Hi, my name is Clare.
And this is my best friend, Lorraine.
We've been best friends for 20-something years.
So we are going head-to-head flip cup,
because Lorraine thinks that I talk too much
about being a legend,
but I think that my winning records speak to their self
and I don't have to talk. - Personally,
if we do the legend, I will come up
under the legend, (indistinct).
- Yeah, well we'll let the results speak for themselves.
We grew up together in small towns in North Mayo.
We went to primary school
and then secondary school together.
We both even went for the Mayo Rose different years.
Lorraine got it, I did not.
- I look like a Quality Street.
- After a few years apart at different colleges,
we both ended up in Dublin, where,
thanks Lorraine, we won a competition
to travel Europe together in 2012.
- Hi guys, okay, so we're in Poznań in Poland,
okay, it's task one, it's day one,
we've had our zeds from the night before,
we're ready to go,
so let's go get it all.
- She'll kill me for using
that clip. (chuckling)
- Hi. - And that one.
A few years later, again thanks to Lorraine,
we secured a spot on the Irish version
of "Say Yes to the Dress."
We just finished a Skype call
for "Say Yes to the Dress."
- Yeah, it went really well.
- So busy with sparkles.
This is just a little bit too much sparkles.
- And of course she stood beside me
while I got married.
Two small town girls from North Mayo
who moved to the big smoke and both got jobs
in their chosen fields.
Perfect, right?
Well, Lorraine and I have a passion,
different passions, if you get me,
but we both have one.
Lorraine's passion is hat making,
millinery for those in the know.
Now Lorraine has always been the fashionable one
of our friends group.
What's the kitten thing, Lorraine?
- A kitten here,
about that big. - All right.
She came up with this amazing idea,
where the idea is that Lorraine finds pre-loved clothes
in vintage and charity shops,
and creates a custom hat to complete the outfit,
creating a sustainable and custom fashionable look
for weddings, race days, et cetera.
As soon as I heard this idea, I wanted to help.
I've worked in journalism and social media for 10 years now.
And Lorraine is not the best (chuckling)
at social media.
- [Lorraine] I was literally going to drive
over to you this evening and just give you my phone
because it's just so stressful to change passwords,
I'm so fucking ticked.
- So it made sense that I would help her to get started.
- [Alex] Why are you building Lorraine's site
instead of building your own site?
- Cause my site's built and hers isn't ?
I sat down with her for a socially distant,
outdoor brunch brainstorm, where we talked shite for hours,
but we eventually got to the point.
Figuring out what social platform
she needed to be on and setting about creating them.
We have had to move into the shades
because I am like a tissue to a flame,
as Alex once said, I stole that joke from him,
sorry Alex.
We're trying to figure out, should Lorraine
sell on Etsy or Depop
or eBay or Adverts.ie
or should she have her own website where people
can contact directly and ask for a hat?
So I guess the point of this,
is that I,
I make the series, hopefully you get the hat thing going,
and I get the series out of it,
and hopefully I get my video thing off the ground,
because I'd love to be doing this full time.
We decided on a website and an Instagram page,
and by God, I got to work.
She's the creative director,
she's creative directing the shoot tomorrow
and I need to get her website up and ready but,
the creative director needs to reply to the nerd
about the nerdy stuff.
Okay, so I have done all her branding, done her website,
fixed her Instagram. (chuckling)
So I think it's time that I took a shower
and went in and spend some time with my husband,
cause it is Friday night.
While I was helping Lorraine with her project,
I realized that this is what I'm good at.
I've lectured in social media,
I've held workshops for beginners,
I'm good at helping people that have difficulties
with social media and technology,
to get online and get started.
- [Lorraine] Absolutely loved the first one,
loved them both, but loved the first one.
Loved the first one (indistinct)!
- So, after helping Lorraine get the
LC Millinery Instagram page and website up and running,
I quit my job.
It is May 2020,
I'm in my little home office, working from home.
I just saw today online that Foil Arms and Hog
have started at Patreon and it reminded me
of when I had a Patreon and when I had a podcast
and when I really liked creating that podcast,
and I mentioned it to my husband, Alex,
and he said, and he does say this quite a lot,
he's like, you should go full time at YouTube.
I've always wanted to do it,
but I've always been too chicken shit.
I'm worried that I won't understand how to pay tax.
I'm worried that I won't make enough money
to make the mortgage.
I'm worried about a lot of things.
I really want to do it, I really want to do it.
I quit my job to make content online
and help fledgling businesses with their social media.
There is a chance I might have lost my marbles in lockdown.
Please subscribe to this channel,
to follow the story of two girls in the big smoke,
trying to make their dreams work.
In the next episode of "Hat Me Next Time,"
Lorraine and I take on a virtual challenge
to try and get her hat in front of a national audience.
- Yes, so don't hat me, what do we want to do?
Enter a virtual ladies day
in Navan,
but we're not gonna be in Navan,
(Clare laughing)
we're gonna be in Dublin.
Please like this video, if you enjoyed it
and let me know that you want to see episode two.
Please subscribe to the channel, if you enjoy my content,
please consider supporting the channel on Patreon,
the links are down in the description.
Also the link to Lorraine's shiny new website
is down in the description.
And please give Lorraine a follow on Instagram.
Okay, see you in the next one, (indistinct).