Anya Hindmarch

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Anya Hindmarch
Born 1968 (age 39–40)
Essex, England
Labels Anya Hindmarch
Awards Brand of the Year, British Fashion Awards

Anya Hindmarch (born 1968), is an English fashion accessories designer.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Hindmarch was born in Essex to a self-made, wealthy father. She was educated at a Roman Catholic convent school.[1][2] Aged 16, Hindmarch was given an old Gucci handbag by her mother. At that point, she was planning to attend University. The bag, however, made her feel so good that she dropped her plans of going to University and instead, she went to Florence and learnt how to speak Italian.[3]

[edit] Professional life

[edit] Hindmarch company

Noticing that a drawstring leather duffel bag was increasingly popular among fashionable women, Hindmarch borrowed $1,000 to import some bags to England from Italy. She sent it to a fashion magazine, Harpers and Queen, and the publicity that followed the magazine's article, allowed Hindmarch to sell 500 such bags.[4][3]

After learning to produce her own bags in Hackney, inspired by Margaret Thatcher, Hindmarch opened a small shop in Walton Street, London at age 19.[2] Her early products were based heavily on Italian design principles. All her products, she says, are based on the quality of workmanship, and represent a design philosophy that supposed to be "British, humorous and bespoke".[4] Her designs are also influenced by her love of classical architecture, which she progresses as a hobby with into architectural reclamation.[1]

The Hindmarch company, now based in Battersea with her husband as Finance Director,[1] runs to some 60 branded shops. Hindmarch designs annually for three collections, which span her core handbags plus shoes, luggage, small leather goods, a beach collection, a small range of ready to wear, and an iPod carrier.[5]

Her products are also stocked in major retail chains including: Corso Como in Milan; Colette in Paris; isetan in Tokyo, Japan; and Saks and Scoop in the United States. The collections are regularly featured in leading fashion magazines including Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. Her bags and collections have become so fashionable, they have been the target of two raids on her London shops, one of which resulted in thieves grabbing £20,000 worth of merchandise.[6] Her designs are popular with a range of celebrities, including: Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Madonna, Claudia Schiffer, Margaret Thatcher and Reese Witherspoon.

Hindmarch is also a design consultant to British Airways, and has designed their highly covetable First Class amenity kits to much acclaim for 7 years.

[edit] "I’m Not A Plastic Bag"

In 2007 Hindmarch, in collaboration with the global social change movement We Are What We Do,[7] designed the global sell out Tote bag I’m Not A Plastic Bag, using her influence in a positive way to make it fashionable not to use plastic bags.[8] The limited edition canvas totes sold for £5, launching in four limited edition colours around the world, and were selected by Vanity Fair to be included in their "Oscars" goodie bags.[9] 100,000 customers registered online to try to buy I’m Not A Plastic Bag, while 30 people in Beijing, China were treated in hospital after being caught in what was described as a scrum.

[edit] Awards

In both 2006 and 2007 Hindmarch won Designer of the Year by Glamour magazine, and became the first winner of the Designer brand of the Year at the 2007 British Fashion Awards.[4]

[edit] Personal life

Hindmarch met her husband, James Seymour, after the death of his first wife. She became step mother to his three children from that marriage (Hugo, Octavia and Bert), and the couple have two children of their own: Felix, and Otto.[10] They live in Belgravia, with her favourite food shop Daylesford Organic, founded by the wife of JCB tycoon Sir Anthony Bamford, located just around the corner in Chelsea.[11]

A self confessed hopeless chef, who gets mouth ulcers from the stress of cooking, she lists her favourite discovery in Vanity Fair as the drawing schools at the Royal Academy.[12] Her favourite possessions are her 1960's Rolex watch, and her BlackBerry; while her collections include sea shells and butterflies.[1] A friend of David Cameron, she is a committed Tory who was part of the organising committee for the 2008 Conservative Black and White Ball.[2][13]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d "The world of Anya Hindmarch". The Telegraph (5th January, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  2. ^ a b c "Anya Hindmarch: Dave's got a brand new bag lady". The Independent (3 February 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  3. ^ a b Waite, Teresa L. (March 1, 1992). "Style Makers; Anya Hindmarch, Handbag Designer". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  4. ^ a b c "My life in fashion: Anya Hindmarch". The Times (February 20, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  5. ^ "Any Hindmarch iPod carrier". Apple. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  6. ^ "The 'It bag gang' strikes again". Daily Mail (19th March 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  7. ^ "Anya Hindmarch designs a £5 reusable shopping bag". We Are What We Do (2nd February, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  8. ^ BBC news
  9. ^ "I'm Not an Ethical Plastic Bag". treehugger.com (28 April, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  10. ^ "A Life in the Day: Anya Hindmarch". The Times (January 13, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  11. ^ "Anya Hindmarch: 'Ethical living has never seemed so cool'". The Guardian (January 27, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  12. ^ "My Stuff". Vanity Fair (October 2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  13. ^ "Anya Hindmarch at Conservative Party Black & White Ball - February 6, 2008 - Arrivals". topnews.in (February 6, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anya_Hindmarch"
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