Irish Design Spotlight: KALO

Tell us about you and your brand.
My name is Kate O’Neill and I am originally from Kildare, now living in Dublin. I have always been super creative and love art, fashion and beauty. Based on this love, I started my own makeup/fashion Instagram page which quickly blew up. As a vegetarian and someone who liked to shop as sustainably as possible, I found a huge gap in the market for vegan leather handbags that were not made of pure plastic or were not extremely out of my budget, and so the idea for KALO was born!

KALO is a Dublin-based accessory brand which I own with my partner, Michael. Sustainability is at the core of everything we do. Our journey so far has focused on providing stylish, versatile and high-quality vegan leather accessories at affordable prices – using only the most advanced sustainable and recycled materials available. We launched our debut product, The Everything Bag, in November 2022. With leather made from apple waste and lining from recycled bottles, our bags are the perfect sustainable staple. Since then we have gone on to win the amazing Pitch ’23 competition with Arnotts, which gives small businesses the opportunity to trade in the iconic Irish retail store.

What is your mission?
As a fashion lover, while I was working in Brown Thomas I would always go and admire the gorgeous handbags there but noticed that there was very little in terms of vegan leather and sustainable options. We wanted to create something that was stylish and something anyone would love to wear but also something that was kind to the environment and used materials that would otherwise go to waste. Our mission is to prove that style, innovation and ethics can coexist in a beautiful way.

Did you always know you wanted to be a designer?
It was always my answer to ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ as a child. I remember all I wanted for Christmas when I was about nine was a mannequin I could dress up and create outfits on… although the outfits were questionable as you can imagine! I didn’t really know how to make this dream a reality so I went down a more ‘responsible’ route in college and ended up studying science. While I don’t regret this at all, I do wish that I followed my gut more and did something arty in college. It’s very cool how I’ve fallen back into my childhood dream now with my brand!

What kind of items do you stock?
We have launched two bag designs so far. The Everything Bag is your everyday crossbody bag, perfect for on the go. It also comes with two interchangeable straps for two completely different looks making it super versatile. Our second design is the Essentials Bag, which is your perfect shoulder bag. The Essentials bag is designed to fit all your essentials making it cute and practical. We also recently introduced hairbands to our collection, which are made from 100% recycled polyester and are the perfect way to complete your look. Our products are available in three gorgeous shades – black, nude pink and bright orange. 

What new brands or items are on your radar?
A brand I’ve recently discovered and love is the English brand Kitri. I just adore their funky patterns and bright colours. I have three of their dresses now and I just feel so good wearing them. I am also dying to get my hands on a pair of MAiE sunglasses, which is a new Irish brand by Robyn Trout. It’s amazing to see so many Irish, women-owned businesses popping up and I think it’s so important to support our own.

Was money/funding a concern when starting out?
Absolutely. But when you have a goal you do everything you can to make it happen. I was able to save as much as I could during Covid and got a little helping hand from family too. The key for us was to start out small and scale up from there. 

Best business advice you’ve gotten
Don’t wait until you have everything ‘perfect’ to start. You are never going to be 100% ready or do everything 100% right. But that’s all part of the journey! It wouldn’t be any fun if you were an instant success and never made a mistake. Also just to remember there is so much support out there, you are never alone, especially when you’re feeling that everything is going wrong which I definitely have. I have had the best support from other new and established business people, and it’s so lovely to be able to confide in them because we’re all going through the same thing. I hope I do the same for others. 

Favourite fashion/design accounts you follow
I love Sophie Murray’s style and always get so much inspiration from her. I also adore Sinead Gannon and Leah Morgan – they both just look so cool in everything they wear!

Best fashion purchase
I found a beautiful full-length trench coat on Depop a few years ago. It was worth around €300 and I got it for €40! I always get excited for the colder weather to come around so I can wear it, I get loads of compliments on it and love to tell people it’s second-hand.

Other Irish brands you love
I’ve gotten really into renting my outfits lately instead of buying something I might only wear once, so I absolutely love Happy Days Fashion Rental. The owner, Rachel, has become such a good mentor and friend to me which is lovely. We Irish also do makeup really well so some of my favourite beauty brands would be SOSU Cosmetics, Sculpted by Aimee and True Beauty. Jewellery-wise, I adore Zo & Co and Croia Jewellery for stand-out pieces. The Smooth Company and Howrad Studios are two other amazing Irish brands, they’ve been such an inspiration to me on my business journey, not to mention their products are incredible!

Most useful learning since setting up a business
To try and plan ahead as much as possible! I could have avoided a lot of stress if I didn’t leave things to the last minute. So I’ve really tried to improve on this and get my designs signed off early, plan ahead for social media content etc. and it’s made the world of difference. 

Proudest moment so far
My proudest moment was without a doubt winning the Arnotts Pitch ’23, which we only just recently announced. I think it is most Irish business owners’ dream to be stocked in Arnotts and Brown Thomas and the fact that this is our reality after just over a year in business is something I’ll forever be proud of.

I want my brand to be remembered for… our innovation when it comes to sustainability. We are always striving to be as innovative as possible in regards to our materials and want to be at the forefront of the sustainable accessories industry. There are so many amazing leather alternatives out there from cactus to bamboo to mushroom leather that we want to explore. 

If I could have anyone wear my designs it would be… a businesswoman I really look up to is Grace Beverly, owner of activewear brand TALA. I’ve followed Grace for years and always admired her style and sustainability efforts. So she is definitely on my list this year to get a bag on! 

Imagery courtesy Kalo