From school uniforms to Sunday best, 40 years of Laois fashion outlet

This year marks the 40th year of Pat and Helen Fortune running Fortunes Fashions in Rathdowney, a business originally opened by Pat’s great-grandfather in 1890.

Fortunes is a fixture synonymous with Rathdowney, having catered to the community for generations. Trading in men’s and women’s fashion, footwear, sporting apparel and accessories, the Laois business has always been the go-to for the latest trends, with people flocking from far and wide to peruse its goods.

Generations of local children have travelled to Fortunes for school uniform fittings, in what has almost become a rite of passage in the area.

“It’s mad seeing the parents come in with their children, when we had once put uniforms on them!” Helen said.

“Generations have passed through our doors for their uniforms, and the uniforms have changed over time. The skirts are lower and more narrow now. For the primary schools, the shirts, jumpers and ties are gone now, it’s all tracksuits and polo-neck t-shirts. Their comfort is being taken into consideration more, which is good,” Helen said.

The business has seen many fashion trends come and go over the years, with the rise in fast fashion becoming a serious challenge.

“Young people don’t tend to consider clothes that will last, they buy clothing online that is more disposable. Our customers in other age brackets like that our clothes will last for years to come. Trend-wise, women these days are dressing a lot younger than they used to- years ago, a woman in her 50s would dress like a woman in her 80s. There’s no such thing as a day frock like there was years ago, slips and long skirts are gone. Women are trendier and investing in themselves, which is brilliant,” she said.

The Rathdowney shop has always strived to prioritise stocking Irish-made fashion, a business model that has its challenges in this decade.

“We have so many Irish brands, but a lot of them are gone now. Things have changed. No one buys tights anymore, we might only sell men’s braces four times a year. We used to sell boxes and boxes of paddy caps, now men might only wear them for a wedding,” she said.

One thing has remained consistent in Fortunes; friendly, hardworking staff that are known for their warm welcomes.

“We have had so many staff members over the years, Nora Breen worked with Pat’s mam for years, she was brilliant. Kathleen has worked with us for 39 years, and Bernie has been with us for 20. They have kept the ball rolling during tough times, they are not only great employees, but also great friends,” Helen praised.

“We don’t think that anyone will take over the shop after us, it will likely close when we retire. We have had so many laughs. We do our best to look after people, we often say the shop is like a confession box. People come in for the chats, not just to buy,” she said.

“We can’t thank the community enough for their support over the years, we have such amazing, loyal customers. We have sadly lost a few over the years, who we’ll always think of. We have always loved working with the public, and helping however we can,” Helen finished.

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