How Rosie Connolly Turned 4TH ARQ Into One of Ireland's Fastest-Growing Fashion Brands

31 Aug

Rosie Connolly and her husband Paul Quinn launched 4TH ARQ in 2020 from their home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Within a few years, the Irish clothing brand had grown from an online start-up into a multimillion-euro operation selling internationally and recording millions of euro in annual profits.

The numbers illustrate the pace of that expansion. The company behind 4TH ARQ made a reported €425,000 net profit in its first financial year to June 2021. By the year to 30 June 2024, profit had climbed to more than €4.16 million. Its next filed accounts, covering the shorter six-month period to 31 December 2024, showed another approximately €2.1 million profit.

That does not mean Rosie Connolly personally earned €4.16 million. The figures relate to the company, Haremi Limited. Company profit, turnover, cash and an owner's personal income are all different things.

Information checked and updated: September 2026

At a Glance

• 2020: Haremi Limited incorporated in June; 4TH ARQ launched later that year.

• €425,000: reported net profit in the year to June 2021.

• €7.5 million: 4TH ARQ's 2022 turnover, according to a figure disclosed by co-founder Paul Quinn and subsequently reported by Business Plus.

• €1.528 million: profit reported for the year to 30 June 2023.

• €16.5 million: sales figure reported by the Irish Independent in March 2024 as the brand expanded internationally.

• €4.16 million+: profit for the year to 30 June 2024.

• €2.1 million: profit reported for the six months to 31 December 2024.

• 650: average number of its signature half-zip fleeces reportedly sold per day since launch, according to the company in 2025.

• Around 24 staff: Rosie Connolly said in May 2026 that the business had a team of roughly 24 people.

• International expansion: 4TH ARQ products are now stocked by retailers including Next in the UK and Nordstrom in the US.

How did Rosie Connolly start 4TH ARQ?

4TH ARQ was founded by Rosie Connolly and her husband Paul Quinn in 2020.

Its operating company, Haremi Limited, was incorporated on 5 June 2020, according to Irish company information. The company's latest available record describes it as an active Irish company based in Dublin.

The brand itself describes its origins as an attempt by Connolly and Quinn to fill a gap for accessible, good-quality everyday clothing.

The name also has a personal meaning. According to 4TH ARQ, the couple regarded the business as their "fourth baby", while "ARQ" derives from the idea of home.

The business began in unusually favourable circumstances for online leisurewear.

Its launch came during the Covid period, when consumers were spending more time at home, online shopping had accelerated and demand for comfortable clothing had increased.

But timing alone does not explain what happened next.

Connolly already had an established online following and considerable experience in social-media marketing. That allowed 4TH ARQ to launch with something many start-ups spend years and large amounts of money trying to acquire: an existing audience.

Early stock sold rapidly. By July 2021 — only months after the brand's launch — 4TH ARQ was opening a temporary physical shop in Dundrum Town Centre following repeated online sell-outs.

Rosie Connolly and 4TH ARQ: how quickly did the business grow?

The most striking part of the 4TH ARQ story is not simply its size. It is how quickly substantial profits appeared.

The financial timeline

2020

• Haremi Limited incorporated in June.

• 4TH ARQ launched later in 2020 as an online fashion and leisurewear business.

Year to June 2021

• Reported net profit: approximately €425,000.

For a consumer brand in its first year, becoming profitable so quickly was a significant start.

2022

• Paul Quinn disclosed turnover of approximately €7.5 million, according to Business Plus.

Turnover means sales generated by the company before expenses are deducted. It should not be confused with profit.

Year to June 2023

• Reported profit: €1.528 million.

March 2024

The Irish Independent reported that 4TH ARQ had grown to approximately €16.5 million in sales, employed 15 people and had sold products to customers in more than 100 countries.

At that stage, management was targeting substantially greater revenue, although targets should not be confused with subsequently achieved turnover.

Year to June 2024

• Reported profit: more than €4.16 million.

That was a major jump from the €1.528 million reported in the previous financial year.

Six months to December 2024

• Reported profit: approximately €2.1 million.

Irish company information shows Haremi Limited filed accounts in November 2025 relating to a reporting date of 31 December 2024.

Because this is a six-month period rather than a normal 12-month year, it should not be directly compared with a full-year result without adjustment.

How much did 4TH ARQ's profit grow?

The figures give a better idea of the scale of the expansion.

Profit increased from approximately:

€425,000 in the year to June 2021 to €4.16 million in the year to June 2024

That means reported annual profit became roughly 9.8 times larger in three years.

There was an especially large increase between the years ending June 2023 and June 2024.

Using the reported figures:

€4.16m − €1.528m = €2.632m increase

That works out at roughly:

€2.632m ÷ €1.528m × 100 = 172%

So reported profit increased by approximately 172% in one year.

