• Mark Buxton
Let us introduce you to the whimsical world of Anya Hindmarch. From quirky googly eyes on everyday accessories to immortalising iconic British household brands in handbag form, Anya Hindmarch always brings gentle humour to her designs. She is also an advocate for sustainable fashion and luxury bespoke products.
In this brand spotlight, discover who Anya Hindmarch is and everything you need to know about her brand and products. Learn where it all began and join us as we retrace the steps that led her to become a leader in British fashion and design.
Table of contents:
- Who is Anya Hindmarch?
- Is Anya Hindmarch a luxury brand?
- The products inspiring Anya Hindmarch.
- How did Anya Hindmarch promote not using plastic bags?
- How to tell a fake Anya Hindmarch bag?
Who is Anya Hindmarch?
Origins
With an entrepreneurial spirit, Anya Hindmarch tapped into the UK market demand for high-quality, fashionable Italian-made handbags from a young age. Using her unique eye for a fashion trend, she spotted a drawstring leather duffel bag that was all the rage among fashionable women while in Italy. She sold 500 of those bags in the UK through the magazine Harpers and Queen despite the 1980s recession.
Initially, she manufactured her bag in Italy, but when the factories started selling directly to retailers, she moved her manufacturing to Hackney. By 1992, you could find her bags in luxury stores in London, New York, Japan, France and Italy.
In 1993, she opened a retail shop on Walton Street. Her early products took influence from Italian design and had high-quality craft but also represented a design philosophy of "British humour and personality".
Now
Since Anya Hindmarch launched her business in London in 1987, it has grown into a global brand. She is known for her luxury, organisation-obsessed accessories, groundbreaking work in sustainability and playful experiments in retail concepts.
Creativity, modern craftsmanship and personalisation are at the heart of every Anya Hindmarch product and project. A concept most prevalent in her pioneering 2001 "Be A Bag" range, here you could personalise a bag with a photograph image. Originally meant as a campaign to support Breast Cancer Awareness, it has since benefited other charitable causes, including being revived in 2021 when cherishing special moments was needed more than ever.
Furthermore, in the Bespoke store in London, you can add drawstrings, messages in personalised handwriting, embossed appliques, and add your initials in an embroidered monogram on anything from a clutch to a weekend bag in an effort to reconnect the customer to the craftspeople.
Trusteeships and awards
As a passionate advocate of British design and arts, Hindmarch is an Emeritus trustee for the Royal Academy of Arts and the Design Museum, a trustee of the Tate, a non-executive director of Tate Enterprises Ltd and a trustee of The Royal Marsden. In 2017, she was awarded a CBE to recognise her contribution to the British fashion industry and has received several notable industry awards, including a British Fashion Award.
Is Anya Hindmarch a luxury brand?
Yes! Anya Hindmarch is a luxury brand at the forefront of luxury accessory design. Her products contain high-quality and luxury materials inspired by Italian design and crafted by expert craftsmen. There is also much opportunity in the Bespoke store to order bespoke accessories featuring sentimental and unique embroidery, creating a luxury shopping experience like no other.
The products inspiring Anya Hindmarch.
Classic British humour features heavily in Anya Hindmarch's designs. Despite her many muses, some of the most recognisable accessories in Hindmarch's collection take inspiration from iconic British household brands.
Inspired by her love of giving everyday items a crafted and luxury treatment, many household favourites feature in her handbag and accessories collections like Heinz, Kellogg's, Walker's, John Lewis, Daz, Rich Tea and Coca-Cola.
Combining humour and turning everyday British household brands into high fashion, Anya Hindmarch has immortalised brands in handbag form to create instantly recognisable products.
How did Anya Hindmarch promote not using plastic bags?
Anya Hindmarch is committed to manufacturing responsibly and constantly striving to innovate to reduce her impact on the earth. She also uses her platform to drive education and discussion around sustainability.
A testament to this work is the I Am A Plastic Bag project, launched in 2020 to tackle consumer waste and the debate around shops charging for plastic bags in the UK. Each plastic bag contains 32 half-litre plastic bottles. Going a step further, Hindmarch launched The Universal Bag, a unique collaboration with supermarkets to rethink reusable shopping bags, resulting in the biodegradable Return to Nature bags.
In 2007, Hindmarch launched a limited edition tote bag - "I'm NOT A Plastic Bag", using her influence to make using reusable bags fashionable. The totes sold for £5 each and resulted in four limited edition colours.
How to tell a fake Anya Hindmarch bag?
We never recommend purchasing designer bags on eBay or second-hand ones online. You could be paying a lot of money for a potential fake, especially if you don't know the seller.
Anya Hindmarch's I'm A Plastic Bag is particularly susceptible to plagiarism.
However, if you are thinking about purchasing an Anya Hindmarch bag, here's how to tell a real one from a replica.
- Check the photo. If the seller uses a stock photo of the bag or a celebrity carrying one, it is most likely a fake.
- Check the original purchase receipt. If the seller can't produce one, or they bought it in bulk or from an unknown supplier, stay clear.
- Look at the details, or get as many pictures of them as you can. Look out for tiny subtleties in the shapes of letters, colour trim, thread and canvas that can give the bag away.
- Pay particular attention to the recognisable Anya Hindmarch blue bow logo. On older fakes, the bow logo is oversized and easy to spot. But on newer fakes, the logo is more authentic-looking. So check the quality of the stitching, like clean lines and professionalism.
- Look at the craftsmanship. Any trimmed edges should be scalloped, not smooth. Any mental grommets should be polished and tight to the canvas, whereas quickly made fakes will have shredded canvas poking out from beneath loose grommets.
- The bag should fold nicely along well-constructed lines rather than look wrinkly or crumpled when you fold the sides in and bottom under.
- The stitching should be clean and uniform, with no frayed edges or loose loops. The twine at the base of the rope handles should be sturdy and tightly wound, not flimsy.
- Read reviews. You can instantly tell if a bag is fake from previous negative reviews.
- Go to a trusted retailer. If you don't want to waste money on fake Anya Hindmarch handbags, always go to a trusted retailer to guarantee authenticity.
Anya Hindmarch at Daniel Footwear
At Daniel Footwear, we stock a fantastic range of Anya Hindmarch products, from quirky accessories to handbags with the recognisable Hindmarch bow detail.
Discover the perfect balance between luxury accessories, high fashion designs, sustainable fashion and nostalgic British humour with Anya Hindmarch at Daniel Footwear.
Why not browse our Anya Hindmarch collection online today, including her totes, clutch bags, purses and wallets, cosmetics cases, phone and laptop cases and keyrings?
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