Limerick social media star, Sinéad O’Brien, talks wedding plans and building her business

SINÉAD O'Brien is beaming and looking effortlessly chic when the Leader arrives into the Vacious HQ just off the Ballysimon Road.
Many know the business woman as Sinéad's Curvy Style on social media where she offers sage advice, honesty, reviews and a glimpse into the life behind the woman who runs what is now a hugely successful shapewear empire.
On her platforms, you will see snippets about make-up, hair, how to dress for your shape and be confident in your skin, but also warm and fun moments with her little boy Jacob and her now husband Simon Fitzgerald.
The entrepreneur has truly risen through the ranks with her shapewear brand and the proof is in the pudding - she can't keep enough garments in stock!
She designs pieces that anyone can wear, no matter what size, as evidenced by her sister, Mary, who, athletic and petite, breezes into the room, wearing, what else, but her Vacious vest that she's always wearing under an outfit.
Sinéad is keen to point out that even though she started out as a voice for curvy women, her brand isn't just for someone who is curvy - her pieces are for everyone, no matter what size they are.
Speaking about the importance of shapewear, she says: “It's the foundation to every outfit,” before adding that if you have the right garment on underneath, any outfit will look and feel amazing and she has always been very size inclusive.

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“Every body can wear shapewear, but it's important to show it on every body type as well.”
“It's about knowing how to dress for your shape, I knew my angles and how to dress well and, from my mid-20's, I loved shapewear, but I would find that the legs might be too long or I couldn't breathe at a wedding and it would end up whipped off and thrown into the toilet bin - I'd been through every hurdle with other people's products.”
Sinéad always had a “natural grá” for fashion. She studied fashion, style and media in Limerick Senior College and, when she started out, she would take a different brand and just cut and alter it until it met her needs and this is how most of the prototypes evolved.
She also got a lot of her love of fashion from her mam, Rose, who she says is “always very glamorous and loves her style”.
“I trialled the pieces on women of all shapes and sizes, I don't use measuring tapes and, during Covid, I was dropping samples to women at the doors of their houses to try and get back to me with feedback. They were so good to me, these were the people who gave me the ideas.
“I was like Del Boy, bringing knickers out of the back of my car,” she laughs, remembering a light-hearted moment in what was otherwise an almost surreal point in the pandemic.
When this journalist asks about the process of getting from concept to product, she smiles a cheeky smile, pointing at her temple and replies; “It's all in here - I'd be lying in bed and say ‘I have a new idea’ and that's it, I start making it in my head.”
The first product from Vacious was a best-seller and now they have reached a point where they are a season ahead with their product plans.
Sinéad stresses that her pieces are not fast fashion - they are durable and made to last.
“They are a staple - you shouldn't have to be uncomfortable and squeeze yourself into something.”

Sinéad and husband Simon Fitzgerald after their civil ceremony PICTURE: arkyen.com

Not only is Vacious size-inclusive for every body shape, but it also takes things into consideration like a colostomy bag, being supported when you swim, or having pieces that are breastfeeding and maternity friendly. Her sizes go up to a 5 XL, which is almost unheard of, as it will accommodate up to a size 26.
“I have women who have reached out to us to say they've had this dress in the wardrobe for the last six years and they are finally wearing it now because of a Vacious piece underneath it.”
Sinéad says it's not just shapewear - it's a confidence boost - “it's that little kick!”
“I was showing myself and saying ‘I am a size 20’ and if I was on a fashion shoot - I was always the only model my size - it felt a bit tokenistic.
“Women need to celebrate their size, but it's also ok to want to feel better or exercise more.
“It's how it makes you feel - just do you!
“Whether you are a size 10 or a size 20, it's about loving the skin you are in," she emphasises.
She developed her maternity range when she was pregnant with Jacob, who is now two, as she wanted more compression and what she developed is “like a hug for the bump”.
Being pregnant also meant making decisions about the business, but she didn't take maternity leave and ended up launching her swimwear as she was in the maternity hospital about to bring her little boy into the world.
Balancing being a new mum with starting a new business, there was a cot in the Vacious HQ so she could bring Jacob in and work with the baby by her side.
“The balance between being a mother, self-employed and an entrepreneur is hard, but rewarding and I hope some day to have him in here with me,” Sinéad says, adding that she got her entrepreneurial spirit from her late dad Dermot ‘Dobs’ O'Brien who had a bar. Growing up, Sinéad would have been in the bar doing bottles, collecting glasses or pulling pints.
Looking back, she says the journey has been almost surreal as three years ago she had no job, she had been a singer in Bunratty Castle for eight seasons and she knew she needed to bite the bullet and take a plunge into something new.
Covid gave her time to plan. “I was looking at logos, the type of brand I wanted to have, and that break, it gave me the time to do that.”
Vacious was launched in late 2021.
Then, just over a year later, the family were hit by the most devastating double blow with the loss of her dad Dermot and her sister Mary's husband, rugby star Tom Tierney.
Dermot died on March 5, 2023, just nine days after Sinéad's brother-in-law Tom died suddenly in his sleep.
“It was a big shock, we are still finding our feet. The outpouring from people asking what we needed was amazing. 100,000 followers were in mourning too.”
Sinéad adds that her sister Mary who so suddenly lost her husband Tom has been the backbone of the business and she said that Tom always loved to see Mary and Sinéad working together.
Mary says that the sudden loss puts things into perspective and that “things that would bother you before are now just a blip”.
Now, many social media followers are eagerly watching Sinéad's Insta feed (she has 127k followers on Instagram) for wedding inspo, as she celebrates the next milestone in her life.
Sinéad married her partner Simon Fitzgerald in a civil ceremony in Limerick on September 6 and they will have a big wedding celebration in Portugal this Wednesday, September 25.
She used one of her dad's favourite ties to wrap around her bouquet and had borrowed a locket from her sister Lorna with his picture inside.
“We got the most stunning pictures around the city and included some Limerick landmarks like King John's Castle, which was a little nod to my dad as he grew up on Castle Street.
“It was initially underestimated in the sense that I figured it's just paperwork and a formality and the big event is in Portugal, but it turned out to be the most amazing day.”
Looking ahead, Sinéad wants to see the brand going global - they are currently trying to break into the UK market and she would like to do pop-ups in the future.
Vacious started with just one product - now they have 10 and, by the glint in Sinéad O'Brien's eyes, there is a lot more to come from this trailblazing business woman who is on the crest of a curve.
Watch this space!