by Louise-Anne Geddes & Colleen Reid Mindful Mum, 6th October 2011

Joanna Sloan, 39, and her sister Stephanie, 36, grew up together on their family farm and enjoyed the freedom and outdoor play that came with farm life. It was here that their passion for local and ethical produce was first instilled.

Moving away from Ireland, the sisters followed their own dreams and Joanna found herself launching her own interior design business. Stephanie studied an MA in London in printed textiles and later worked in print and interior design for Giles Deacon. It was this love for design that brought the two sisters together and in 2010, they moved back to their hometown of Wicklow with their children and launched an ethical children’s print company, Old Rectory.

Originally, the studio at the Old Rectory was being used by the sisters to run screen printing classes. It was during these classes that the idea for a print focused, ethically produced clothing line first came to them. As mothers of six boys between them, the clothing line was very quickly focussed on children, with quality at its core as they know the rough and tumble of living with boys.

Drawing inspiration from their childhood farm, the sisters knew the necessity of keeping their line locally produced and ethically sourced. Their own bespoke prints from their conjoined years of experience in the design industry were a unique selling point of Old Rectory. “I have always found a lack of children’s clothing for sale that isn’t led by high street trends or dominated by logos and brands – we were to be the antidote to that! So along with a huge leap of faith, lots of research and very supportive families on board we took the plunge on taking a small range to Bubble, London in January 2011.” Joanna explains.

The reception of the range was extremely positive and as the company started to grow, the sisters realised they could no longer supply demand and had to outsource. This was a challenging obstacle to overcome as they were determined to keep the range ethical, but after some searching, they found a family-run European manufacturer with ethical credentials similar to those Joanna and Stephanie hold close to their hearts. With the help of business mentors and bank loans, Old Rectory went ahead to create a beautiful clothing line that mums can be proud to dress their children in.

Juggling board rooms with board games

As working mums, the sisters have mastered the art of juggling business orders with wiping noses. Joanna advises other mums with business aspirations to approach things slowly. She says, “from a mother who juggles, my advice is take each day as it comes, decide what your priorities are and endeavour to fulfil them by the end of the day – no easy feat!”

With the daily support of her parents and family, who are able to pick up her children from school, or help with homework, Joanna, who is mum to five of the six boys the sisters have, is able to balance her work/life commitments.

As the popularity of the business grows, Joanna reveals the glue that keeps the business together. “As regards to Old Rectory, it is a partnership between Stephanie and I and we have to support and recognise each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Coming back to running my own business off the back of rearing five boys under 10 has been really challenging in dealing with business relationships.”

She is always learning ‘on the job’, and flexibility is the key to her success, not only in business but in raising five boys!

Visit Old Rectory to find out more about the sustainable, organic and ethical clothing range.