Spotlight on ... Bernie Devlin

What made you decide to create a children's fashion brand?

For 14 years I worked as a senior manager for Coca Cola in the UK and Europe. During this time I was immersed in the ethos of the best brand in the world and gained an in-depth understanding of how to deliver something really special. Co-owning Enchanted Forest Nurseries with my wife Mariessa since 2006 along with my keen interest in fashion fuelled my burning desire to bring my own company and brand to life, and the birth of our daughter in 2012 gave me the final inspiration I needed to focus on creating a junior fashion range.  My wife is fully involved in our nurseries, along with a very competent senior team, so now just felt like the right time to launch.

What inspired you for the collection?

My original inspiration came from co-owning Enchanted Forest Nurseries with my wife for 9 years. The concept of the Enchanted Forest and more specifically our logo sparked my imagination into creating the brand. The magical tree has a little door lying slightly opened, which often made me think of the world of possibilities and adventures which could lie behind it. Having waited for her to arrive for many years, our daughter Róisín was born in 2012 and took inspiration to another level. Observing Róisín forming an early bond with her pink bunny, whom when she started to speak she called ‘Bun Bun’ really got my creative mind working. As a keen follower of fashion, I loved the fact that Róisín had an affiliation with her bunny as well as a love for other animals….so Enchanted Forest and Friends was born.

What are the challenges of running all these businesses at the same time?

The success of all of our companies is very much down to the people who surround us, who work with us and who share our passion in delivering high quality services and now our high quality children’s clothing and accessory brand. The main challenge is that Enchanted Forest and Friends as a company is a completely different market to what we are used to, hence a very steep learning curve. This said, we are approaching our new company in the same way – with 100 per cent focus, attention to detail and customer care. The early feedback we have had from customers all over the UK and Ireland has been extremely encouraging and we have already signed off on our Autumn/Winter 2015 range.