That is an unusually rapid increase for an Irish consumer fashion business.

It is also why describing 4TH ARQ as one of Ireland's fastest-growing fashion brands is reasonable in the ordinary sense of the phrase although there is no official national league table awarding it that position.

What is 4TH ARQ's business model?

At its core, 4TH ARQ operates a fairly straightforward fashion model.

It develops branded clothing, sources its production and sells the finished products to customers at a retail margin.

The important part is how it sells them.

1. Direct-to-consumer sales

4TH ARQ was built primarily as an online brand.

Selling directly to customers through its own website can give a fashion company considerably more control over:

• Pricing

• Customer information

• Marketing

• Product launches

• Inventory

• Brand presentation

• Gross margin

Instead of relying exclusively on another retailer to bring customers through the door, 4TH ARQ could communicate directly with its own audience.

The company's website continues to sell clothing, accessories, half-zips and seasonal collections directly to customers.

2. A highly recognisable core product

Few successful fashion businesses grow by trying to sell everything immediately.

For 4TH ARQ, its fleece half-zip became its standout product.

By June 2025, the company said it had averaged sales of approximately 650 half-zips every day since the product launched.

That is a particularly valuable type of product for a brand.

It is recognisable enough to create brand identity, but simple enough to be released repeatedly in different colours, fits and collections.

3. Limited drops and social-media demand

4TH ARQ's early growth also made effective use of product launches and scarcity.

Products were promoted to a large audience before becoming available, creating concentrated demand when collections went live.

Selling out quickly can produce a useful cycle for an emerging fashion brand:

Product launch → high demand → sell-out → social proof → anticipation for next launch

This model can also reduce some of the inventory risk associated with carrying excessive quantities of slow-selling stock.

However, fashion inventory remains a major risk as a company grows. A product that sells exceptionally well one season does not guarantee the next collection will perform equally strongly.

How important was Rosie Connolly's social-media following?

Very important but it would be misleading to say the brand's success came solely from Connolly being an influencer.

Her online following gave 4TH ARQ a considerable advantage at launch.

Most new clothing companies must pay heavily for advertising before enough people even know they exist.

Connolly could introduce 4TH ARQ directly to an established audience that was already familiar with her fashion content.

That effectively gave the business its own distribution channel for marketing.

But social-media attention alone does not produce millions of euro in sustained profit.

Customers have to make repeat purchases. Products have to arrive. Stock has to be ordered at the correct level. Returns have to be processed. Warehousing, customer service, suppliers, staff and cash flow all have to be managed.

The transformation from influencer-led launch to a company employing around two dozen people is therefore an important part of the story.

Connolly said in an RTÉ interview in May 2026 that she was managing a team of roughly 24 people.

The half-zip became 4TH ARQ's hero product

Perhaps the clearest example of 4TH ARQ finding product-market fit is its half-zip fleece.

In 2025, Connolly told the Irish Independent that the brand had averaged approximately 650 half-zips per day since launching the product.

That figure is useful because it illustrates the volume needed to turn an online fashion label into a substantial company.

Worked example: what does 650 fleeces per day mean?

This is an illustration rather than a claim about 4TH ARQ's annual sales.

If a product sold at an average pace of 650 units every day for a full year:

650 × 365 = 237,250 units

That would be almost a quarter of a million units annually.

The calculation does not mean 4TH ARQ sold exactly 237,250 fleeces in any particular financial year. The 650 figure is an average disclosed by the business covering the period since launch.

It does, however, help explain how a relatively simple clothing product can generate substantial turnover when it becomes a high-volume bestseller.

Outside investment helped 4TH ARQ scale

Another important part of the story is that 4TH ARQ was not financed entirely through its founders.

Business Plus reported that businessman John Kelly invested €200,000 in February 2022.

The publication also reported that additional debt finance was subsequently provided in August 2022 through a vehicle associated with his father, e-commerce entrepreneur Tommy Kelly.

This matters because rapidly growing retail businesses can consume large amounts of cash even when they are profitable.

A fashion company may have to pay for:

• Large inventory orders

• Warehousing

• Staff

• Marketing

• Website infrastructure

• International distribution

• Returns

• Product development

before the resulting stock has ultimately been sold.

Access to capital can therefore allow a business with proven customer demand to order more stock and expand faster than it could from retained profits alone.

4TH ARQ moved beyond Rosie's own audience

One of the biggest tests for any influencer-founded business is whether it can eventually sell to people who do not follow the founder.

That appears to have become a major priority for 4TH ARQ.

Connolly said in 2025 that the company had conducted research showing that significant numbers of Irish consumers were still unfamiliar with the brand, despite its strong online profile.

