Stephany Hollihan and Michele Sensi-Contugi died in Kenya when a helicopter crashed in central Kenya on Wednesday. The crash killed seven people on a chartered flight traveling from Loisaba wildlife conservancy toward the Ewaso Ng’iro River area, north of Nairobi.
Hollihan was 42 and had two children. She founded and led SensiStudio, the fashion label she built in 2010 after studying at Istituto Marangoni in Milan and later earning a master's degree in brand management there.
SensiStudio and Ecuador
SensiStudio said in a post on its Instagram accounts: "With profound sadness, we share the passing of our Founder & CEO, Stephany Hollihan, and her husband, Michele Sensi-Contugi, who passed away today." The company also said: "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 label said Hollihan was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and built SensiStudio around designs made in Ecuador. Its line includes genuine panama hats and handwoven handbags, and in 2014 it branched into a ready-to-wear line specializing in embroidered dresses. The brand says its products are distributed in more than 15 countries, which placed Hollihan among the few Ecuadorian fashion founders with a global retail footprint.
Ecuador's intelligence agency
Sensi-Contugi served as the director general of Ecuador's intelligence agency. Ecuador's presidential office shared condolences with Sensi-Contugi's family via a post on X on Wednesday. José Suárez was also among the dead; he served as president and general manager of Telemundo's Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers stations.
The names of the other three passengers and the pilot were not immediately known. The cause of the crash had not been determined and was under investigation, leaving the flight path and the final minutes of the chartered trip as the focus of the inquiry.
For Hollihan's family, the loss reaches beyond SensiStudio's leadership. Maria Leonor Vascones and Thomas Hollih survived her, along with her two children, and the crash has now removed the founder from the company she created while investigators work through the wreckage in central Kenya.
