To celebrate International Women’s Day, You magazine spoke to five sets of sisters running fashion businesses.
They offered insights about how they manage juggling their personal and professional relationships, the pros and cons of working with a sibling, and sharing the workload while combining their complimentary skills.
Les Jumelles - Mary McSweeney and Margaret Gallagher, lesjumelles.ie
Mary McSweeney and Margaret Gallagher founded Les Jumelles (French for twins) in Galway in 1997. The stylish boutique is known for its edit of luxury brands and both love anticipating trends and sourcing interesting fashion.
‘We share a special bond as identical twins. While we work on separate days, we are always in contact and aligned when it comes to buying collections, merchandising, customer care, and meeting our clients' needs,’ Mary says.
'Being twins is a huge advantage for us,’ she continues. ‘We bounce ideas off each other and are always mindful of maintaining separate lives outside of work. We find that working on separate days (three days a week each) helps us keep a balance between our professional and personal lives. Of course, we sometimes disagree, but we always manage to resolve things.’
‘We each have different strengths, which complement each other and benefit the business.’ Typically, Margaret focuses on store merchandising, while Mary specialises in window displays. ‘We both research and connect with designers to bring in fresh collections,’ Mary adds.
‘After 27 years in business, we’ve developed a calm confidence in all aspects of our work. The twin connection definitely works to our advantage—we can actually read each other’s minds! Twin intuition is real,’ she quips.
Being candid is also key: ‘When you’re in business with a family member, it’s much easier to be brutally honest and upfront. We’ve seen each other at our best and worst, so professionally, it’s easier to navigate both the highs and the lows.’
Their key advice is, ‘Not everything will go to plan, but having a sibling by your side gives you a solid foundation to weather any storm. It’s also important to enjoy family and personal time together while keeping business discussions separate—there’s a time for work and a time for family.’
Howrad Studios – Ciara and Rachel Howard, howradstudios.com
Howrad is a home and gift brand led by graphic designers and twins, Ciara and Jane Howard who are ambassadors for the Very x Howrad Studios x Breast Cancer Irelandcollaboration to help fund Breast Cancer Ireland’s life-saving research, and education and awareness programmes. The limited-edition pink pyjamas, €35.99, are available exclusively on very.ie.
‘We’re working together four years in January. Owning a business together has definitely taught us some things we didn’t know about each other, and we’ve had to put boundaries in place to respect each other on a professional level as well as a sisterly level,’ Rachel explains.
‘The bond is definitely an advantage; we know each other weaknesses and where one falls short the other can pick it up and keep everything moving. We can also be extremely upfront and honest with each other, knowing that the relationship will still be ok between us.’
Ciara adds, ‘We have a very similar design style which is why we work together so well. We both design everything you see on our website and it's very cohesive.’
‘I think Rachel is a bit more sensitive than I am. I try and take as much as I can on the chin and not let it get to me.’ Rachel agrees, ‘I can get a bit overwhelmed sometimes so it’s great having Ciara there to remind me the world is not going to end. We both have similar personalities; we love dry humour which you can see reflected in our brand.’
‘I don’t think twin telepathy is real - I do believe I can predict Ciara’s feelings and often her reactions to certain situations but that just comes from being extremely close and knowing her inside out,’ Rachel says.
Dividing responsibilities is essential, Ciara admits. ‘Arguments arise now and again when one of us is fed up with doing the same mind-numbing tasks (like tax), so we do like to switch it up and readjust the roles to mediate that.’
Honesty is key too: ‘Hard conversations need to be had sometimes, and we both understand that and don't let it hang over us,’ Ciara says.
‘First thing I would say if you're thinking about it just do it! It was the best decision we ever made, and I can’t imagine ever working with anyone else at this level. The next thing I would say is, be patient with each other … The last thing I would say is have fun. The last four years have been the most fulfilling of my life, and being able to do this with my sister just makes it so much more special.’
Style Ignite Studio – Ruth and Jane Flanagan, styleignitestudio.com
Style Ignite Studio, is an Irish sustainable fashion brand helmed by Ruth and Jane Flanagan. Jane studied textile design at NCAD and has worked in London, New York, and Ireland. Ruth did a Degree in Visual Merchandising and Display in DIT and worked in London.
‘We’ve been working together on Style Ignite Studio just over three and a half years. As sisters, we’ve grown up understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so we naturally complement each other. We can communicate openly and honestly, which helps in finding solutions quickly. We share a deep level of trust and understanding, which is essential when building a business together,’ the Louth siblings say.
‘We’ve always understood that running a business together requires clear boundaries between our personal and professional lives.’
In term of taste Ruth says, ‘Jane loves vibrant colours and embraces more feminine styles, while I lean towards neutral tones and minimalist designs. Our contrasting preferences allow us to create collections that have broad appeal, which has been the secret to our success.’
‘We're both laid-back, fun-loving, and social. Our shared sense of humour definitely makes working together enjoyable. We keep things light, but we know how to work hard when we need to.’
‘Working together feels natural because we have shared goals and passions for our brand. We’ve developed an incredible understanding of each other’s thought processes. We can predict how the other will handle certain situations.’
