Julie Peelo’s bag and accessories brand has been shaped by her experience working alongside some of the greatest designers in the world. 

Her career started with Irish designer John Rocha in Dublin and after a move to Milan where she worked with the luxury label MARNI, she was subsequently recruited by John Galliano to start his accessory line in Paris. 

Next, her sights were set on New York where she created an accessory division for Dianne Von Furstenberg, followed by a stint with Juicy Couture. 

Now living back in Dublin with her three kids, Julie describes a typical Saturday in her household.

06:00

I’m naturally a very early bird. I’m usually the first up in our house, even on weekends. Even as a child, I’d get up early to study, that’s just the way I’ve always been. I love that time to myself. 

I usually make a cup of tea, write my journal for the week ahead, catch up on a Netflix show or potter around until the rest of the household wakes. 

Then we all have breakfast together. It’s lovely to have those relaxed mornings when the children are in their PJs watching cartoons.

09:00

We are usually out the door for sports training or matches by nine. 

When there are no matches, we try to go for a family swim together. But on Saturdays, it’s all about their sports. 

My husband Séan and I usually divide and conquer.  I coach my daughter’s GAA team and my husband is a football coach. 

The rest of the morning is spent ferrying kids to different activities. We don’t mind it at all. It’s important to us that they enjoy sport.

10:00

I usually grab an Out and About coffee which is next to the GAA pitch in Malahide. 

Part of the fun is also watching what other people are wearing as they go about their day. It gives me inspiration for my own accessories.

PEELO is very much everyday wearable pieces. I describe it as affordable luxury. Over my career, I have designed everything from €3,000 handbags, to the bag for a tenner. 

I don’t want to make handbags that will be thrown at the back of the wardrobe for the majority of the time. PEELO bags are for everyday use.

My customers are mainly working mothers and busy women who need a tote that works for the spare pair of shoes, the little umbrella, the wallet, keys, basically their whole life gets flung into the handbags.

12:00

If it’s a busy day, we’ll fly into Avoca Malahide or Donnybrook Fair for a bite to eat. TownYard Lane in Malahide also does a gorgeous brunch. We love the pancakes there, but that’s more of a leisurely treat, usually for a Sunday before we visit family. 

At home, cheese toasties for lunch are a firm favourite. I try to switch off at weekends because our weekdays are so go, go, go. 

It’s my third year in business so I’m still getting that balance right, but I love it.

I love creating bags and choosing colour and adding embellishments. It brings me such joy to see them in the shops. 

There’s a lot of talk recently about quiet luxury, about buying less but buying better. I’ve noticed people investing more in something that will last longer, and that aligns with our brand.

16:00

Getting out in nature is a great stress buster and I try to get out as much as I can. 

Sometimes in the mornings my friend and I go walking along the coast in Malahide or into Malahide Castle in the spring when it’s brighter. 

I feel very lucky to have these beautiful places on my doorstep. An hour of fresh air sets me up for the day. 

If I’m not with someone I’ll listen to a podcast. I love Not Without My Sister which gives me a great laugh. The other one I find great is Big Fish with Spencer Matthews or How I Built This by Guy Raz – that’s more focused on business, but I love hearing about the interviewees’ triumphs and failures.

18:00

I absolutely love getting dressed up, doing my hair and make-up and heading out on a Saturday night with my husband. It feels like a real treat. 

I have a strong childhood memory of seeing my own parents getting ready to go out and I love capturing that Saturday night buzz of heading out with friends. 

My husband and I usually go out early to a restaurant called Old Street in the village. 

It does amazing food and cocktails and I look forward to a nice Negroni which reminds me of having an Apéritif when I lived in Paris and Italy. 

I get really energized being out with friends. If we don’t go out, we’ll usually get a takeaway with the kids and I’ll take a night off from cooking. 

No two weekends are ever the same.