Louise Kennedy has opened up about the loss of her older sister, Susan, saying that the family is ‘devastated.’
The designer has been a force on the Irish fashion scene since 1983, when her graduate collection was picked up by Brown Thomas and has dressed all three female Irish presidents.
Her sister Caroline has also made a splash in PR, while their brother Christopher works in Louise’s company.
Louise Kennedy. Pic: Louise Kennedy Instagram
They also have another sister, Rosemary, who lives in the US, but over the summer of 2025, the family received some shattering news when they learned that their sister Susan had died.
Susan ran The Kilkenny College of Beauty, and her passing in July was wholly unexpected.
Louise Kennedy’s sister Susan. Pic: R.I.P.ie
‘That was a big, big shock for us. We were five, we are now four, and it’s really devastating,’ she told The Irish Times.
Tragically, Louise also lost her mum Rita at a young age. Rita passed away aged 55 in 1983, right as the young designer’s career was taking off.
Louise Kennedy. Pic: Louise Kennedy Instagram
Rita lived with rheumatoid arthritis, which left her bedridden, but despite her illness had a wonderful sense of style and colour, which her daughter inherited.
Her business acumen and warm but private nature she got from her father Jimmy, a retired hurler who passed away in 2007.