Fisher fashion kings

CLOTHES LINES:A family business that started life as a country clothes store has joined forces with other outlets to reinvent itself as a 'destination shop,' writes DEIRDRE MCQUILLAN

IN CHALLENGING times, forward thinking retailers take adventurous new steps. These days, collaboration is the name of the game and Fishers, one of Wicklow’s first destination shops, has been changing its appearance and joining forces with other businesses.

Though he’s occasionally addressed as Mr Fisher, owner Simon Harrison, a former banker, started the business with his wife Jane in 1979 – originally as a small country clothes store. Like topsy, it just grew and grew.

Well known for its sturdy, well-bred menswear, those cord trousers, waxed jackets, leather elbowed tweeds and Wellingtons favoured by the county set, it’s a look that has been appropriated by well-dressed metropolitans for city streets, bars and festivals. Quilted jackets, for example, are now a favoured staple of trendy young businessmen.

In the shop, Brook Taverner’s classy country casuals and quality knits from the UK sit easily alongside Jack Murphy, an Irish brand that has been upping the ante and giving a new impetus to both their menswear and womenswear at affordable price points. Their long and dashing lightweight waterproofs, for example, have become bestsellers.

Elsewhere, Hoggs of Fife classic waxed jackets and waistcoats are as well-made as better-known brands, although less expensive. Among the long-established German womenswear staples like Gardeur and Steilmann are others with Italian-sounding names, such as Passigatti (lovely scarves) and Via Appia whose Missoni-style wrap dresses and fine tunic knits range from €50 up to €89.

Simon’s daughter Becci now works in the business and points out the accessories, such as hats and belts and her sister Charlie’s award-winning jewellery whose silver butterfly pendants always cause a flutter.

Newcomers are Ryle Co Interiors, responsible for restyling the look of the shop, the changing rooms and the paintwork. Sharon Ryle’s taste for quiet, harmonious colours is reflected in the choice of coordinating paints, wallpapers and furnishing fabrics (mostly linen and wool) that she stocks. The effect can be seen particularly in Fishers Buttery Cafe, run by Ballymaloe-trained Claire O’Brien, where Ryle has transformed auction finds with new colours and fabrics. The cafe was recently named best casual dining restaurant in Wicklow by the Restaurants Association of Ireland.

The other significant newcomer is Birds of a Feather, relocated from Ashford, selling specialist Danish duvets and pillows including a new range called Silver Luxwell that uses natural filling with anti-bacterial silver to safeguard against dust mites, bacteria and mould.

Popular presents for newborns include “nests” for €95 and socks for €25. Owner Freda Kavanagh also stocks plain white-cotton covers and pillowcases in high thread counts from €18 up to €120.

Being a keen angler in every way, Harrison has also netted a range of French soaps, Savon du Midi, and another from Tipperary called Naked Soap especially for the shop, along with interesting eco-friendly toiletries, bag accessories, greeting cards and other small goods dotted here and there to tempt customers.

Outside, Anne Gregory Design is a one-stop shop for bridal and party wear and the day I visited, a Wicklow Rose was trying on outfits for the festival. “We’re trying to move a little away from the mainstream and offer something a little different,” says Harrison. “Prices have come down and there is a glimmer of positivity at the moment.

“By introducing a retail hub, we aim to make the shopping experience more exciting.”

Fishers, The Old Schoolhouse, Newtownmountkennedy,

Co Wicklow, fishers.ie, tel: 01-2819404