The dressmaker of Blackpool

On October 8, Brazilian dressmaker Pam Moretti fulfilled her lifelong dream by opening her own dressmaking shop at 79 Watercourse Road, in the heart of Blackpool.

Pam Moretti outside her shop in Blackpool.

When I stepped into Pam Moretti’s new dressmaking shop on Watercourse Road in Blackpool last week, Pam was hunched over a small table and busy altering a very official looking jacket.

“It belongs to an officer who works in the prison,” she said smiling. “He needed a few changes made to the sleeves.”

I took a seat across from Pam and began by asking her about her new venture, but already something else had caught her eye.

“You’ve had the legs of your trousers let down.”

“I have, well spotted,” I said. “My mother did it for me. She has a sewing machine at home that belonged to my grandmother.”

“Yes, it’s very common for it to run in the family," she said, “But that wasn’t the case for me.”

So how did Pam end up opening her own dressmaking and alterations business on the northside of Cork city?

Despite her European surname, Moretti is originally from Sao Paulo in Brazil and moved to Cork in February 2017 with her partner Rafael, as they both wanted to study English. 

“There’s a massive Italian community in Sao Paulo and my grandfather was from there, so that’s where my name comes from.”

The couple decided to move to Ireland seven years ago, but opted against relocating to Dublin because of how expensive it is to live there. They also knew that there’s a strong Brazilian community in the capital city and didn’t want to be surrounded by people speaking Portuguese all the time. So Cork they felt, was the next best option.

Left: Pam Moretti working on an alteration in her new shop. Right: With her partner Rafael.

And while Pam knew from a very young age what she wanted to do in life, the route to opening her own shop was not always straightforward.

“I grew up in a very poor area in Sao Paulo. I loved fashion but was too broke to afford outfits, but there was a sewing machine in the house that non one used and that’s when I first started to make my own clothes.”

“I used to dress like a goth when I was a teenager, but it was expensive so I got everything I could in black and started making my own outfits.”

“To make some money I also got a job working in a factory and during my lunch break I would ask if I could sew my own clothes and that’s how I really learned.”

Even though she developed her craft from an early age, Pam’s family at home in Sao Paulo envisaged a very different life for her.

“When I was at school, I got a scholarship to study biology at university, which I did for three years and found out it wasn’t for me, so I never finished the course. My mother wasn’t happy about this because I was the first in my family to go to college and since there are loads of dressmakers in Brazil and it’s not very well paid, she really didn’t want me to quit.”

Pam was intent on following her heart though and a lot of persistence and hard work has brought her to where she is today.

“When I first moved to Cork I was lucky I was able to do a job where I could keep my mouth shut because my English was so poor.”

“I used to work out of the dry cleaners across the road but half of my equipment was in the shop and half was in my house, so I felt I was always bringing my work home.”

The building Pam is operating out of now, located just by the church in Blackpool, has a long and storied history, which she is both very knowledgeable about and was really excited to discuss.

“It was Angela Walsh’s auctioneers for thirty two years, before that it was a hair salon and in between that it was a solicitors and we even found a picture of it online as a newsagent and before that, well I don’t know.”

“I couldn’t believe it when I was offered it to rent. I used to imagine myself working in a building like this because I love old things and anything vintage.”

The shop opened on October 8 and Pam wants to remain living and working in her adopted city for a long time to come.

“I see Cork as my home now. We go back to Brazil sometimes in January because it’s quiet here and the weather is nice at that time.”

“People told us about Blackpool and that it’s dangerous, but it’s not. I walk around on my own and feel safe and I love the people on the northside.”

“My mother came to visit recently and she understood why we are staying here. Life in Brazil is a lot harder.”

As for how she sees the business developing, Pam knows where her passion lies.

“I will keep doing alterations as they help pay the bills, but I want to make clothes.”

“I love communions and making communion dresses for example. I’m not a Catholic and in Brazil it’s more simple in that you just dress children in simple white clothes, but here it’s a much bigger thing.”

“It can be difficult as a dressmaker because people don’t trust you at first and word of mouth is really important. Getting a recommendation is the most important thing.”

“I am lucky I have my own customers, but I really love making different pieces and seeing a customer happy with my work.”

Pam Moretti Dressmaker is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and on Saturday from 9am to 2pm. To find out more about the shop or contact her with a query, please see here.