Subscribe to our newsletter to receive business tips, learn about new funding programmes, join upcoming events, take e-learning courses, and more.
Take the first step to successfully starting and growing your business.
Join for free)
Posted: Thu 11th Jun 2026
11 min read
When Erin Flynn launched Ruanua, she wasn’t trying to reinvent fashion.
The former fashion buyer had spotted a recurring issue on ski slopes across Europe: female customers were often forced to choose between stylish skiwear and technical performance.
Two seasons later, Ruanua has achieved six-figure sales, secured retail partnerships with Great Outdoors and shipped products to customers in 16 countries. What started as an idea inspired by years working in fashion buying has grown into an emerging skiwear brand with ambitions to become a recognised name across Ireland, the UK and beyond.
Before launching Ruanua, Erin worked in fashion buying across the UK and Ireland, specialising in technical outerwear and waterproof clothing. Later, while living in Austria and working in a ski shop, she began to notice the same customer frustrations again and again.
She explains:
“I noticed there was a big gap in the market between technical skiwear and fashionable skiwear. A lot of jackets were really expensive and very fashionable, but they weren’t actually waterproof.”
Having previously worked as both a ski racer and a ski instructor, Erin had a unique perspective. She understood what customers needed from a technical standpoint, but she also recognised that many people wanted clothing that looked good as well as performed well.
“I thought, okay, this is a really niche area where I understand the sport, I understand the product, and I understand how to buy it,” she recalls.
At the time, Erin had left her job to travel and originally planned to return to the industry afterwards. Instead, she decided to finally take the leap.
“It felt like now or never,” she continues.
Unlike many founders entering the fashion industry for the first time, Erin brought years of commercial experience to the table. Although she wasn’t trained as a fashion designer, her background in buying and a degree in economics and sociology meant she understood production, costing, sourcing, supplier relationships and product development.
This knowledge helped give Ruanua a strong foundation from day one. Erin already understood how products move from concept to customer and had existing supplier relationships she could build on. But launching the brand quickly revealed a challenge she hadn’t anticipated.
While product development felt familiar, marketing was an entirely different skillset. Breaking into the skiwear market meant competing against brands that had spent decades building recognition and trust.
Erin explains:
“For me, the real challenge has been once you have the product out there. It’s getting people to know your brand exists. It’s trying to convince customers why they should shop with you instead of one of the established players.”
To tackle that challenge, Erin focused heavily on learning. She’s completed social media marketing training while continuing to build Ruanua’s online presence through Instagram and TikTok. And the results have been encouraging.
Because the business runs through Shopify, Erin can track where customers are discovering the brand. Social media consistently emerges as one of the strongest sources of traffic and sales. In one memorable example, a single TikTok post unexpectedly generated a wave of orders from the United States overnight.
“You wake up, and suddenly you’ve got all these sales coming through. Social media can have a huge impact,” she says. But more importantly, consistent activity has helped create long-term growth.
“You might not see the results immediately, but it definitely pays off.”
While Ruanua is still in its early stages, its customer base has expanded far beyond its home market. Around half of sales now come from the UK, with Ireland accounting for approximately 12%. The remainder comes from markets across Europe and further afield. To date, the company has sold products in 16 countries, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Finland, France and the Netherlands. Australia was one of the biggest surprises.
“Our website wasn’t even set up for Australia initially,” Erin says. “People were emailing me asking to buy products, and I’d have to send them invoices manually. They still wanted to place orders.”
Those unexpected sales reinforced something many founders discover: when you’ve identified a genuine niche, your market can become global much faster than expected.
Ask most entrepreneurs when their business became real, and the answer is rarely straightforward. For Erin, there wasn’t one defining milestone but several memorable moments along the way. The months leading up to launch were filled with uncertainty and nerves.
“I don’t think I slept properly for about two or three months before launching,” she recalls.
Then came the first signs that customers were genuinely connecting with the brand. One moment stands out more than any other.
“I remember being out skiing and seeing someone wearing our product for the first time. I don’t think that feeling will ever get old,” she continues.
Friends and customers now regularly send photos of strangers wearing Ruanua on ski trips, something Erin says still feels surreal.
Another major milestone came when the brand secured a retail partnership with outdoor retailer Great Outdoors.
“Walking into a shop and seeing your product on the shop floor is really special,” she says.
Landing retail partnerships is a goal for many product-based businesses, but Erin is quick to point out that it rarely happens overnight. When approaching buyers, she focused on preparation and relevance. Rather than sending generic emails, she researched the retailer, learnt about the business and tailored her pitch accordingly. And it worked!
“I talked about my own experience shopping there and how our brand would fit alongside their existing products,” she advises.
Her buying background also helped her understand what retailers actually care about, including knowing your numbers:
“You need to explain how your product helps them serve their customers and ultimately helps them make money.
“You need to know your margins, your pricing and why you’ve made every decision. And if you don’t know the answer to something, be honest and follow up afterwards.”
That combination of preparation, authenticity and persistence ultimately paid off.
One misconception Erin frequently encounters is the belief that fashion businesses are driven solely by creativity. In reality, she says, fashion is highly analytical. When developing products, she benchmarks prices against dozens of competing brands, studies sales performance and analyses customer behaviour in detail.
“There is a lot more science behind fashion than people realise,” she says.
The challenge becomes even greater because of the industry’s long lead times. While customers are buying one season’s collection, Erin is already planning products for future years.
She says:
“We’re making decisions now about what customers will want seasons from now. It’s constant analysis of what’s selling, why it’s selling, and what customers might want next.”
One of Ruanua’s best-selling designs started with a simple sketch. While travelling, Erin suddenly had an idea for a bold pink-and-red colour-block ski jacket at the airport. Without access to design software, she grabbed a Post-it note and sketched the concept using a pen and a handful of highlighters. Years later, that rough drawing evolved into one of the company’s most popular products.
“I actually still have the Post-it note,” she says. It’s a reminder that sometimes the ideas that shape a business begin in the most unexpected places.
Looking ahead, Erin’s focus is clear: build awareness, expand retail partnerships and continue growing the brand’s presence across key markets. While e-commerce remains important, she believes skiwear is a category where physical retail still matters. Customers want to try products on, assess quality and feel confident in their purchase. As a result, expanding wholesale partnerships is a major priority over the coming years.
“We’d love to see more product in stores and more people discovering the brand that way,” she says.
Longer term, Erin wants Ruanua to become a recognised skiwear name across Ireland, the UK and international markets.
Having turned an industry insight into a growing international business, Erin’s advice for aspiring fashion entrepreneurs is simple: just do it.
Like many founders, she spent years thinking about starting something before finally taking action.
She advises:
“It’s not easy when you start, but write down everything you need to do and start working through it."
She also encourages entrepreneurs to lean on their networks and ask for help when they need it:
“I was nervous about reaching out at the beginning, but people are actually incredibly helpful.”
Entrepreneurship can often feel isolating, she says, but support is available if you’re willing to seek it out.
“I’ve found that people genuinely want to help. The more conversations you have, the more you learn.”
For Erin, those conversations, combined with industry expertise and a willingness to keep learning, have helped transform a simple observation on the ski slopes into a business with customers around the world. And with Ruanua continuing to grow, the journey is only just beginning.
