Designing Success, One Stitch at a Time
When Paul Alexander brought sewing machines to his son’s rugby club, he was simply looking to see if the kids waiting for their brothers to finish practice might be interested. Little did he know that this modest idea would become a thriving business that inspires the next generation of fashion designers across Ireland. Seeing the kids light up with excitement, Paul knew he had stumbled upon something truly special.
Read Paul’s story to find out how a simple sewing lesson turned into a successful business and how Project Fashion increased its revenue by 5 times using ClassForKids.
Inspiration Strikes at an Unlikely Moment
While studying fashion design, Paul noticed his classmates struggled with basic sewing skills while trying to define their identities as designers. This observation stayed with him until he introduced sewing to young girls waiting for their brothers at rugby practice. Their creativity and excitement sparked the idea that would become Project Fashion.
To this day, this creative spirit guides Paul’s business:
“Seeing the kids’ creativity is the fun part. It’s great to help them embrace it, and the parents love seeing their children be creative while learning a new skill at the same time.”
Focusing not only on technical skills like fashion design and illustration but also on nurturing confidence, independence, and a passion for creativity, Paul and his team have been dedicated to shaping the future of Irish fashion design. Today, his team of 36 teachers offer classes to over 1,400 kids in 150+ venues all over Ireland.
From Admin Nightmares to a Booming Business
But it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Paul vividly remembers the early days of Project Fashion, when managing payments, customer records, and communications was a constant struggle.
“When we first started, we had Word documents with all our customers’ details, which was impossible to manage. ClassForKids takes care of all that. It takes the headache out of maintaining customer records and managing parent communication, and you have the payments coming through the system.”
This relief from their admin burden has been transformative. “You can focus all your attention on your classes,” Paul explains, and that’s been a key element of their growth. With ClassForKids streamlining all aspects of their admin and giving them more time to teach, Paul and his team have been able to deliver an exceptional experience for their customers, driving the success of Project Fashion.
Ready to find out how our booking and management software can support your business? Click to learn more and discover the tools that can help you grow.
Two Features the Project Fashion Team couldn’t Live Without
Since starting to use ClassForKids, Project Fashion has experienced remarkable growth. Their income has grown by 5 times over 6 years and by 160% within just a year of starting to take monthly subscriptions, a testament to ClassForKids’ effectiveness in supporting business growth. Automating admin tasks has given Paul and his team 10+ hours a week to focus on what they do best: teaching and inspiring the next generation of fashion designers in Ireland.
Subscriptions
ClassForKids’ Subscriptions feature, or, as Paul calls it, “the best thing we did for our business,” has had the most significant impact on Project Fashion.
“We had to get all our tutors to collect cash at the venues,” Paul remembers, “and it was a huge logistical challenge to get the cash into the bank, which took a lot of time. But all that’s in the past since we started using ClassForKids.”
With subscriptions coming in automatically at the start of each month, the team no longer needs to deal with late payments or trips to the bank.
“As soon as we started taking monthly subscriptions, we no longer needed to bother our customers with phone calls about payments. This meant that our staff had more time to focus on teaching, and we doubled our business quite quickly.”
With ClassForKids, Paul and his team were able to automate monthly payments, save time on admin, and secure a steady income for the business.
See our Subscriptions feature in action with our interactive demo, a hands-on, clickable tour of our booking system.
Trophies
Paul and his team love ClassForKids’ Trophies feature, which lets them award certificates and easily track each child's achievements. It gives teachers more time to focus on teaching while keeping the kids motivated.
“You get lost in your work and sometimes forget who’s doing what. But when we go onto ClassForKids, we can see at a glance how many certificates a child has and what projects they’ve done. It’s such a fantastic tool to have!”
With the extra time, Project Fashion now organises an annual fashion show, showcasing students' work and raising money for a children's charity through the Young Designer of the Year Awards.
Fashioning a Bright Future
Having grown from a modest sewing lesson to a successful business that trains the next generation of Irish fashion designers, Project Fashion is set to keep expanding. Moving forward, Paul’s goal is to explore new venues and territories in Ireland and eventually internationally, reaching even more children who want to learn this incredible life skill.
They’re also focusing on their newly launched fabric shop and collaborating with fashion brands on projects that can enhance the kids’ learning experience.
Paul and his team are excited about the future and the prospect of inspiring more young minds through their innovative programmes. And we at ClassForKids look forward to supporting them as they expand and witness further successes.
Looking to grow your kids’ activity business? Explore our interactive demo, a fully clickable walkthrough of our booking system. Explore the features that matter to you and see how ClassForKids can streamline your operations and support your growth.
