Dundrum centre criticised as bland

Dundrum Town Centre does not have the same interest as Grafton Street for shoppers, argued US retail specialist Ann Marie Scichili yesterday in Dublin.

The former managing director of Lucky Jeans was speaking at the first of Dublin Fashion Week's five public talks in the Fitzwilliam Hotel. "To me [ Dundrum] looks as if it's run more by realtors than retailers. It's very homogenous," she said in a wide ranging talk that covered global retail developments from the US to Asia.

Citing innovative "concept lifestyle stores" such as Milan's Corso Como and Anthology in the US as places that exemplify more creative retail spaces, she thinks that it is only a question of time before someone in Ireland takes a similar initiative. "The Irish are curious and fun-loving and to me the buzz here is the same as Shanghai. There's huge growth potential here in terms of retail."

Born in Texas with Irish ancestors that hail from Killenaule in Co Tipperary, Ms Scichili has had wide international experience in Europe, the US and Asia. Working with high-profile US companies such as Banana Republic and Donna Karan, she also operated her own production company for high-end luxury Italian labels and is now based in Florence. For the past 15 years she has been largely responsible for the launch, development, operation and promotion of the Value Retail Villages in seven European countries, including Ireland.

Brand liasing, bringing global brands such as Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo and Ralph Lauren to these outlets, is a major part of her work.

"It is very difficult to bring a brand into a new country," she said. "Every single country we go to spends their money differently. In Italy you spend money on media advertising, but the celebrity end has really driven our business and that goes across the board. We spend a lot of money trying to get to these people." US companies such as Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren have made international transitions very successfully,

The jeans market will continue to dominate world trends, she believes. "I was at a black tie event in Los Angeles recently and 30 to 40 per cent of people were wearing jeans. Jeans for me is a category like suits, it's never going to go away. The newest are getting into the dressy side with waists coming up higher . . ."

Corporate takeovers of brands often remove their authenticity and soul, she believes. "I worked for Gap for three years as president of Banana Republic and the growth was phenomenal and today the Gap business is quite weak. We in the fashion business can be incredibly arrogant and ignorant - you have to keep your eye on the ball continually and no matter who they are, people want authenticity."