Irish stylist and mother-of-four Nichola Tighe spent two decades working in a bank before her son’s sudden illness finally made her embrace her ‘true calling’ for sustainable styling and image consultancy
When did your interest in fashion begin?
I have loved clothes and style for as long as I can remember, a passion I inherited from my incredibly stylish grandmother. She was the first to introduce me to the concept of ‘colour seasons,’ although not in those exact terms! I always remember her telling me as a little girl that purple was my colour. Purple is still my favourite colour. Later, when I started studying to become a stylist, everything clicked. There are so many things in our lives that are out of our control, but I always felt having an extra boost of confidence in wearing something you love, is a small way of taking some power back in a hectic world.
Being a mother to four boys – 20, 16, 14, and 10 – a huge part of my life is spent on the side of football pitches, so I adore that I can bring out my girly side in my work. Ever since I was young, dressing up and experimenting with makeup were my ways of expressing myself. I actually trained as a beauty therapist and makeup artist part-time years ago, but since I qualified as a Personal Stylist and Image Consultant, I know I have found my true calling.
Tell us about your decision to change careers and how it happened
I actually worked in banking for almost 20 years. When I first started, it was supposed to be just a year out to figure out ‘what I wanted to be when I grew up.’ But that year stretched into two decades. I genuinely loved my time in banking. It’s amazing how much of what I learned and practiced as a manager in the bank has been transferable to style coaching.
I have such belief in the fact that clothes can hold so much power. The girls I worked with in the bank could guess the kind of day I had ahead based on my outfit. We used to joke about it in the mornings, they could tell if I needed to feel a little more confident or if I had a meeting I was stressing about or if I had a particularly tough day ahead, my best dresses came out.
The real wake up call was in 2017. My son Senan, who was 7 at the time, became extremely sick with a heart condition. It came out of the blue for us all, and I really struggled with how my previously healthy and happy little boy could become so sick, so quickly. He spent time in Drogheda and then Crumlin and thankfully, after surgery, he started his long road to recovery.
It really was a jolt to the system, we can all be so busy surviving, life can pass us by. I loved my job, but with 4 young sons, I knew I was not living a life I was enjoying any more. It wasn’t just about needing more flexibility to be there for my boys; it was about how abruptly life could change, highlighting the preciousness of pursuing a passion. That realisation pushed me to turn my lifelong love for fashion into a career, allowing me to merge my knack for style with my desire to empower others.
What is your goal as a stylist and image consultant?
I still sometimes pinch myself that I get to do what I do every day.
When I left banking and gained my qualification in styling and image consulting, my two friends and I decided to set up the Dress Hire side of the business as we saw a gap in the market in Ireland at the time. But very quickly, I realised our business model needed to change and what I could do to help support women was so much more than helping them find a beautiful dress for an occasion.
Almost every person who came to my studio was so disconnected from their own sense of style, especially after life changes. Most ladies would come in and tell me all the things they hated about their bodies, but when I asked them to tell me what part of their bodies or appearance they loved and wanted to showcase, I got blank stares. I know, as Irish people, we can find it difficult to champion ourselves and our strengths, but it was so much more than this.
I love helping women understand why something is working for them, and why they might be stuck in the endless cycle of buying trends or things they see on other people and get frustrated when it does not work for them.
I have had lots of tears in my studio, happy tears but tears, nonetheless. It is about so much more than clothes or style, it is about giving someone the power to show up in the world as they want, not feel they are needing to hide away, just because their shape may have changed.
What made you decide to start your dress hire business with Sarah?
Do you remember the Friends episode where Phoebe gets upset about the Christmas trees being cut down, and Joey goes on to explain it is them just fulfilling their destiny? They want to be decorated and loved in people’s homes at Christmas. Well, that is how I feel about dresses, it actually hurts my heart to see beautiful dresses sitting in wardrobes not being worn and loved and seen again.
I was always the girl when I was in my teens and 20’s with my dresses all over the country, I was lending dresses to my friends, my cousins, even my hairdresser. Before I qualified as a stylist, I was the person my friends came to for a dress and style advice. Sarah and I just made it formal!
Initially, there were three of us who thought it might be a fun side hustle. The name Envious came from our 3 initials: N, V & S (NVS – say it fast), so Envious was born. Little would Sarah and I know how it would go and become a full-time job! I had my qualification in styling and obvious obsession with dresses, so seeing people buying dresses to wear once was such a tough thing to see. Dress Hire just made sense.
In Ireland, like many places around the world, there’s a growing awareness about the impact our choices have on the environment, especially in the fashion industry. When we decided to start Envious Styling, it wasn’t just about offering beautiful dresses—it was about doing it responsibly. The truth is, fashion is one of the biggest polluters globally, contributing significantly to carbon emissions and water waste. Every dress that sits unworn in a wardrobe represents resources spent – water, energy, labour – that could be better utilised.
How was the initial start-up process?
In a great way, when we initially set up the business we took it one step at a time, first getting the Dress Hire side of the business up and running, then building out the styling side of the business, and then finally launching our first styling product.
We put our own savings on the line, not really knowing if the idea would work. It felt like a huge risk, and there were many sleepless nights wondering if we had just made a massive mistake. But seeing the business slowly start to pick up, receiving positive feedback from our customers, and realising that we were actually making a difference – that kept us going.
