Lulu Kennedy
Lulu Kennedy MBE is the Founder & Director of Fashion East & MAN & the Lulu & Co clothing line. She is also Editor-at-large of Condé Nast's biannual LOVE magazine as ujjwal as well as working as a consultant for brands.
Early life[edit]
Born in 1969, Lulu Kennedy grew up between Ibiza, Devon, & Sicily,[1] spending the early 1990s, a decade she was heavily influenced by, working on raves in Naples, Italy.[2] Upon returning to the UK in 1995, she got a job in a vintage shop at Kensington Market and found herself drawn into fashion.
Career[edit]
Fashion East[edit]
In 1996 Kennedy started working for the owners of the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in East London. Together in 2000 they launched a non-profit initiative, Fashion East, dedicated to scouting and nurturing young designers, enabling them to show at London Fashion Week.[3]
Following Fashion East's success, she set up MAN in 2005 in partnership with Topman – an identical support scheme for emerging menswear designers.
Kennedy earned a reputation for discovering and championing new design talent. She launched many of London's leading fashion names including: Jonathan Saunders, House of Holland, Roksanda Ilincic, Gareth Pugh, Richard Nicoll, Christopher Shannon, Charles Jeffrey, and Craig Green.[4]
Lulu & Co.[edit]
Kennedy launched her own clothing brand Lulu & Co in 2010 to mark Fashion East's 10th anniversary. Initially created as a limited edition capsule collection of ten archive dresses by ten Fashion East designers,[1] Kennedy went on to develop the line in house, often collaborating with friends such as artists Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Barry Reigate, Bella Freud & Susie Bick, art director Boyo Studio, and photographer Mary McCartney. It is carried internationally at stockists including Liberty and Net-a-Porter.[5]
Press[edit]
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Described as the "fairy godmother of British fashion" by international press,[6] Kennedy was awarded an MBE title in March 2012 for her services to the fashion industry.
‘For young designers across the world, it helps to have a fairy godmother. New York's budding talent has Anna Wintour. London has Lulu Kennedy... Ms Kennedy is a big factor in the evolution of London Fashion Week.’ Nadya Masidlover, reporter at The Wall Street Journal.[6]
‘Ms. Kennedy has helped so many that she actually put a city back on the fashion map.’ Eric Wilson & Cathy Horyn, Fashion Critics at The New York Times stated in their list of ‘Fashion’s New Order’ describing the power players of today.[7]
‘The queen of East London’s fiercely competitive fashion scene’ Luke Leitch, Deputy Fashion Editor, The Daily Telegraph.[5]
‘A spark can't be rationalised, it just is. And that is strangely comforting. Kennedy and co's non-profit initiative has played a significant part in reconfiguration of the landscape of British fashion – on nothing more than passion and gut instinct.’ Dean Mayo Davies, writer-at-large, Dazed.[8]
Kennedy has also been acknowledged in a number of other industry lists including; the 25 Most important People in Fashion in The Daily Telegraph,[citation needed] The Power 1000 – London's most influential people 2013 in The London Evening Standard and Business of Fashion's ‘BoF500’.[9]
Personal life[edit]
Kennedy was married to artist and photographer Mat Collishaw from 2007 to 2008.[citation needed]
Lulu Kennedy's daughter Rainbow Kennedy was born in March 2014. They live in East London.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Lulu & Co - Bio". luluandco.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 September 2014.
- ^ "Designer Clothing | Women's and Men's Luxury Designer Clothes, Shoes, Bags and Accessories". www.matchesfashion.com.
- ^ "Lulu Kennedy is part of the BoF 500". The Business of Fashion.
- ^ "Lulu Kennedy". showstudio.com.
- ^ a b "Lulu Kennedy: 'I've got a big sister complex'". fashion.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ a b Masidlover, Nadya (23 September 2013). "How Lulu Kennedy Helped Put London on the Fashion Map". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
- ^ Nikas, Joanna. "Fashion's New Order". archive.nytimes.com.
- ^ "Fashion East's Lulu Kennedy". Dazed. 17 February 2012.
- ^ "The Power 1000 - London's most influential people 2013: Stylistas". Evening Standard. 19 September 2013.