Kilkenny Design and LEOs unveils 25 shortlisted makers for academy
Landmark business development programme designed to help creative brands scale up
Following an exceptional response from makers in the Republic of Ireland, Kilkenny Design and the Local Enterprise Offices have unveiled the 25 finalists selected for their Makers’ Academy.
The business development programme is designed to help some of Ireland's most exciting creative brands scale from independent makers into commercially successful retail businesses.
Receiving hundreds of applications from talented makers, designers, and founders nationwide, the highly competitive selection process identified 25 businesses demonstrating outstanding creativity, commercial potential and the ambition to become Ireland's next generation of consumer brands. The Kilkenny finalist is Shauna Barcoe of Wish-Penny Creations.
This new partnership between Kilkenny Design and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) aims to build on the significant supports already available to the craft and design sector through the LEOs from funding and mentoring to training and digital and green consultancy and grants.
Over the coming months, the finalists will participate in a programme of workshops, one-to-one mentoring and business coaching delivered in partnership with Kilkenny Design's senior leadership, buying, marketing and ecommerce teams, alongside leading industry, and enterprise experts. Participants will receive practical guidance across retail strategy, branding, finance, ecommerce, digital marketing, and founder development, equipping them with the tools to accelerate their businesses.
As part of the Makers’ Academy, each finalist will also receive the opportunity to showcase their products through pop-ups in Kilkenny Design retail stores, providing exposure to customers and first-hand experience of trading within one of Ireland's best-known retail destinations.
“The quality of applications exceeded all expectations and demonstrated the extraordinary creativity and entrepreneurial talent that exists across Ireland today,” said Evelyn Moynihan, CEO of Kilkenny Design.
"Selecting just 20 finalists was incredibly difficult. For more than six decades, supporting Irish makers has been central to who we are at Kilkenny Design.”
For Pamela Kerr, Head of Craft and Design with the LEOs, this is a significant build on their existing offering to clients in the craft and design sector.
“Looking through this year’s finalists it’s brilliant to see so many existing Local Enterprise Office clients getting this opportunity,” she said.
"We work so closely with them from that initial design or product stage right up to launching to market and beyond and now partnering with Kilkenny Design we get the chance to get them into stores and pop-ups. We’re excited to see how the businesses develop as the programme progresses and hopefully on shelves later this year!"
The programme will conclude this October with one overall winner, having their collection on shelf in a Kilkenny Design store.