Social media was a whole other beast. I am an overthinker and suddenly I found myself having to promote myself as a stylist and our business online. Getting out of my own head, and fear of being an imposter and looking for perfectionism was something I really struggled with. To be honest, it still holds me back a little today.
We certainly made a few mistakes along the way. I remember we bought one of the most beautiful jumpsuits as part of our launch collection, it was outrageously expensive from a very popular brand. The sequins on this thing would stick to each other so badly that walking in it felt like a comedy of errors. It reminded me of those Business Studies classes back in school where they talked about goods needing to be of “merchantable quality.” It did remind me though to focus less on the hype or ‘trendy’ pieces and more on what actually works for real people.
Then there also was the episode with the Envi Band’s packaging. After weeks of designing, measuring, and re-measuring, we ordered 500 boxes to ship our product. I was so proud of all the meticulous planning—until the boxes arrived. It turned out I had calculated the dimensions for the boxes when fully opened, not folded. They were hilariously small. I actually keep a small one on my work desk as a reminder of some of the mess ups along the way. It was one of those situations that if I did not laugh, I would cry, so I chose to laugh and learn from it. It was an expensive laugh all the same.
Where did the idea for the Envi Band come from?
The idea for the Envi Band came from a place of frustration – mine and so many others I’d spoken to.
As a stylist, I constantly hear from women who love the look of a neatly tucked or cropped jumper but struggle to achieve it without adding bulk or discomfort. I had experimented with every hack under the sun – elastic bands, bra tucks, hair ties – but nothing felt polished, comfortable, or reliable.
I wanted to create something simple, effective, and genuinely useful – something that would make getting dressed easier and help women feel more put together effortlessly and comfortably. The idea wasn’t about reinventing the wheel but about solving a styling problem in a way that was accessible, practical and helpful.
We were so focused on creating something very comfortable, so the added complexity to ensure we had five sizes was more challenging in the design phase, but we are very thankful now we can be so size inclusive.
What is it like working for yourself?
Do you want to know the real answer?!
It’s like being on a seesaw! One day you are up, feeling like you are making headway and really making progress, and the next, you are bogged down with admin, unexpected expenses, and the constant challenge of balancing work and family life.
There’s no off switch. You live and breathe your business, and because I am so passionate about what we are doing, I can become a little obsessed with trying to make progress.
I often find myself working weekends, trying to catch up or get ahead. But I’ve realised that I need to be stricter with my hours. Constantly working without a real break isn’t sustainable – it’s not good for me, and it’s not good for the business. I’m learning to set boundaries, to give myself time to recharge.
How has running a business impacted your family life?
Running my own business has been an eye-opener in more ways than one. Alongside learning the ropes of owning a business, I have also had to navigate personal issues that deeply impacted how I manage my work and support my family.
A few years ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD. At first, the diagnosis felt like a label that might explain a lifetime of restless energy and, to be honest, it really did become a very positive turning point for me. Understanding how my brain works was like getting a manual after years of just guessing the controls. I honestly think I might not be able to have come as far as I did in running my own business without doing some of the work in understanding how ADHD has impacted me and my life. I have learned to recognise why certain tasks have always felt so daunting and why I thrived in dynamic, fast-paced environments. It wasn’t that I was doing things wrong before; I was just doing them in a way that didn’t suit me. I now focus on playing to my strengths more deliberately, rather than beating myself up on the things I am not great at.
This understanding has also influenced how I guide my children, particularly my 16-year-old son, who also has ADHD. It’s important for him to see that his ADHD isn’t a barrier to success but can actually be an asset in the right context. We talk a lot about finding a career that doesn’t just feel like work but something that excites and engages him.
When I told my oldest boy that I was leaving my secure job at the bank to dive into the unpredictable world of fashion and styling, his initial reaction was a mix of concern and pride. He has always been the sensible type, weighing the pros and cons meticulously, so it was natural for him to worry about the stability I was leaving behind. But over time, he’s become one of my biggest cheerleaders.
Starting and running a business has taught me the importance of playing to your strengths and embracing your quirks. Every day brings new challenges, but also new chances to learn and grow, not just as an entrepreneur, but as a parent. It’s about showing my kids that true success comes from doing what you love and using your natural talents to their fullest.
It’s been a balancing act, especially with four sons who each need attention and support. My husband Christopher and my family have been incredibly supportive, which makes a world of difference. I know I am taking small steps towards building something meaningful not just for our customers, but for my family too.
What have been the highlights so far?
We ship the Envi Band all over the world, and every time our phone dings with feedback from another happy customer, it’s a surreal moment. Investing our savings and countless hours into bringing this product to market was a huge risk and such a learning curve but seeing such positive results has been incredibly rewarding.
Our TikTok reel going viral over Christmas, with 900k views, 8k saves, and 70k likes, really highlighted how much the Envi Band is resonating with people. We were thrilled with the response—it led to a few hectic days packing orders over the Christmas break, which was unexpected but exciting!
We definitely have more ideas in the pipeline. I’m passionate about helping women make the most of their wardrobes and addressing the common concerns many face with their clothing. We are currently working on some other products and are at the finalising prototypes stage so we are looking forward to a busy summer.
