Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern

7 February – 19 July 2025, National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny.

Celebrates nearly 30 years of the iconic Irish designer’s work in an exhibition that explores Orla Kiely’s playful approach to scale, pattern, and nostalgia through large-scale garments, miniature doll outfits, archive sketches, and over 150 designs. It traces the evolution of her retro-inspired aesthetic across fashion, lifestyle products, and collaborations. Highlights include her earliest handbags, arranged by colour and material, and immersive displays that reflect the brand’s 1960s–70s influences. Despite the brand’s 2018 collapse, the show honours Kiely’s enduring legacy and recent revival. Photographs, mood-boards, and show footage contextualise her distinct visual identity and passion for pattern. Visitors are invited into a world where colour, joy, and craft come together with a designer’s lifelong devotion to beauty and design. The result is a heartfelt, multi-sensory tribute to Ireland’s “Queen of Print” and her enduring creative spark.