When the email arrived Anna and I were both on trains, different ones I might add, and we both did a little dance with joy to think that we were going to have breakfast with Orla Kiely. Wow.
The day arrived and we made our way to The Fashion and Textile Museum on Bermondsy Street (if you’ve never been you really should!). If it wasn’t for steady river of commuters all apparently going the opposite way to us we would have held hands and skipped the whole way. We composed ourselves with a cup of tea and a pastry at a lovely little Patisserie across the road. How exciting!
Orla Keily, what a lady, an icon in pattern easily recognisable and accessible to everyone, from fashion to accessories and of course interiors. Who doesn’t recognise her iconic stem pattern? Have you never been to John Lewis?!
We gathered in the foyer and met the team who talked us through the order of the morning. We had a brief meander around the exhibition, just the downstairs area and that alone reminded ourselves of the talent of this fine lady with blocks of colour coordinated print adorning the walls and displays of shoes, radios and a plethora of other items all designed by Orla.
Orla then joined us to show us around the exhibition with her own words. All we can say is utterly brilliant. Orla herself was so welcoming and friendly and showed us around the exhibition chatting to us individually and as a group, which was a pure pleasure. We immersed our minds and souls into the world of Orla. The wall of bags made a real impression on us – so many different styles from different period, but all totally beautiful. There is truly an Orla Kiely bag for everyone! The fashion section was another big wow. I was in awe of the photography displayed on on the walls, reflecting the brand in a dreamy quintessential way which has such integrity and passion. I would love to have any one of those images on my walls.
Breakfast was exciting and we both spent the time chatting away at the sumptuous table laden with flowers, pastries and a tasty breakfast yogurt. We were also lucky enough to take away a couple of gifts from Olra and the team including a pair of her new range of sunglasses.
Thank you Orla and your team, we had a fantastic time and are now even more in love with the brand.
