Inspiring you to be the most creative version of yourself...
Orla Kiely is a globally recognised fashion and lifestyle brand run by Orla, Dermott and a small team. Best known for our iconic Stem leaf print, which has grown and blossomed into an extensive library of nostalgic, joyful patterns. Each one with the unique ability to inspire you to be the most creative version of yourself.
Founded in 1995, Orla had a passion for bold colour and graphic design at a time when fashion was immersed in black. The Orla brand stood out from the very beginning. Combined with a special interest in mid-century design, Orla would trawl the markets in Portobello and Montreuil in Paris in search of vintage treasures, from objects to clothing from the sixties and seventies to feed her passion and establish a unique style.
An insight from Orla:
“The creative world I find myself in now started with a simple idea to design a collection of bags and accessories in a rainbow of prints, always joyful and happy with an emphasis on functionality.
With little funds but lots of enthusiasm, we started our company, his business with my creative, dedicated to colour and pattern. This was our first step along a winding path and the start of a journey filled with challenges and successes in equal measures.”
Orla’s dream was always to create a style with a strong sense of identity, a visual language that was welcoming and friendly – happy prints that make you smile! In Orla's designs, we often reference 1960s culture: fashion, film, interiors and graphic design. Nature is also a constant source of inspiration alongside other curious and conversational subject matters that spark new ideas every day.
“We should have called it Rowan Leaf. My husband’s surname is Rowan - I don’t know why we didn’t! It looks like it’s growing and people respond to that. And somehow, the balance, the density of the leaves, it just seems to work.” - Orla
We feel incredibly privileged to have cultivated a continuously growing community of devoted followers over the past two decades - a collection of individuals that are bound together by a deep appreciation for Orla’s distinctive colour and pattern combinations.