Only a stone’s throw from Trinity and a perfect place to spend an hour between lectures after lockdown, Om Diva lives on Drury Street. If the pink shop front doesn’t immediately charm you, then the eclectic products and overwhelming good vibes within surely will. Inside are four floors full of fashion, both vintage and contemporary, accessories, jewellery, and homeware.
Om Diva’s fashion aesthetic could be likened to what you thought you looked like when you used to dress up in your mam’s pearls and heels as a kid. Just take a look at their instagram (@omdivaboutiqu). Their love of dressing up is infectious. This is where you to go if you’re looking for a rare find.
“Om Diva couldn’t be described as minimalist fashion, but it certainly sparks joy.”
Imagine dressing exclusively in clothes that make you smile—it is like Marie Kondo-ing your wardrobe, except without the tidying up—so like, not like Marie Kondo at all actually. Om Diva couldn’t be described as minimalist fashion, but it certainly sparks joy.
The owner is Ruth Ni Loinsigh, a self-professed hippy and diva, who has built Om Diva from the ground up, beginning with a stall in neighbouring George’s Arcade in 1999. Before this, she spent six years travelling around Asia and Europe, gaining experience and contacts as a street seller. No doubt influenced by this, the shop has an air of a bazaar, with mountains of hidden treasures and trinkets to root through. Ruth has surrounded herself with a team of equally cool women known as “The Divas” who help run the shop, and often model the clothing on Om Diva’s instagram. Consider them all the cool aunts or older sisters you always wanted. “Fashion boutique” doesn’t seem quite enough to sum up the real sense of family among The Divas, and the hub of Irish creatives that make up Atelier 27.
“The aim is to promote locally made products and support the creative designers behind the label.”
Atelier what, I hear you say? This is the name for the top two floors of Om Diva, which is a space designated to showcasing young Irish designers in fashion and homeware. According to their website, the goal is to “promote locally made products and support the creative designers behind the label”. Over 40 emerging brands form this collective. These range from potters to product and fashion designers, visual artists, and jewellers, proving Om Diva is both cool and actively supports the arts.
One of the few upsides of lockdown was that the shop finally established an online presence. First branching out with a Depop (@omdiva), they have since developed their own website (omdivaboutique.com). Naturally, if you are looking to order online for any independent shop, I would recommend that you go for the website as there is no platform commission. Depop, for example, takes a 10% commission on all sales. All online orders come with a free lucky dip pair of earrings, further confirming my belief that these women are some sort of Fairy Diva-mothers.
“Fast Fashion has no place in this shop.”
Om Diva’s clothing can be pricey – but that’s what happens when you respect the artistry involved in making clothes. Fast Fashion has no place in this shop. The bespoke, often one-off pieces of Atelier 27 start at a few hundred euro, and can go up to over a grand for a handmade wedding dress. The contemporary clothing section is cheaper, but still a significant investment – think between €50-€100 for a statement piece. A more accessible price point for a student budget is found in their vintage fashion and jewellery section. Earrings start at around €22, and the range available is, in my opinion, one of the shop’s strongest suits. Although realistically, half the fun isn’t what you end up buying, it’s simply the time spent browsing the eclectic range on display. Ni Loinsigh’s shop is 100% guaranteed to bring out your inner magpie.
