Rhea Mae Abule
Rhea Mae Abule already had a degree in International Business when she realised she was looking for something more specific: a more specialised direction that brought fashion and business together.
She found that in the BA (Hons) Fashion Management at Portobello Institute, where three years of study, international industry exposure, and real-world experience helped her define the kind of career she wanted to build.
Choosing a Direction That Felt Right
Rhea’s degree-level studies began with International Business with French and Spanish at TU Dublin. This, she says, gave her a broad business foundation across areas including marketing, economics, consumer psychology, accounting, languages, and cultural studies.
While she valued that experience, she became certain that she wanted to specialise in an industry she felt genuinely passionate about. Rhea had always had a strong interest in fashion, but before Portobello, the professional direction it could offer remained unclear.
“When I discovered Fashion Management at Portobello Institute, it felt like I had found exactly what I had been looking for before I even knew the pathway existed,” Rhea explains.
“It allowed me to specialise in an industry I was passionate about while keeping the business focus that had initially attracted me to my previous degree.”
International Recognition and Guidance from the Start
Committing to another three years of study meant making a significant investment in her future. For Rhea, it was important that the programme offered the right next step professionally, as well as academically.
“Continuing to study at Portobello wasn’t just about getting another qualification,” she says. “It was about finding a direction that actually felt like me and that I could see myself building a career around.”
The opportunity to study a UK university degree while remaining based in Dublin was another important factor in Rhea’s decision.
“For me, the international accreditation on the CV means more opportunities,” she notes.
At the time, the programme was awarded by London Metropolitan University. Today, the BA (Hons) Fashion Management is awarded by University of Essex.
Rhea says Career Pathways Consultant Sarah Coyne was a huge help when she was making her decision, talking her through the programme and her options before she enrolled and helping her feel confident that she was choosing the right path.
“I think that initial support was important because I already felt like there was a network around me before I had even started the degree,” she shares.
This continued throughout her time at Portobello. Rhea found the smaller class environment especially beneficial, with tutors who knew her, her work, and the career path she wanted to take.
“That personal element made a big difference because I never felt like I was just another student,” she adds.
“I also really valued the flexibility of being able to work alongside my degree. That allowed me to build industry experience while I was still studying, rather than waiting until graduation to start developing professionally.”
Exploring the Industry from Every Angle
Once she began her Fashion Management studies, the relationship between creativity and commercial decision-making became one of the areas that interested her most.
Rhea explored areas including buying and merchandising, consumer behaviour, marketing, management, trend forecasting, and financial decision-making in the context of the fashion industry.
She was also fascinated by the cultural and historical role of fashion and the way it can reflect wider changes in society and politics, from the miniskirt and cultural shifts of the 1960s to the changing silhouettes and attitudes of the 1920s.
“That’s what makes fashion so interesting to me,” she explains. “It’s not just about clothing or design. It’s business, creativity, consumer behaviour, history, culture, and even politics all interacting with each other.”
Then there’s the international industry exposure she gained during the programme. Visits to Pure London, Première Vision in Paris, and CIFF in Copenhagen gave Rhea opportunities to see how brands present themselves, communicate their identities, and connect with buyers outside the classroom.
“These visits helped me understand how what we were learning actually worked in the industry,” says Rhea. “They made the buying and wholesale side of fashion feel much more tangible and gave me a different perspective.”
Building Experience While Studying
Alongside her studies, Rhea made a conscious effort to gain industry experience and explore different areas of the fashion business.
She continues to work with Agité Closet as a Brand Operations and Creative Assistant, gaining experience across showroom operations, styling, social media, and buying trips.
A sourcing trip to Naples with the independent Irish vintage brand, she says, has been a particular highlight, allowing her to apply what she had learned about buying and merchandising in a real-world setting.
Rhea also spent six weeks supporting Nanushka’s SS26 wholesale showroom during Paris Fashion Week, working with international buyers, VICs, and press.
“It was my first real exposure to the B2B wholesale side of luxury fashion and helped me understand that these appointments are commercial decisions that ultimately feed into production and future collections,” she explains.
Her experience has also included working as a stylist with AllSaints at Brown Thomas Arnotts, attending the Fashion and Luxury Management Summer School at Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, and working behind the scenes at Irish Design Week and Ireland’s inaugural Fashion Week.
Rhea also currently works with Ditsy Bits as a Brand Assistant and Customer Service Responsible, where she contributes to seasonal planning and product development, including decisions around colour, sizing, and garment development.
She shares: “Seeing those decisions develop into a finished collection has been incredibly rewarding, and I was especially proud to have a product named the Rhea Long Sleeve! Each product was named after someone on the team who helped launch this first collection.”
Make the Opportunities Count
Rhea graduated with First Class Honours and, just as importantly, with much greater clarity around the kind of career she wants to pursue and the professional she wants to become.
“The qualification has given me something I didn’t have when I started – a clear understanding of where fashion and business meet,” she reflects.
Rhea sums up her experience with some advice for future students: “Three years later, the biggest lesson is that you get out what you’re willing to put in.
“Portobello provides the foundation, but you have to be willing to show up, ask questions, take on experiences, and push yourself beyond the classroom! The opportunities don’t come to you.”
Rhea’s long-term goal is to work within the new luxury space or with sustainably-led brands that value craftsmanship and have a strong sense of identity.
“Thank you to Anne Marie McAuley, Sinéad Kelly, Orla Hennelly, and Jaimie Caron for their guidance throughout my time at Portobello,” she adds.
“I’m really excited to take everything I’ve learned into the next chapter of my career and see where it takes me!”
Since our interview with Rhea, she has embarked on that next chapter, beginning an MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing at Emlyon Business School. She says is looking forward to building on what she has already learned in practice with a deeper understanding of the luxury industry, while continuing to develop both personally and professionally.
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