22/09/2026
We’re delighted our approach is being shared with the next generation of business leaders.
If you're a secondary school student studying business this year, there's a decent chance our story is sitting in your textbook. We’re back in the curriculum for a second year, and we're loving all the questions coming in from students who are studying us in class.
Here's our take on innovation: It is essential to being a WISE (Work Integration Social Enterprise).
For us, good business means recognising that being ethical, sustainable and profitable aren't separate goals, they work together. Good ideas solve more than one problem at once, for consumers, for people, and for the planet, and our best work does all three.
Take our new repair service and training programme as an example.
For the planet: Repair reduces the environmental burden of fashion.
For consumers: Repair solves a real problem. Garments that are damaged, worn, or out of shape don’t need to be thrown away. That means less spent on replacements, less waste generated, and clothes that stay in use for longer. Good for the wallet and good for the wardrobe.
For people: We subsidise free places on our training courses for people from disadvantaged groups, helping them build workplace skills, move towards employment and find community.
One idea. Three problems solved.
We also need to be operationally sustainable. Whenever we develop a new idea that hits all these goals, we do the research, talk to people, and spend time with spreadsheets and finance to check whether the market gap we've identified is real, and whether this new business can sustain itself. We give each new idea three years to reach that point, sometimes a little longer, so the rest of the business needs to support the innovation in the meantime..
As a charity and social enterprise, support funds help us on this journey, and we couldn't do it without them. Thanks to Rethink Irelandand Pobal
Starting something new is tough in today's business environment. Hard work, quality, and efficiency are essential. But with a good team behind you, it's worth it, especially when your work benefits so many different groups. That's what keeps you going when things get hard.
Want to support us? Give us a follow and send this to your classmates!