Cathy Villiers is a fashion designer who has sold her clothes in shops from Paris to Japan to the United States. Her work has been displayed in the New York Museum of Modern Art and the London Fashion Textile Museum. Last year, she decided to return home and focus her attention back on Northern Ireland.

How's business?

Busy — I’m working on my new autumn fashions at the moment. Unlike many designers I don’t draw out my designs beforehand — all my designs are in my head and when I get inspired I can work for long hours as the creativity flows. I create and sew each piece myself, which takes time but is worth the effort.

My design business took off in 2004 and I sold my clothes around the world. But I was really concerned about manufacturing quality and decided that mass production wasn’t really working for my particular styles. I really wanted to come home and focus on Northern Ireland. I opened a little boutique on the Lisburn Road so that I can make all of the clothes myself. I suppose there’s a certain amount of peace of mind — if you’re putting your name on a garment, you want it to be top quality.

Being in the retail business is exciting even with all that is going on — or not going on! The best thing about my business is that once people have come into my shop they come back again and again, which is building me a solid customer base for the long term.

My first year in the shop — from November 2007 through to autumn 2008 — was hugely encouraging and I met my targets comfortably. However, the last year has been difficult and I have stepped up my marketing to emphasise the unique fashions and personalised items I produce. Because I customise my range no two items I produce are the same — each piece is unique.

Any exciting projects in the pipeline?

Eventually, I’d like to start selling my clothes internationally again. I found manufacturing quality to be a real issue before and so now I only produce garments I make myself.

Before opening the shop I sold into London, Japan and the US. However because of the difficulty sourcing quality stitching locally I had to abandon that. If I could source that quality and capacity I’d be straight back into international markets. Now I can’t find a small factory as many in Northern Ireland have closed down.

What are the long term prospects for your company?

I expect things to remain difficult until well into next year and at the point of the upturn I would seek larger premises, more staff and begin planning for a second outlet.

What are the biggest challenges facing your organisation?

Replacing the footfall that has disappeared in the past several months.

Could the Government help you to do business better?

Invest NI and Belfast City Council have been very helpful with marketing. Subsidising a manufacturer out there with the skills and capacity to produce my work might be a way forward but that is out of my hands.

Why would someone work for you?

My work has been exhibited at the New York Museum of Modern Art and the London Fashion Textile Museum, so I think a young fashion designer might find working with a new quirky designer interesting. Hopefully they would also get the buzz that I get when customers come back with compliments, like the other day when my shop was the centre of a conversation at a barbecue.

Your views on the economy, please.

I only have to look out my window to see how low confidence is in the economy at present.

The business climate — good or bad?

Starting up as I did just as the country headed into a recession is testing. Oddly my experience of the lows gives me confidence for the future.

What ambitions do you have on a personal level?

To own several shops. I’d love to have one in Brighton because I think they’d appreciate my funky fashions. I’ll wait until the economic climate improves a bit though.

What do you get up to in your spare time?

I like swimming, badminton and walking, the last of which I can combine with my favourite past time — rummaging in second hand shops and markets always looking for news and inspiration. It’s easy to forget that past fashion is what drives future fashions.