THE BEGINNING
Founded by Irish fashion designer Annie McColgan, Annie Leona is an independent womenswear and bespoke bridal label, bringing romantic silhouettes and intricate detail to Irish linen and luxury fabrics.
“Annie Leona is endlessly inspired by Ireland’s wild and untamed beauty. Growing up in Co.Armagh, I found solace among our orphic landscapes and the age-old tales that they carry. My mother, an English teacher, would relish in telling me old stories of fairies and folklore before bed; and by morning, jotter in hand, I would begin the interrogation of this enchanted world I so desperately believed we inhabited.
It is this meeting of landscape and story that has come to form the very heart of Annie Leona. Each collection draws from the folklore, heritage and textile traditions of Ireland, entwining these fragments of the past with the wild landscapes in which their stories have endured. Through cloth, silhouette and detail, echoes of the old and half-remembered are reimagined”
Perhaps fittingly, Annie grew up in an old tailor's cottage, long before imagining that she would one day build a life around designing and making clothes herself.
FROM STORY TO CLOTH
Today
After completing her degree in Textile Design and Fashion in Belfast, Annie began her career within the design team at O'Neills Sportswear. Alongside her professional work, her own creative practice began to take shape, drawn towards beautiful fabrics, intricate construction and the individuality of making by hand. In 2022 this vision became Annie Leona giving her the freedom to develop a design language entirely her own.
Since then, Annie’s work has been presented internationally in Cannes and featured in publications including the Irish Independent, Ulster Tatler, VIP Magazine and Irish Country Magazine. Today, she works from her studio in Northern Ireland, creating romantic womenswear alongside one-of-a-kind bespoke bridal gowns.