HISTORY OF MODERN CLASSICS: ANYA HINDMARCH VINTAGE HANDBAG
HISTORY OF MODERN CLASSICS: ANYA HINDMARCH VINTAGE HANDBAG
COMELY HANDBAG FACTORY
Identified by a discreet bow logo, British born Anya Hindmarch produces luxury handbags designed to become heritage pieces.
When the designer was only 16 her love of handbags was prompted by a gift of a Gucci handbag from her mother.
Discarding the plans she had made for university Hindmarch decided to travel to Italy to learn the language, and while there was so inspired by the leather drawstring duffel bags carried by the Florentine woman that she imported them into England. She designed a bag for a reader’s offer in British magazine Harper’s & Queen, receiving 500 orders. After learning to produce her own bags, Hindmarch opened a small shop in Walton Street, London. In 2001 she was the innovator of the “Be A Bag” idea; bags personalized with the customer’s own photographs, which were sold to benefit the breast cancer charity, the Lavender Trust.
In both 2006 and 2007 Hindmarch won Designer of the Year as awarded by Glamour magazine, and became the first winner of the Designer Brand of the Year at the 2007
British Fashion Awards. Hindmarch designs annually for three collections, which includes the core handbags plus shoes, luggage, small leather goods, a beach collection and a small range of ready-to-wear.