How Ruby Slevin set up Savile Row’s first bespoke women’s tailoring house

Did you always want to be a fashion designer?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a prima ballerina, a Formula One driver and a concert pianist! When I was 20, I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer, but it took me a few years to have the confidence to say that out loud.

In college, I studied… my first degree was in economics and sociology from UCD – having a business background has come in so handy running a fashion brand. I then went on to study fashion design at the Grafton Academy in Dublin.

My most formative work experience was… 100% my first job on Savile Row. It shaped where I am today and why I do what I do. As soon as I arrived, I felt I had found the place where I needed to be. When I saw there was a gap in the market for womenswear on Savile Row, well the rest is history!

My first real job was… working for Vanguard Investments in Melbourne. However, I realised that corporate life wasn’t for me even though it offered such great opportunities. I knew then that I had to take the leap into fashion.

The most invaluable thing I learned early on in my career was… to always work hard and use your initiative. But ask questions if you don’t know something! I still ask my head cutter for advice when I’m fitting a client after almost a decade of working on Savile Row.

A common misconception about what I do is… that running a fashion brand is glamorous all the time. There are some pinch-me moments of course, but for the most part, it’s like running any business and I have to do a lot of looking at spreadsheets.

My main responsibility in work is to… ensure my clients have the most incredible experience when they make the investment to buy something from Banshee. We spend a lot of time together from the first design consultation to the final suit collection so I get to know my clients pretty well. When I see their face when they try on the finished suit, it gives me so much joy that I’m doing something that makes women feel beautiful and confident.

Do you have a career mentor or someone you look up to or seek advice from?
I have been really lucky to have incredible mentors along the way. Lainey Keogh was really encouraging when I was studying fashion design and has always been such a great person to speak with about the business of fashion. James Sleater and Ian Meiers who both own Savile Row brand Cad and the Dandy, have been an incredible support and provided invaluable mentoring as soon as I arrived on Savile Row.

The biggest risk I have taken in my career so far is… setting up my brand Banshee! Launching a fashion brand is always going to be risky but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Every day is interesting and I’m so passionate about what I do that it outweighs any risk.

I wake at… 8am. I’m not a sunny morning person, which anyone who knows me will back up! I try to wake up earlier, but it doesn’t always happen naturally.

The first thing I do every morning is… drink a cup of Barry’s tea. It’s my religion!

My morning routine is… to drink my tea while I meditate. Meditation is very important to keep me grounded, especially during busy times like the run-up to London Fashion Week. I get dressed slowly and don’t usually eat breakfast until I get to work as it takes me so long to wake up.

I can’t go to work without… my earphones. I listen to a lot of music on the journey to work and while I’m at work it’s a great motivator if I have a deadline.

I travel to work by… tube. This is not my favourite form of transport as I prefer to walk everywhere if I can.

On an average workday I… none of my working days are the same as I’m constantly working on new projects but an average day is making sure my production is running smoothly so that my clients have a great experience.

I start my working day at… it depends on the day. If I have an early meeting or I’m shooting, it starts at 8am.. On a normal day, I like to start at 10am to miss rush hour on the tube! If I’m working at home, I start earlier as I’m not avoiding traffic.

The first thing I do at work is… check my emails to make sure I haven’t missed anything important. I’m working with people in multiple time zones, so things can come in at all hours.

I usually spend the first portion of the day… it depends on the day, but it’s usually meeting clients or checking on production.

I break for lunch at… whenever I can and usually like to eat a homemade sandwich or homemade soup or a salad. I’m not crazy about eating lunch out as I like to eat healthy home-cooked food.

The most useful business tool I use every day is… my phone. My phone is able to manage so much work from photography to emails, taking payments, client notes, managing my diary, checking on orders – the list goes on!

I save time by… backing up all of my work. There is nothing as time-wasting as losing work and having to backtrack.

I rarely get through my working day without… cups of tea!

The best part of my day is… seeing a finished piece of clothing I designed come together.

The most challenging part of my day is… not having enough hours in the day! Sometimes I wish I could time travel.

I know it’s been a good day if… my list is finished.

I usually end my day at… I often work until midnight when I’m working on a big project like fashion week or shooting a new campaign. I would ideally love to finish working at 7pm in the evenings if I don’t have too much going on.

I switch off from work by… exercising, meditating, seeing friends, cooking, watching low-brow TV.

Before I go to bed, I’ll… practice gratitude. I also love listening to audiobooks as it’s a great way to switch off before I go to sleep.

I prepare for tomorrow by… making my list for the next day before I go to sleep. It helps me to sleep more easily as I feel like I have the next day covered.

After a long work week, I destress by… I go to a weekly dance class which is the best thing I do to destress. I actually go on a Wednesday night as it helps me break up the week and gives me a natural endorphin rush.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is… setting up Banshee of Savile Row. I still sometimes can’t believe I’ve done it as I dreamt of being a designer for years before I was brave enough to do it. Having my own brand and having that creative vision being my vision gives me such joy.

If you want to get into my line of work, my advice is to… work hard and take advice from others. I think fashion students could also benefit from doing short business courses if they want to set up a brand. You can be such a talented designer, but there are a lot of logistical things to consider to turn your ideas into an operational business.

I’ve just finished working on… launching our first-ever online made to order coats service. I’m so proud to have done this and it’s been a lot of work to get it off the ground. We’ve had clients asking for years now if they could buy our coats online so it’s a big step in developing Banshee. Our coats come in everything from Donegal tweeds to British velvets or British wools.

Imagery provided by Holly McGlynn