Sprawled across three floors, Anya Hindmarch on Mayfair’s Bond Street is much more than another store selling another designer bag. On arrival, it looks and feels more like a gallery with its bright lights and bespoke artworks and furniture; all the trappings which make modern shopping an enthralling experience.
Tucked away upstairs however is a workshop and lounge more reminiscent of the 20th century — one celebrating fine craftsmanship and combining those quintessential British qualities of quirky and quaint.
Founded in 1987, this brand’s identity is rooted in quality design and creativity. Hindmarch was first inspired by a leather drawstring-duffle bag which caught her eye on a trip to Florence as a teenager, and she has been thoroughly innovative throughout her 32-year career. We would all no doubt recognise the “I’m not a plastic bag” canvas totes of 2007 or the global phenomenon of the leather monogrammed stickers.
Here in the heart of London, customers are invited to create their very own bespoke bags and accessories in limitless combinations even the most fervent shopper couldn’t tire of. And by establishing traditional relationships between customer and craftsman, the end result, in the designer’s own words are about “having your name on something rather than mine”.
Sonia Akther
