The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2021 - Issue 30

bitebags Anya Hindm Connoisseur of Style B orn into an entrepreneurial family helped accessories designer Anya Hindmarch to establish herself at an early age. After she was given an old Gucci handbag by her mother at 16, she decided to study Italian in Florence for a year when she was 18. Inspired by Margaret Thatcher’s entrepreneurial ideas during the economic reces- sion in the 1980s, Hindmarch started to import bags to Eng- land, after discovering a drawstring leather duffel bag that was popular with fashionable Italian women. Hindmarch initially had her bags manufactured in Italy but changed this to Hackney, London when the factory started selling her designs directly to retailers. By 1992, her bags were sold at luxury stores in London, New York, Japan, France and Italy, and the following year, she opened a small retail shop in Walton Street, London. Her early products were influenced by Italian design with high-quality workmanship and British, humorous and personalised design philosophy. Since becoming the first accessories designer to hold an on-schedule show at London Fashion Week, Anya Hindmarch is renowned for its production and creativity. Their shows have featured models emerging from within a giant space-age am- phitheatre and an artful suburban house revealed a giant disco ball. Anya gained international recognition for her Chubby Hearts campaign, a love letter to London that saw the brand suspend 24 giant heart-shaped helium balloons above different London landmarks. The Chubby Cloud installation saw 3000 visitors enveloped in the brand when they visited the world’s largest beanbag at the Banqueting Hall to hear music, meditations, talks and bedtime stories. The Weave Project celebrated the woven Neeson tote with a giant art installation that customers were able to climb through and the ‘I Am A Plastic Bag’ campaign consisted of a collection made from an innovative new fabric using recycled plastic bottles. Other initiatives included the Waste Not Want collections and Sticker Shop, a global cult of leather stickers that allowed customers to create their personal artwork. The Build a Bag and Pimp Your Phone collections enabled customers to design their own bag or phone case from thousands of potential com- binations. Anya Hindmarch then expanded further with the 2017 launch of the Anya Smells fragrance collection that rec- reates everyday scents using the finest materials. Thanks to modern craftsmanship, Anya Hindmarch works with artisans at workshops in London, Italy and Spain to create its bags using traditional techniques and luxurious materials. It also works closely with the tanneries to source the best materi- als with many of the leathers made especially for the brand. In- novative new techniques are developed each season such as the embossing and debossing used for the Featherweight Ebury or the heat-bonded leather square for the Giant Pixel collection. Anya Hindmarch believes that your bag should be as beautiful as a precious piece of jewellery. By using many of the same techniques to create their designs, they have produced wear- able art such as the hand-woven geometric leatherwork from the SS17 collection. The Crisp Packet Clutch, also considered wearable art, is made from seven individual moulds, which are hand-varnished and lined in their workshop in Florence, as the irregular shape makes this impossible to do using a machine. Beautifully crafted accessories include the Small Vere Soft Satchel in Black or Claret and the Slouchy Vere Satchel in Black or Lupine with a folded construction for a more casual look. The smaller size comes with a detachable, adjustable strap, contrasting leather lining and a built-in card case. For a clas- sic satin evening bag, try the Tassel Frame Clutch in Silver or Black which features the brand’s signature tassel and luxuri- ous lining and is large enough to hold all you’ll need for the evening, including your phone. One of the bestselling pieces is the Crocodile Print Mini Post- Cristina Lloyd dives into accessories designer Anya Hind- march’s world whose sustainable practices have touched the world and created beautifully designed accessories.