Jeans franchise expanding to Spain and UAE

Melena Fashion, which was founded by sisters Malindi (27) and Elena (23) Demery three years ago, is expecting to turn over more than €3m this year after it added another four brands to its distribution business.

The company has also agreed deals with global eyewear brand Quay Australia and Scandinavian brands Sparkz Copenhagen, Svea, and Rosemunde.

The three-year old business now boasts agreements with 160 retailers and has served more than 28,000 customers directly through its e-commerce platform, along with 17,000 through Amazon and other online marketplaces.

Asos and Shop Direct, the UK version of Littlewoods, are among its retailers.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent, co-founder Malindi Demery said the company has reported €500,000 of profit since its inception.

"Neither I nor my sister have taken a dividend from the company and we're both really happy with that because we've reinvested every single ounce of our profit into having a greater surplus of stock and into our international expansion," she said.

"All the growth of our team has happened organically and we've had no external debt, so we're pretty comfortable."

Demery said the long-term plan of the company was to eventually develop its own brand in addition to its distribution lines.

"We're distributors so we buy the product off the brand and then market it ourselves," Demery said.

"We just want to dress ourselves in Ireland. If we see something that's in Sweden and we love it but it's not in Ireland, we want to be able to supply that to girls that want it."