From Kitchen Table Chats to an Irish Activewear Brand: Meet the Women Behind Circle Edge

This article is produced in partnership with Circle Edge, a Run Republic commercial partner. As always, our editorial focus is on the people and stories behind Irish running and active life.

Irish leisurewear brands come and go, but the ones that last usually have something deeper behind them than colours and cuts. For Circle Edge, that depth comes from family ties, lived experience, and a shared belief that movement should fit into real life rather than compete with it.

The business is run by Jo and Roseanna, relatives who spent years crossing paths at family gatherings long before they ever spoke about fabrics or factories. Their working relationship began, fittingly, over tea at the kitchen table, after a chance conversation during a family visit home in the early 2020s.

On one of Roseanna’s trips back to Ireland from New Zealand, around the time of her daughter’s christening, Jo called to say goodbye before the flight back. During that visit, Jo floated a simple question. What would Roseanna think about designing hoodies. That question turned into regular weekly Zoom calls between Ireland and New Zealand throughout 2023, and eventually into a full leisurewear brand.

From Hospitality to Health

For Jo, the move into leisurewear followed a long career in hospitality. After studying hotel management in Galway in the early 2000s, she spent years working across restaurant chains and hotels before opening Vitto’s Restaurant in Carrick on Shannon, which she ran successfully for close to 20 years.

Covid proved to be a turning point. The enforced slowdown of 2020 and 2021 meant time at home, time with family, and weekends that were no longer swallowed by work. It also brought a renewed focus on health and balance.

“I wanted to do something meaningful that made a difference to people’s lives,” she says. “Health and wellbeing was always at the forefront for me.”

That focus had always been present. Alongside her work in hospitality, Jo remained deeply involved in sport, from team games to mini marathons and her role within the local GAA community. Circle Edge became a natural extension of those values.

A Fashion Background and a Refusal to Cut Corners

Roseanna came into the project with a very different background. Having worked for years in fashion design and garment production, she had seen every end of the industry, from high quality manufacturing to the rise of fast fashion.

“If I was going to put mine and Jo’s reputation on something, it had to be high quality,” she says.

That meant taking time during 2023 and early 2024 to choose a production partner based on ethics and consistency rather than speed. Fabrics were tested repeatedly for durability, performance, and longevity. Fit was refined across multiple rounds of samples and focus groups, involving people of different shapes, sizes, and activity levels.

“Fast fashion and throwaway culture never sat right with me,” she says. “We wanted to make pieces that lasted.”

Coming Home and Starting Again

When the idea first began to take shape, Roseanna was still living in New Zealand, where she and her husband had settled after moving there around 2014. What was meant to be a year abroad turned into a decade.

Life was settled, but circumstances shifted. Their daughter was born in 2021 during Covid, at a time when borders were closed and family could not travel. Health challenges and family events back home sharpened the pull of Ireland.

In 2023, a work opportunity brought them back, followed closely by a family health scare that removed any remaining doubt. Roseanna returned home permanently in early 2024, and Circle Edge moved from concept to reality.

Launching the Brand

After months of development, testing, and feedback, Circle Edge launched its first range in October 2024.

The launch itself was quietly dramatic. Orders came in within minutes of the presale going live. Instead of champagne, both founders headed off to gym classes.

“It was surreal,” they say. “Relief more than anything.”

Designed for Busy Lives

Being busy parents shaped almost every design decision. Pockets that actually work. Fabrics that wash easily and do not crease. Pieces that move from school run to gym to sideline without feeling out of place.

Details matter. Zip pockets on hoodies. A separate collar and hood. Leggings that stay put and feel supportive without feeling restrictive.

“Our focus groups kept coming back to the same thing,” they say. “Clothes that work for real days.”

That real world testing extended to their own routines too. Jo’s involvement in GAA and team sports, and Roseanna’s love of walking, hiking, and parkrun, fed directly into the designs. One idea came from frustration during long hikes, constantly stopping to add or remove layers. That experience led to airflow features that regulate temperature while keeping the wearer comfortable.

Building Something Together

Working together as family brings its own pressures. There is no real switch off. If one person leaves something, the other will pick it up. That creates accountability, but also care.

“There’s a level of respect and compassion that comes from being family,” they say. “You work harder because you do not want to let the other down.”

Looking ahead, the ambition goes beyond selling leisurewear. Jo and Roseanna want Circle Edge to become a recognisable Irish brand that people trust, one that fits naturally into everyday active life and grows a community around movement, motivation, and showing up in whatever way works for you.

Find the full Circle Edge athleisure and leisurewear range at the link below and check out the pieces designed for everyday movement and busy lives

👉 Circle Edge Online Store

👉 Circle Edge Instagram

👉 Circle Edge Facebook