Best wishes to Orla Kiely

I took this photo in New York about 6 years ago, heart hammering in my chest, as I had just met my design icon, Orla Kiely and her husband Dermott Rowan in their Mercer Street store. I’d plucked up the courage to ask if they minded that I’d named one of my designs “Orla” in homage to the stem print queen, and they were very sweet, joking that they’d call their lawyers on me, and we chatted a bit about Cape Town, where Dermott has been to business school (and had even visited Pietermaritzburg, my University town!).

In mid-September, when I heard that the online retail and physical Orla Kiely stores had been shuttered, I was really shocked. It was the last thing I expected to hear, especially as there has just been a massive Orla Kiely show at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London.

There’s some speculation about how the retail apocalypse is the cause for the company going into liquidation, but the brand will continue to live on, albeit in a different format. Whatever the reasons behind the decision to close the doors, I want to send my best wishes to everyone involved, but most of all to Orla and Dermott. My tiny experience of running a biz gives me a tiny inkling of the courage, vision, leadership and sheer guts it must take to build and maintain a business and brand on such a scale. I will always be a fan of Orla Kiely designs, and remain in awe of what you have built.

Congratulations to all at Orla Kiely for all you’ve achieved, and wishing you the best with whatever comes next.  Also, thanks to the founders for being so nice to babbling, starstruck me.