Inspired by her mother's fashion sense and dressmaking abilities, Kerrigan enrolled at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin.

[2] Kerrigan's first years in New York were spent working in film, as a costume designer and on-set wardrobe supervisor[3] for independent features such as Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train and My Cousin Vinny starring Marisa Tomei.

[4] With no prior experience working in the fashion industry, she opened her first shop in the East Village, on Sixth Street, using her savings, in 1991.

[clarification needed] After just a year, her stores in Los Angeles and New York closed, with the Leiber Group halting production.

Since 2012, she has created collaborative collections for companies including Urban Outfitters, Steven Alan, Madewell, Calvin Klein, CK Jeans and Beauty.com.