Bernard Walsh - Hot Irishman
This company has gone from being about 40pc to 90pc export-based in five years.
ENTREPRENEURS
Eavanna Breen
Akina
When she first discovered the premises at Crowe St, Temple Bar in November 2007, Eavanna Breen, one of Ireland’s top beauty therapists, was in competition with a number of other interested parties.
The landlord asked for business plans and Eavanna’s vision for a specialist beauty and laser clinic won out. Within four weeks Akina was open.
The salon has the ambiance of an art gallery. The interior features a clean white space and hanging ceilings decorated with eye-catching wallpaper.
“Akina means ‘spring flower’ in Japanese,” she explains. “I wanted a name that was something different and I had made a shortlist of names that I liked. I emailed this list to my two sisters and asked them to do a mini-survey among their work colleagues to find the best name and Akina came out on top.”
The Akina vision
From the start Breen had a clear and lasting picture of what she wanted to provide to her clients: “I wanted clients to have a choice of relaxing treatments but with results, and I also wanted to offer treatments that had clinical value as well as long-lasting benefits. “
In addition to providing all the normal beauty therapy treatments, Akina specialises in laser treatment, dietary advice and specialist skincare products for people with awkward skin conditions such as rosacea, acne and eczema. Breen and her team including Edel Malone are building a reputation for their understanding of the more difficult-to-treat skin problems.
Sourcing a South African range
Breen chose the South African skincare range Environ, “I had been watching this skincare line for a number of years,” she says. “The people behind the brand, particularly Dr Des Fernandes, are to the forefront of skin technology and the philosophy behind the brand fitted in well with my own views on what skincare should be. The products contain high quality ingredients that have been proven to be effective in protecting the skin from the aging effects of the environment.”
Breen is a regular media spokesperson on RTE, and in various publications, talking about skincare, nutrition and the latest developments in beauty therapy.
