"I believe that when a woman feels beautiful, she looks beautiful,” says Kenlynn Wilson, Designer and Master Craftswoman. Kenlynn says she designs her knitwear collection Kenlynn to grace a woman’s body and to enhance the beauty inherent in each individual client who slips on her stunning knitwear. “There is something magical when a woman puts on a garment and it makes her smile. It’s as if the outside world can now see the expression of her inner style and creative spirit. This is the greatest gift to me as a designer, to witness that moment when a woman glows from inside out.”
Inspired, influenced and in love with myriad cultures and designs from her frequent travels around the globe, Kenlynn is a Bay Area transplant from the East Coast. She moved to California in 1996 to flee the bitter Boston winters and never looked back. “I donated my winter coats to a shelter and never looked back."
Mixing her love for movement with design, anatomy and fashion, Kenlynn’s knitwear collection weaves together her experience as a professional ballerina, her degree in international business and her studies at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Kenlynn launched her collection in 2011, immediately carving out a niche of gorgeous clothing that reflected her fierce commitment to elegant and flattering design, luxurious natural yarns, meticulous craftsmanship, and responsible sourcing.
She opened her first boutique, Embodies, in 2006 in Larkspur, California. In the spring of 2016, she relocated the store up the street and rebranded the boutique as 'KENLYNN'. A serene and gorgeous oasis that drew women from across the state who came for her collection of curated brands of clothing, shoes and jewelry. And perhaps as important, for the opportunity to hang out with Kenlynn, tap into her aesthetic and tastes, and commune with her cadre of customers. A first-time customer summed up the vibe of the beautiful shop, “I just keep walking by, it looks so peaceful and pretty, I had to come in … and you have shoes!” In the summer of 2020, due to COVID, Kenlynn closed the Larkspur boutique and relocated her studio and shop to her home, where she continued to design, create and sell her knits in her garden showroom. In May of 2023, Kenlynn reopened her shop a 2154 Union Street in San Francisco.
There is a deep reverence to the sustainability component of Kenlynn’s business that when combined with craftsmanship and design are the foundation of every piece. Beginning with the finest natural fibers sourced from the United States, Italy and Mongolia. Kenlynn knits, knots, sews and ties all of her passions together into a stunning piece to charm you inside and out. Every piece is made by her hands.
Read more about the store as featured on Hoodline
Read more on sustainability...