Photo Courtesy StudioSensi
Fashion designer Stephany Hollihan and her husband Michele Sensi-Contugi were among the seven people who were killed Wednesday in a helicopter crash in central Kenya.Hollihan’s death was announcedoStore. Sensi-Contugi served as the director general of Ecuador’s intelligence agency
The couple and the other passengers were traveling on a chartered flight from Loisaba wildlife conservancy to the Ewaso Ng’iro River area when the helicopter crashed north of Nairobi, according to CNN. The 42-year-old Hollihan was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She and her husband have two children, Michelle Sensi-Contugi and Delfina Sensi-Contugi, who survive them.Another one of the fatalities was reportedly José Suárez, an executive with the American Spanish-language television company Telemundo. He served as president and general manager of Telemundo’s Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers stations, according to a Telemundo spokesman. The names of the other three passengers and the pilot were not immediately known.
The cause of the crash has not been determined and is under investigation.Ecuador’s presidential office shared its condolences with Sensi-Contugi’s familybeing planned for a later date, according to a StudioSensi spokesperson
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One of Hollihan’s friends, Lisa Pomerantz, who is the founder of LFP Collective, said Thursday, “She was the most talented and lovely person. She was really the OG of the super chic with her straw bags. She also had a heart of gold.”
Founded in 2010, SensiStudio debuted as a design and product lab committed to supporting artisans in Ecuador. Hollihan studied fashion design at Istituto Marangoni in Milan. She went on to earn a master’s degree in brand management there, too. The designer started her fashion career working with Tomas Maier on his eponymous brand
Photo Courtesy StudioSensi
Hollihan was founder and chief executive officer of SensiStudio. The company wrote in its post, “With profound sadness, we share the passing of our Founder & CEO, Stephany Hollihan, and her husband, Michele Sensi-Contugi, who passed away today.“Stephany was the heart and vision behind Sensi. Her passion for design, craftsmanship, and the people behind it shaped the brand and all of us who had the privilege of being part of her journey, her vision, her spirit, and everything she created will remain with us. Our hearts are with their families, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”The company manufactures all of its designs in Ecuador and has distribution in more than 15 countries. SensiStudio’s range of genuine panama hats and handwoven handbags is handmade.
In 2014, the brand branched out with a ready-to-wear line that specialized in embroidered dresses. The company’s goal is to not only provide creative work to the artisans to allow them to show off their craft and abilities, but also to help maintain the millenary craft of weaving Toquilla straw
In addition to her two children, Hollihan is survived by her mother Maria Leonor Vascones, her father Thomas Hollihan and her brother Thomas Hollihan Jr
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