Anya Hindmarch
Anya
Hindmarch began her fashion career aged eighteen in Florence, Italy. After
being inspired by a leather duffel bag worn by all the chic Italians, Anya
Hindmarch has become renowned for her stylish yet practical designs that really
capture what a woman wants in a bag. There are now over 50 Anya Hindmarch
stores in 9 countries, including flagships in London, Tokyo and New York.
Despite this global success, Anya Hindmarch still retains the appeal and
uniqueness of a niche brand.
Anya also
designed gift bags for the Vanity Fair
Oscars party and BAFTA’s, and was awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to the
fashion industry. She is also non-executive director of the British Fashion
Council, a UK Trade Ambassador, and trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts and The
Design Museum.
From a
third-generation miniaudiere maker to
workshops in Florence, the craftsmen are the true heroes of the Anya Hindmarch
story. Her team works closely with craftsmen to develop new techniques and
finishes, blending the best materials and craftsmanship with a hefty dose of
British humor.
In what
may be the ultimate example of fashion high-low thinking, Anya Hindmarch, the
British luxury handbag maker, is about to unveil a new incarnation of her
signature “Walkers Crisps” bag — the evening purse in the shape of a crumpled
bag of potato chips that became really famous when Solange Knowles used one to
attack her brother-in-law, Jay Z, while in an elevator after the 2014 Met Gala.
The bag will be offered in 18-karat yellow gold, as well as in white gold and
rose gold. This is not a joke, although Ms. Hindmarch did acknowledge by
telephone from London that part of the reason her team decided to make the new
styles was they thought “it would be fun.
The
18-karat yellow gold bag, which takes about four months to make, costs 60,000
pounds, or about $95,200. The original styles come in Perspex, copper, the one
Ms. Knowles carried. After the elevator attack, Ms. Hindmarch said, the bag
became a perennial best seller. (Solange
Knowles’s Attack Handbag Now Comes in 18-Karat Gold, 2015)
