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Anya Hindmarch – Award Winning Accessories

A London based fashion label, producing coveted handbags since 1993

View Anya Hindmarch Accessories collections on London Fashion Review Blog

Introduction to the Anya Hindmarch Brand

Luxury handbag designer, Anya Hindmarch, started her career in fashion at the tender age of 18. Her fashion inspiration came when she moved to Florence to study Italian. She noticed that drawstring leather duffel bags were poplar with the fashionable women of Florence. She bought some of these bags to the UK and people loved it – 18-year-old Anya started designing her own line of similar handbags that were produced in London’s Hackney and managed to persuade Harpers & Queen to offer the bags to their readers, resulting in 500 orders. One year later, at the age of just 19 Anya opened her first store in 1993 in London’s Knightsbridge. Since then, the Anya Hindmarch label has gone from strength to strength.

As of 2011, the Anya Hindmarch brand had over 50 standalone stores throughout the globe and its own successful e-commerce store. The brand is also stocked in some of the world’s finest boutiques including Paris’ Colette, Japan’s Isetan, Milan’s Corso Como, Moscow’s TsUM and New York’s Saks Fifth Avenue. A truly global brand, Hindmarch’s design have become popular with A-listers, both domestic and overseas, including Sienna Miller, Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama, Jemima Khan, Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, Claudia Schiffer and Madonna.

A Handbag from the Anya Hindmarch Autumn/Winter 2011

However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the brand.  On the 10^th of June 2011, the brand’s Bond Street store was hit by motorbike raiders for a 10^th time. Thieves struck the store just before midnight, using a stolen motorbike to crash through the shuttered door. A gang of six or seven raiders stole around 60 bags worth up to £180,000. This raid was almost identical to a raid in May of 2011, when thieves made off with £45,000 worth of merchandise. In the spring and summer months of 2011, motorcycle raiders have plagued the designer stores of London, with Dolce & Gabbana and Dior also being victims.

 

Anya Hindmarch Timeline Snapshot

• 1993: The first Anya Hindmarch store opens in London’s Knightsbridge on Walton Street.
• 1995: Anya was approached by a Hong Kong-based franchise partner, which gave the Anya Hindmarch brand its first sales presence outside of the UK. Other countries soon followed suit, with Anya Hindmarch stores being opened in the US, Japan and Malaysia.
• 2007: The brand underwent a period of rapid expansion and took on a private equity investment from Kelso Place Asset Management. This year saw Anya Hindmarch become a global sensation with the production and release of ‘I’m NOT a plastic bag’, an eco tote created in partnership with non-profit organisation We Are What We Do which aimed to reduce the use of plastic bags. The canvas tote retailed at £5 and was sold through supermarket Sainsbury’s – the bag sold out within hours and was soon reaching prices of £250 on ebay. The tote became the official goodie bag at the 2007 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, securing its iconic statement (and status).

Accessories Designer Anya Hindmarch and her Iconic Eco Tote

• 2008: The brand collaborates with Selfridges to produce a Christmas hamper collection for department store, Selfridges.
• 2009:Anya Hindmach Bespoke launches with a store on London’s Point Street. The bespoke collection features individual pieces made to the customers individual needs, complete with hidden details. Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton are both fans of the bespoke collection – the brand has been inundated with requests for the Bespoke Maud Clutch after Kate Middleton was seen with it at several public engagements. So successful has the bespoke collection been that it won a Condé Nast Traveller Design and Innovation Award in 2010.

Anya Hindmarch Bespoke Collection – Maud Clutch

• 2010: Anya Hindmarch is appointed as a British Ambassador to help promote the UK economy abroad. Also this year Anya Hindmarch launches a collaboration with British label Barbour creating fur styles of Barbour jacket with an Anya Hindmarch twist

The Anya Hindmarch 2010 Collaboration with Heritage Brand, Barbour.

• 2011: The brand hires James McArthur, formerly of Gucci and Balenciaga, as the new Chief Executive. He replaces Hindmarch herself so she can concentrate on the creative direction side of the business.

 

Anya Hindmarch – Award Winner

Not long after the inception of her eponymous handbag label, Anya Hindmarch was receiving awards and recognition for her services to fashion.

• 2001: Anya is named as the Accessories Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.
• 2006: Anya receives the Glamour Magazine Designer of the Year Award.
• 2007: Anya is once again named as Glamour Magazine’s Designer of the Year Award and receives the Designer Brand of the Year Award at the British Fashion Awards.
• 2008: A favourite of the fashion press, Anya receives the Elle Magazine Award for Outstanding Achievement.
• 2009: In recognition of her services to the British Fashion industry, Anya Hindmarch is appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Also this year, she receives the Luxury Briefing’s Bravery in the Face of Adversity Award.
• 2010: Anya features on the British Fashion Council’s Press Committee Power List, naming the 25 most influential fashion people.

 

Future of the Anya Hindmarch Brand

Despite the harsh economic climate, 2010 was a particularly successful year for the Anya Hindmarch brand. In the 2010 financial year, the brand reported sales of £35 million, an increase of 20% on the previous year. Additionally, sales from international franchises also increased and were up 17% on the previous year.

“It’s a very exciting time for the brand. We have a strong growth strategy and we are in a position to further establish ourselves as a key British luxury brand operating on a global scale.” – Anya Hindmarch

Anya Hindmarch Handbags of 2011

In 2011, the Anya Hindemarch brand has plans to open 11 more stores, including a flagship store in Japan. Anya also sees huge potential in the markets in China, Brazil and India. Additionally, with the 2011 appointment of James McArthur as Chief executive, there is the possibility of seeking financing from outside investors and a stock market listing has been rumoured as a future possibility. McArthur also has plans to expand product ranges and its wholesale network. There is plenty more to come in the future of Anya Hindmarch brand so watch this space.

Visit the official Anya Hindmarch website here.

 

If you like the look of Anya Hindmarch, check out fellow British labels Jimmy Choo, Mulberry and Kate Sheridan.

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