why did you decide to outsource the majority of your designs?
This was really to build on the commitment of limited edition pieces. Along with wanting to showcase Irish based designers and illustrators, I wanted to have a constant flow of new designs available to the public. I see the brand growing to the size where new designs aren’t available for long once they go online.

In order to have constant access to new designs I had to open up this facility to work with new designers when this growth is achieved. With most of our designs being done in house at the moment, this is really something that will be built on in the future and something that could potentially be very exciting for the collaborations we come up with.

As a company, you seem to put a strong emphasis on social change and responsibility through the production of your clothes. Is this something that Fresh Cuts feels very strongly about?
It’s something I feel strongly about and definitely something I think we should all at least think about! Some clothes now are just becoming disposable, you buy them and throw them out after two washes. It’s great to get a t-shirt for €3, but you need to ask yourself at what cost was this made. I put a lot of effort into the fabrics and the process in which the clothing is made and where I source our products. At the end of the day, some people will appreciate this and some won’t unfortunately.

How would you describe Fresh Cut’s latest range?
The line has grown considerably since it launched last Christmas. From the first run of limited edition tee’s to the introduction of the Eco-Cuts range, I still try to keep things simple and in tune with the brand.

With our new line I really think it’s the quality of the garments that stands out. The materials and processes used to make them make for an incredible feel. This coupled with our exciting designs and unique colours makes for a really exciting line that shouldn’t be missed. It’s something you won’t find any other Irish brand offering at the moment.

Recently you joined forces with the National Centre for Youth Mental Health, Headstrong. Do you plan on working with other charities in the future?
Yes, 100%. I think if you are in a position to help out in some way, big or small, you should. We had a great response from the Headstrong campaign and raised over €1000 for the charity along with some vital awareness regarding mental health in Ireland.

I had plans to do one more before the year was out, but as mentioned in the challenges I faced, time and money got in the way of this. I put my own money into the charity tees and it does put a bit of a financial strain on the business, so I wasn’t able to get it worked out before Christmas. However come the new year I hope to do another one for an equally worthy cause that I would be passionate about.

What can we expect from Fresh Cuts over the next few months?
Having just launched the new line it is full steam ahead until Christmas. Along with our online store, I have a big presence on the Dublin Market scene. I pop up in various markets throughout the city, but you can catch me in The Designer Mart in Cows Lane every Saturday, Smithfield Market Fair and I will be trading in the I Believe in Christmas market in the IFSC from the 26th November right up until the 23rd of December.

Early next year I am hoping to get a permanent location in town and am currently working out the details on this, so fingers crossed. This will be the next big step for the company and I see it as a huge move forward with the business.

For more information about Fresh Cuts Clothing, you can visit their website, Facebook and Twitter.

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November 12, 2015
DIT graduate proposes rainbow-coloured pedestrian crossings to Dublin City Council

A former Young Fine Gael President has called on Dublin City Council to install rainbow coloured pedestrian crossings around Dublin’s city centre.

DIT graduate Dale McDermott has outlined three specific locations where the Rainbow Walks could be installed, in the hope of increasing tourism, culture and to further boost the LGBT credentials the city has built in recent years.

The city centre locations include George’s Street, outside City Hall and Panti Bar on Capel Street.

“Following the successful passing of the Marriage Equality referendum, Ireland and especially Dublin is now seen as a beacon of hope around the world for many LGBT people who come from places less than welcoming to their gay citizens.

“The LGBT community has been welcomed with open arms by the people of Ireland and I feel that this would further bolster the support for LGBT people across Dublin City and the world,” said Mr McDermott.

Having seen these rainbow coloured pedestrian crossings during a recent visit to the Castro District in San Francisco, Dale emphasised how much of a tourist attraction they are.

“I really feel that Dublin could seriously benefit from such a simple yet important and colourful touch to our beautiful city. Cities all over the world, from Tel Aviv to Sydney, have installed Rainbow Walks and given the fact that Dublin is now viewed as a prime location for gay people, this will send a further signal that Dublin is welcoming to LGBT people all over the world,” he explained.

Since the proposal was first submitted to the Council in September, Dale said that public support has been ‘absolutely fantastic’.

“There has been a lot of support from people across all parties and Panti Bliss is also very much behind the proposal,” he revealed.

Having only launched the social media campaign this week, Dale admits that he purposely waited to create an online presence in the hope to drum up public support.

“Well, when I first submitted the proposal I wanted to get a discussion going. There’s always the danger that when you prolong a campaign it will drag on, but in this instance I feel it has worked well and it seems the public are definitely getting behind it.

“The proposal is going in front of the Council in early January/ February, and in my opinion there’s always the worry that Councillors may not necessarily vote for something if it does not have the public support. However, people feel that this is a very modern idea,” he added.

For further information about Dale’s proposal, you can visit the Dublin Rainbow Walk Facebook and Twitter page.

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November 10, 2015