Louise Kennedy
| Louise Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 28, 1960 Puckane, County Tipperary |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Website | http://www.louisekennedy.com |
Louise Kennedy is an Irish fashion designer and businesswoman who, in 2013, was called the 'uncrowned queen of Irish fashion'.
Kennedy studied at the College of Marketing and Design, now part of Dublin Institute of Technology and the Grafton Academy, before setting up her own business in 1983, according to her official website. (Some sources say 1982, or 1984.)
In 1990 she was commissioned by Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland, to design a purple moiré outfit for her presidential inauguration. Robinson subsequently became a regular customer, wearing Louise Kennedy outfits through her term in office and afterwards. Kennedy stated that she had been very fortunate by the timing of this, as it drew a great deal of attention and media coverage with many Irish clients suddenly made aware of her work and choosing to buy from her. That same year she was chosen to exhibit at the London Designer Show. In the mid-90s she joined the British Fashion Council, showing her collections at London Fashion Week twice a year.
She opened her flagship stores in Dublin (at 56 Merrion Square) and London in 1997, the same year in which she designed uniforms for flight staff on Aer Lingus. Since 1999 she has also designed glassware for Tipperary Crystal, collaborating with Marcus Notley since 2001.
In 2009, she designed new judge's robes for the Irish Law Courts, marking a break from the traditional British robes that previous judges had worn. In 2011 Kennedy started offering bespoke wedding dresses. In 2013, the 30th anniversary of her company, she launched a range of personalised designer handbags, produced in collaboration with the British luxury leather goods company Tanner Krolle.
In April 2014, Kennedy was among the Irish designers chosen to create the wardrobe for Irish President Michael D. Higgins's wife Sabina for their state visit to London. The outfits, apart from two custom-made ball gowns for state banquets, one by Kennedy and the other by Jill Howard, were bought as ready-to-wear, and chosen by Sabina with the assistance of her friend, the film and theatrical costume designer Joan Bergin, in order to showcase the best of Irish design, with Bergin saying "It was not my intention to commission a special wardrobe, but to show Irish women what was on offer out there." The outfits were widely acclaimed in the Irish press, with the Irish Independent dedicating an article to the fact that Sabina wore three separate Kennedy ensembles in one day.
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