Dollys wardrobe taps into growing toy doll market

By Maurice Garvey

TAPPING into the growing toy doll market, one local woman has kick-started her own business, providing a fashion line of homemade clothes for dolls.

Ann Walker, from Firhouse, established Dollys Wardrobe at the end of 2015, creating her own tailored made clothes for dolls like the popular American Girl and Our Generation brands.

Operating the business from her home in Mount Carmel Park, Dollys Wardrobe is a one-person venture for now.

Ann has invested a considerable amount of time to establish the brand, and plans to target her product in foreign markets with potential for the clothing line to expand.

Globally, the economic outlook for toys and games is promising.

Sales of dolls have increased exponentially in the last number of years, domestically and abroad, reaching €2.59 billion in the USA in 2015, up nine per cent from the previous year.

After working in the bridal industry, Ann made the decision to start her own business at the end of 2015.

She said: “I’ve always made clothes, and decided to turn that hobby into a business. I did a lot of research, and put a lot of feelers out there, and the feedback I got was very positive.

“The concept is that I create two new designs every month. It’s like a rolling stock, but if somebody wants something extra or a bit different, there is a bit of leeway to create that for them.”

Ann attended the Tallaght Enterprise Town event at Tallaght Stadium last week, which allowed her the opportunity to network with other businesses.

“It was very good, you can sometimes be blinkered in your way of thinking, but talking to other businesses is very helpful,” said Ann.

Celebrity chef Rachel Allen was an admirer of Ann’s designs, purchasing an outfit from the Dollys Wardrobe line.

Check out Ann’s designs on the Dollys Wardrobe Facebook page.