Ms. Kiely, who studied fashion and textiles at National College of Art in her native Dublin, worked for four years at Esprit in Germany before moving to London in 1991 to obtain a Master's degree in knitwear at the Royal College of Arts (Harrods bought a small selection of felt hats from her graduation collection).

WSJ: The Pluck of the Irish | Designer Orla Kiely's Global Ambition