Derry's Colleen ready to conquer the world with her Celtic collection of convertible dresses

She’s got the weather, her first baby on the way and now her own business selling the revolutionary convertible wrap dress.

Colleen, grand-daughter of the late Paddy Bogside, has just bought the Australian made company Lucy&Loo, famous for their wrap dresses.

And each of the dresses sold by Lucy and Loo can be wrapped and twisted into more than 50 designs. Now Colleen has added a glamorous new line to the range featuring an exclusive fabric - the Celtic Collection.

It’s been a busy few months for Colleen, who’s due to give birth to her first baby later this year.

But being pregnant has given Colleen an insight to the versatility of the Lucy &Loo range. She says the wrap dresses have been perfect and will see her through until after the baby is born.

The former St Mary’s College student has been living in Australia since 1998 when she flew over to see her sister and do some travelling.

She worked for a spell in Hamilton Island working as a trainer for housekeeping duties. It was on the island she met her husband, and Australia has been her home ever since.

Colleen revealed that the previous owner of Lucy &Loo had been unable to keep the business going, and she approached her about a sale.

“I was giving up my job of three years as an accommodation manager,” she said.

“I had seen the wrap dresses at Carrie’s Closet in Dublin and remember thinking how I’d wished they had been around when I got married.

“Within four days I had bought the company. I kept the same dressmakers and local people who worked in the business have been kept on. I just had a really good feeling about the business.”

To relaunch the company Colleen has added the Celtic Collection to Lucy&Loo.

“No one else has made the convertible dress with this new fabric,” she said.

“The dress has so many uses, it can be worn to a function or a wedding, or as a bridesmaid dress. “

The dresses which can be styled in more than 50 different ways are available in 32 colours, and are now being shipped around the world.

And Colleen, who has aspirations to one day open a Derry branch hopes the dresses will spark interest in her home town.

Check out the online tutorials on how to wrap the dresses watch the video on https://www.youtube.com/user/LucyandLoo

or log on to www.lucyandloo.com.au