Kiltoom native launches River Shannon-inspired clothing brand
By Rebekah O'Reilly
Kiltoom native Richie O'Hara Jnr has launched his own River Shannon-inspired clothing brand, Luain Clothing.
Richie is the son of founder and Director of Baysports, Richard O'Hara, who has over 35 years of experience in outdoor sports, and opened the outdoor waterpark in June 2009. "I always wanted to set up my own business. I'm always thinking about new ideas and and what's next for me," Richie said.
"I think that you have to be developing and thinking about your next move all the time.
"My dad is an entrepreneur, and my uncles as well, so I'm definitely not the first in my family."
The 31-year-old launched his clothing line on July 17 of this year, inspired by Athlone and the River Shannon.
"I grew up on the river, I was on the water all my life," said Richie. "The inspiration behind Luain Clothing is the River Shannon, and all the life and the activity that it supports.
"I wanted to represent our local area through the clothing brand and for it to be something people would be proud to wear."
The first launch features T-shirts, hoodies and hats which Richie hopes will becomes wardrobe staples for people. "They're 100% cotton, designed in Ireland, and produced in Portugal," he said. "We hope that people will hold onto these garments for quite some time, and that they'll last. That reflects our ethos and our inspiration of the river - we want it to be timeless."
Working alongside Richie to create the brand are Adam Cooke, Social Media Content Creator, and Ailish Healy, Production Manager.
"I have a really good team around me, and we work really well together," Richie added.
The reaction locally to Luain Clothing's first launch has been 'really positive'.
"I'm overwhelmed with the level of support that I've gotten from my friends and family, but then also just from complete strangers.
"The brand has been quite popular so far, selling both online and at Baysports, so we're really pleased with how things have been going."
Richie plans to continue growing the company, aiming for a second launch before Christmas.
To keep up to date with the latest launches, follow @luainclothing on Instagram, or go to https://luainclothing.com/