She said the business planned to continue developing markets including Ireland, Britain and Australia rather than assuming it had saturated its domestic audience.

That is strategically important.

A business dependent entirely on one person's social-media reach carries obvious concentration risk. Turning 4TH ARQ into a standalone fashion label makes the company less reliant on Connolly personally promoting every sale.

International expansion: from Irish website to Next and Nordstrom

The next stage of 4TH ARQ's development has increasingly involved third-party retailers.

As of September 2026, Next in the UK carries a dedicated 4TH ARQ range, including a substantial selection of the brand's clothing.

The company has also reached the US market through Nordstrom, which lists 4TH ARQ among its brands and carries a selection of its products.

This represents an important change in the economics of the business.

Direct-to-consumer retail typically provides greater control and potentially stronger margins.

Wholesale or major retail partnerships can sacrifice some of that margin, but they provide something else: distribution.

Being listed by major retailers can give an Irish brand access to shoppers who may never follow Rosie Connolly or visit 4tharq.com directly.

It is a route from being an Irish internet brand towards becoming a conventional international fashion label.

The importance of physical retail without building a large store network

Although 4TH ARQ was created online, it has experimented repeatedly with physical retail.

The company opened a Dundrum pop-up in 2021, while later events included temporary retail spaces in Arnotts.

Brown Thomas Arnotts described a 2023 4TH ARQ event at The Loft in Arnotts, where Connolly noted that she had previously worked in the department store as a personal shopper.

The pop-up strategy provides some of the advantages of physical retail without necessarily taking on the long-term cost of a nationwide permanent store network.

Customers can see and try products while the business retains an online-first structure.

What explains 4TH ARQ's success?

There is no single reason, but several factors stand out.

1. Rosie already had an audience

Launching to hundreds of thousands of potential customers dramatically lowered the problem of initial brand discovery.

2. The product matched the market

Comfortable athleisure and everyday clothing were particularly well suited to consumer habits during and following the pandemic.

3. The brand found a hero product

The half-zip became strongly associated with 4TH ARQ rather than the company relying on dozens of unrelated products.

4. The business converted attention into repeat sales

An influencer can produce an initial spike in orders. Sustained multimillion-euro profits require significantly more than a launch-day audience.

5. It raised outside capital

External investment and financing provided additional resources at a stage when the company was expanding rapidly.

6. It remained digitally focused

An online-first model allowed 4TH ARQ to reach customers internationally without building permanent shops in every market.

7. It is expanding through established retailers

Next and Nordstrom potentially expose the company to significantly larger pools of customers.

Revenue, profit and Rosie Connolly's personal wealth are not the same thing

This is one of the most important distinctions when reading stories about successful entrepreneurs.

If 4TH ARQ generates €16.5 million of sales, Rosie Connolly does not receive €16.5 million.

Sales revenue has to pay for costs such as:

• Manufacturing

• Freight and delivery

• Warehousing

• Salaries

• Marketing

• Returns

• Technology

• Professional fees

• Rent and premises

• Tax and other expenses

Likewise, a company making €4.16 million in profit does not mean its shareholders automatically receive €4.16 million personally.

Profits can remain inside the company to finance stock, investment, expansion or cash reserves.

Owners can potentially receive money through salary, director remuneration or dividends, but those are separate from the company's accounting profit.

For that reason, the public company figures examined here cannot reliably be used to calculate Rosie Connolly's personal wealth.

4TH ARQ's growth in numbers

The development of the company becomes particularly clear when the available figures are viewed together.

• 2020: Business established.

• FY2021: approximately €425,000 net profit.

• 2022: approximately €7.5 million turnover, based on a figure disclosed by Paul Quinn.

• FY2023: approximately €1.528 million profit.

• 2024: approximately €16.5 million in sales reported by the Irish Independent.

• FY2024: more than €4.16 million profit for the year to June.

• Six months to December 2024: approximately €2.1 million profit.

The important point is that these numbers do not all represent the same accounting measure or time period.

The €7.5 million and €16.5 million figures concern sales/turnover.

The €425,000, €1.528 million, €4.16 million and €2.1 million figures concern profit.

The advantages of the 4TH ARQ model

A large direct audience

The founders did not have to build awareness entirely from zero.

Strong direct-to-consumer economics

Selling through its own website gives 4TH ARQ significant control over the customer journey.

International scalability

An Irish website can sell abroad without establishing a physical store in every country.

Strong brand recognition

The repeated use of distinctive products such as the half-zip has helped create a clear visual identity.

Retail partnerships provide another growth channel

Next and Nordstrom can put 4TH ARQ in front of consumers outside its existing social-media ecosystem.

The risks and limitations

Strong historical growth does not remove the risks associated with fashion.

Fashion tastes change

A bestselling silhouette or product category can fall out of favour.

