About Button & Co.
Elaine-Sarah Comerford,
I spent my childhood in the beautiful, historic, Dunhill, Co. Waterford. A stones throw away from Dunhill castle and Annestown beach, I grew up with inspirational surroundings and with two very creative parents it seemed inevitable that I grew up loving to work with my hands.
The youngest of a large family I was determined to make my voice heard. I was never afraid to experiment with fashion, always encouraged by my mother to be a trendsetter not a trend follower. She would always help me customise my clothes, as sewing was one thing I never had patience for, but I would watch her designing and laying out patterns for my Christmas dress, the button tin never far away, or sewing patches behind the holes in my brother’s purposely ripped, jeans to make them ‘cool’. We were all taught to be confident in whom we are and our own abilities, this value I bring with me throughout my life.
I was also taught from a young age that if I want something I have to earn it and I believe this created my entrepreneurial hunger from the beginning. I went from making friendship bracelets for my friend’s birthdays, to baking gingerbread men for our local community market, to making beaded jewellery for Christmas markets and on to creating unique pieces of jewellery in Swarovski Crystal by word of mouth. I hear my nephew say, “ I’m bored!” far too often. I don’t think I was ever bored; there was always something to do something to create.
I’m a positive thinker and firmly believe that I can achieve anything. I determine my own fate.
I decided I wanted to make a career for myself when I was 16; I wanted to be self-employed, to control my own life. I contacted my enterprise board and started reading books on various aspects of starting a business. I believe that you can’t teach someone to be an entrepreneur; it’s something that’s already inside a person, a hunger for self-success. My fiancé has high hopes for winning the lottery, I don’t even play lotto, I’m determined to make my own fortune!
I attended a summer course in the NCAD and a jewellery short course to see which I would prefer, College or practical training. I chose the Jewellery production and Goldsmithing skills course run in Kilkenny by the Crafts Council of Ireland. There were many aspects to this course and it gave great insight to the world of jewellery. Here I learned my skills under award winning Goldsmith, Jane Huston, the dedication she put into each of us twelve trainees was admirable. She was determined to make us realise our true potential.
When I finished my training I began deciding what to do with it. I built my home with my fiancé not far from where I grew up. I couldn’t be very far from my family I lean on them a lot and of course because I love the area its tranquil and beautiful. We built a workshop and gallery, I began creating my own jewellery, making custom pieces for private clients and building up my business slowly.
Always looking for inspiration for designs, I was in my mothers house one day, just having a cup of tea and chatting with her as she took up a pair of jeans for me, when I spotted the button tin. As I opened it and saw some of the unusual buttons I had on my clothes when younger, I remembered when I used to watch her designing. Creating clothes, as I would play with the buttons and pick out the ones I wanted. I thought to myself, “what about a jewellery collection in buttons. A collectable, customisable range. Somewhat like a charm bracelet, but a more classic design, a design that would have significant meaning”. I wondered if others would have their own memories to do with the button tin. After the initial concept then came all the technicalities of the design. I wanted people to be able to create their own unique memories, to customise their own jewellery, that’s where the needle and thread design came from and the significance of a loved one threading on the bracelet would help create a lasting memory. I could see a mother collecting the buttons for all the moments in her daughter’s life and giving them to her on her 21st or when she leaves home. Like all good designs it seemed to just fall into place.
It was a lot of hard work and there were many set backs getting it to where it needed to be until I finally felt confident I had a great product. That’s when I saw the Dragons Den add………
