Sonya Lennon and Brendan Courtney unveil new lifestyle collection with Kilkenny Design 

The new collection goes beyond fashion but still incorporates the signature Lennon Courtney style and colours

Brendan Courtney,Evelyn Moynihan CEO of Kilkenny Design and Sonya Courtney announce new collaboration called Lennon Courtney X Kilkenny Design

Sonya Lennon and Brendan Courtney have unveiled a new collaboration with Kilkenny Design, bringing the much-loved Lennon Courtney brand to the next level.

The brand-new Lennon Courtney X Kilkenny Design collection goes beyond fashion but fans of Lennon Courtney will be thrilled to hear that it incorporates the brand's signature style and colours such as navy, charcoal, rusted brown, gold and magenta. 

According to Sonya Lennon, it is the “next evolution” of Lennon Courtney into a lifestyle brand. With the inclusion of homeware, for the first time, fans of the brand can take the Lennon Courtney style into their kitchen and living room too.

The label was first established in 2013 by Sonya Lennon and Brendan Courtney, and the announcement of the new collaboration comes just months after the pair called time on their Dunnes Stores fashion line.

The new brand is 100% Irish designed with accessories made up of recycled vegan leather bags, wallets, purses and cardholders with plans to further expand the range in the future. Pricing for clothing starts from €55 for tops, while accessories are from €20 and homewares from €15.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Lennon described the unveiling of the collaboration with Kilkenny Design as a “pinch me” moment.

“We kind of can’t believe it to be honest," she said. “We have a beautiful fashion collection, a homewares collection and an accessories collection. The fashion is a very elegant, elevated grown-up response to what our woman needs and wants. It is very rich. Very beautifully made. Still very accessible in terms of pricing.” 

Lennon said it is made up of “enduring key pieces” layered with “beautiful seasonal prints and a rich palette”.

“Then at the top of the pyramid we have a couple of very, very, very limited-edition pieces that are very special gowns, and with each collection, we will deliver the same thing — very key pieces which are very limited and very special,” she said.

Lennon said a “shared ambition” with Kilkenny Design to grow the brand internationally was an important part of the collaboration and teased that there is much more to come in the future.

“The team has been extraordinary. Megan Burns has led out the project inside Kilkenny Design and we’ve been really struck with the passion of the entire team under her leadership and the alignment in terms of values and ambition,” she said.

Following the decision to move from Dunnes Stores, Lennon Courtney fans were quick to share their love for the brand and hopes for a new home. Lennon said the “ultimate prize” for her and for Courtney is to hear women say they feel powerful in their clothes.

“That’s why we do it. To give women that boost and that feeling that we’ve got their back and now to expand that into other categories like homewares, I think it further democratizes what we do and makes it possible for everybody to own a piece of Lennon Courtney regardless of identity, gender — anything.” 

The collection will make its runway debut at the Irish Examiner's ieStyle Live event on 26 October.

• The first AW23 Lennon Courtney X Kilkenny Design collection will arrive online and in-store from 9am on October 26. Customers can sign up online at www.kilkennydesign.com for exclusive early access.