Inventory carries risk

Ordering too little means lost sales.

Ordering too much means cash becomes tied up in unsold clothing that may eventually require discounting.

International expansion is expensive

Shipping, returns, taxes, localisation, marketing and distribution can become increasingly complicated as a company enters new markets.

Founder dependence remains a consideration

Rosie Connolly's public profile was a major asset in establishing 4TH ARQ.

The longer-term challenge is ensuring consumers want the product because of the brand itself rather than exclusively because of its founder.

Retail partnerships can change the economics

Selling through major retailers can increase volume and awareness but usually means sharing part of the retail margin.

Fast growth itself creates pressure

A company can outgrow its systems, staff, warehousing and management structure surprisingly quickly.

Connolly has spoken publicly about adapting to the responsibility of managing a team as the company expanded.

A setback that showed another side of the business

Growth has not been entirely straightforward.

In 2023, Haremi Limited brought High Court proceedings relating to 4TH ARQ-branded clothing being sold through other outlets.

The Irish Times reported that the dispute related to garments bearing the company's logo and trademark. The company subsequently secured undertakings from parties involved in the proceedings.

Business Plus separately reported that a stock-quality dispute was connected to menswear supplied to Haremi Limited.

The episode highlights another challenge facing successful consumer brands: intellectual property, supply chains and product quality become increasingly important as the value of a brand grows.

What other Irish entrepreneurs can learn from 4TH ARQ

4TH ARQ is unusual because Connolly began with an audience most entrepreneurs simply do not have.

That means copying the company's launch strategy is not realistic for every start-up.

But several lessons are transferable.

Build distribution as well as a product.

A good product is significantly less useful if nobody knows it exists. Connolly entered the market with a powerful distribution channel through social media.

Find one thing customers strongly associate with your brand.

4TH ARQ's half-zip is a good example of a hero product creating identity.

Do not confuse followers with customers.

An audience may generate early sales, but sustainable businesses require repeat purchases and commercially viable products.

Cash matters during growth.

Fast-growing retail companies have to finance stock before converting that inventory back into cash.

A founder-led business eventually needs to become a brand-led business.

The Next and Nordstrom relationships are particularly important in this respect because they allow 4TH ARQ to reach consumers beyond Connolly's immediate online following.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns 4TH ARQ?

4TH ARQ was founded by Rosie Connolly and her husband Paul Quinn. The business trades through the Irish company Haremi Limited, incorporated in June 2020. Public company information indicates Haremi Limited has multiple shareholders.

How much profit does 4TH ARQ make?

Haremi Limited reported profit of more than €4.16 million for the year ending 30 June 2024. The subsequent accounts covering the six months to 31 December 2024 recorded approximately €2.1 million profit.

What is 4TH ARQ's turnover?

Paul Quinn disclosed turnover of approximately €7.5 million for 2022, according to Business Plus. The Irish Independent subsequently reported the business had reached around €16.5 million in sales by March 2024. These should not be confused with profit figures.

Is Rosie Connolly a millionaire?

Publicly available company accounts do not provide a reliable basis for calculating Rosie Connolly's personal net worth.

Company profits and assets belong to the company rather than automatically belonging personally to an individual shareholder.

Claims about her personal wealth should therefore be treated separately from Haremi Limited's financial results.

When was 4TH ARQ founded?

Haremi Limited was incorporated in June 2020, while the 4TH ARQ brand launched later in 2020.

What does 4TH ARQ mean?

The company says "4TH" refers to Rosie Connolly and Paul Quinn regarding the business as their fourth baby, while "ARQ" comes from the concept of home.

Does 4TH ARQ sell outside Ireland?

Yes. The company has sold internationally, while 4TH ARQ is also currently available through major retailers including Next in Britain and Nordstrom in the United States.

How many people work for 4TH ARQ?

The Irish Independent reported 15 staff in March 2024. Connolly subsequently said in May 2026 that she had a team of around 24 people, indicating that staffing had expanded alongside the business.

The bottom line

4TH ARQ's rise is one of the more striking examples of an Irish creator converting an online audience into a substantial standalone consumer business.

Rosie Connolly's social-media following gave the company an obvious advantage at launch, but the financial results suggest the business moved well beyond a short-lived influencer merchandise model.

Reported profit rose from approximately €425,000 in the year to June 2021 to more than €4.16 million in the year to June 2024, while the company subsequently made approximately €2.1 million during the six months to December 2024.

The next stage is different from the first.

The challenge is no longer proving that Rosie Connolly can sell clothes to an existing Irish audience. It is whether 4TH ARQ can continue evolving into an international fashion brand whose customer base extends substantially beyond its founder.

Its expansion through retailers such as Next and Nordstrom suggests that transition is already under way.