Where is orla kiely from

Initially, Kiely designed only hats and then moved on to creating handbags as well as a range of different items, such as products for kitchens and eventually cars. Kiely praises and honors her grandmother for instilling creativity into her life. In Dublin, she graduated in textile design from the National College of Art and Design , moving then to New York to work with a fabric and wallpaper designer.

While doing her masters, she worked in England at Esprit. After this, she worked at numerous corporations gaining experience and sharpening her skills. Once Kiely felt sufficiently competent, she set up her own company. Her thesis collection at RCA was bought by Harrods. In order to uplift her career, she acknowledged his observation and in the s, thought of using laminating cloth for purses. Just three days later, on September 17, the firm went into administration with millions of pounds worth of debt.

Orla Kiely's husband Dermott Rowan, pictured together, has long been described as the brains behind the iconic fashion brand. The businessman, now 60, dealt with suppliers and department stores while she worked on the designs which have become some of the most recognisable prints this century.

Staff were said to have been left in tears as, overnight, the couple closed the doors of their stores in London and Ireland and shut down their website. So how did the firm behind some of the most recognisable designs of the century end up coming apart at the seams? They formed the Orla Kiely Partnership in and became one of the most successful ever husband-and-wife business stories. He ran the show in that way and Orla never made any secret of that.

He was the one talking to the suppliers and the department stores. He was the one that got them into the American and Asian markets. Rowan was behind the decision to license prints, such as the iconic leaf-print 'Stem' pictured , to brands such as Citroen, Sainsbury's and Tate Modern - a move that some have criticised for negatively impacting the exclusive appeal of the range.

Kiely and Rowan met while growing up in solidly middle-class Dublin suburb Shankill. Both were privately educated at Catholic schools. But it was her father who bought her a sewing machine when she was 13 and let her use a room beside his office over the pub to create her designs.

At 18, she studied textile design at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, graduating in Early jobs included working with designer Paul Costelloe and a stint for an interiors firm in New York. She and Dermott married in and moved to Canada, where Orla worked for the fashion chain Club Monaco. It was there she began working on her own designs, culminating in a small hat collection sold at Harrods. It was her business-minded father who advised her to refocus, pointing out that while few women wear hats, all carry handbags.

Other prints soon followed — flowers, pears, acorns, boats — which adorned laminated bags and other accessories. Orla Kiely's designs have been worn by the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge, Alexa Chung and Keira Knightley - but the company has been struggling for a while. Behind the scenes, Rowan was driving deals. At the time, a few pieces of Kiely were still available through third party retailers, but now the bulk of stock can only be found in second-hand stores.

Retail behemoth Kilkenny Stores still has some old stock online, but her stand-alone premises around Britain and Ireland, including Kildare Village, closed it doors. In an interview back in June, Kiely remained steadfastly focused on her brand. She and husband and business partner Dermott Rowan were celebrating an exhibition honouring her two decades of work at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London.

It was a fitting homage to her extraordinary talent, and a private goodbye to her life in fashion. Her love was mutual with customers from all backgrounds and by , she became a British royal go-to after Kate Middleton first wore one of her designs, less than a year after her wedding, when she was still finding her fashionable feet.

It was a vote of confidence for this established Irish creative and a move which would, perhaps forcibly, bring her into the consciousness of a new generation. I interviewed her once, back in , and she was as softly spoken, polite and as down-to-earth as everyone says.

I think it's a good thing though. I really push myself so that I'm happy and it's a good product that we are putting out there. She and Rowan have been partners in business and life since their wedding and both retained pc ownership of the company until the end, which was an incredible feat, until calamity struck. Anyone who's been part of a wedding party knows that more often than not, the big day means big bucks. Cast your memory back to Lindsay Lohan was freeing herself from the rigours of child stardom, on the brink of adult success and, without question, possessed undeniable talent.