‘In business, we align our strengths with the responsibilities that suit each of us best,’ Jane says. ‘While we both contribute to all areas, I focus more on the design development - sketching the range and creating tech packs. Ruth, on the other hand, takes charge of the operational and logistical side, handling production, supply chain management and customer relations. We communicate constantly and make decisions together on all design direction and product development.’
‘We’re not afraid to speak our minds and there's no holding back. Running a business with a sibling can be incredibly rewarding but also challenging. We recommend dividing responsibilities based on your strengths which will help the business thrive. Have clear communication, set boundaries, and enjoy the process together,’ the sisters advise.
Flaunta – Angelina and Hope Sheridan, flaunta.ie
Flaunta is an Irish company founded in 2023 by Angelina and Hope Sheridan who saw a gap for functional handbags. They design a range of classic bags packed with practical features on the inside to maximise space and organisation. The name Flaunta comes from the Greek goddess of confidence because they believe in empowering women.
As sisters, ‘I feel we can be a lot more open with each other. I think if anything it has strengthened our relationship as I have grown more respect seeing Angelina's work ethic,’ Hope says. Angelina adds, ‘Relationships can be affected if you let them. We have learned to have our "home time" away from work to ensure our relationship as sisters remains strong.’
Keeping things professional is crucial, Hope says. ‘This is something we are currently working on, we have had disagreements in the past but have never let them affect us personally, I think our love and bond does not allow it.’
Regarding design, Angelina says, ‘We both love simple classic styles. Our personal fashion styles are slightly different in clothes but when designing for Flaunta we have the same vision.’ Hope says they ‘do complement each other’ adding, ‘I am more of an introvert and Angelina is an extrovert, and we perfectly balance each other’.
‘Just like our personalities, our skills are different but work perfectly together,’ Angelina says. ‘Hope has great IT and analytic skills, where I have strong creative and marketing skills.’ Hope adds, ‘I feel Angelina can definitely pick up when I'm having my panic moments and step in.’
Angelina believes sisterly telepathy is real, ‘We often can read each other's minds and nearly have a conversation through looks without speaking a word. Our roles are divided based on our skill sets and where our strengths are, but we are quite well rounded and know each other’s roles.’
In terms of communication, Hope says of Angelina, ‘I definitely think you can be more honest, maybe too honest at times,’ Angelina confirms, ‘Sometimes I find it harder to be honest as I am afraid of hurting Hope's feelings.’
‘I would advise sisters or any family members that go into business together to ensure their relationships are extremely strong and honest beforehand as if not, cracks may appear. Separate business and personal life where you can and make sure to have a relationship outside of work,’ Angelina suggests. Hope adds, ‘At the very beginning discuss your visions and goals for the business and what you expect from each other to avoid disagreements.’
Sisters by CK – Caroline and Nicola Kilkenny, sistersbyck.com and carolinekilkenny.com
Caroline and Nicola Kilkenny have worked together for over twenty years on their ranges Caroline Kilkenny and Sisters by CK which offer ‘accessible luxury with a cut that compliments the female form’. The siblings bounce ideas off each other while scrutinising each style in detail, until the fit and design is absolutely perfect. While in the early years both sisters focused on design, now Caroline heads the design team and Nicola focuses on sales and marketing.
‘We set up the company 25 years ago and I think it brings us closer as sisters. When you are both passionate about something, there is great fun in sharing that. We are lucky that we enjoy each other’s company, so it has been a positive for us being sisters’ Nicola says. ‘You couldn’t ask for a better partner than a sister, there is a natural mesh that seems to work for us, and our design studio is a happy and upbeat space which is a massive plus,’ Caroline adds.
‘We have different roles in the company,’ Nicola explains. ‘I look after the sales, marketing, accounts while Caroline looks after design and production. Obviously, we overlap, and I have input into the design process. We laugh about my commercial 'eye': if I say, “It needs a sleeve” again, I could be in trouble,’ she jokes. ‘All disagreements are put down to a difference of opinion and needed in a creative job,’ Caroline adds diplomatically.
They admit to a similar fashion taste, ‘which can lead to “twinning” in looks at work. ‘I think as we have got older our style has become even more similar,’ Nicola says. Caroline adds, ‘I’d agree, we tend to check with each other if we’re heading to the same event, it wouldn’t look great if were both wearing the same CK look.’
In terms of personality and skills, Nicola says, ‘I think we are quite different, Caroline is very thorough which is part of the reason she is so talented at design. I have less patience so attention to detail is not my strong suit.’ Caroline interjects, ‘Our personalities are very complimentary, there is a great energy and upbeat attitude, which helps when life gets a little stressful.’
In terms of reading what the other thinks Nicki says, ‘I don’t know about telepathy, but we both know how we react in any given situation. That may be a result of working together for so long. Caroline adds, ‘Nicola gets things done at lightning speed. I’m very much focused on the finished design, I think my attention to detail drives all the team a little crazy.’
Nicola says being truthful with Caroline is ‘always a safe place’ while Caroline adds the one place they can be ‘brutally honest’ is the design room as ‘when it comes to opinions on new styles, there is no holding back.’
To work in harmony Nicola advises to, ‘Always show respect to each other. Caroline adds, ‘Listen to each other’s thoughts and ideas, give each other space. Most importantly have separate rolls within the company, something we learned along the way.’
