Anya Hindmarch began her fashion career at eighteen in Florence, Italy. Here she was inspired by leather Duffel bag worn by all the chic Italians. She recreated the bag and sold them through Harpers & Queen in the UK. Anya went on to start her business from a single store on Walton Street, London. At present the business has grown from Anya’s first shop, to fifty four shops worldwide, including two new London flagships on Sloane Street and Bond Street.
Anya Hindmarch designs three collections each year that are much feted by the world’s most stylish women, leading boutiques and press. Alongside her mainline leather bags Anya also designs shoes, luggage, small leather goods, a beach collection and a small range of ready to wear.
Everything that Anya designs is done with acute attention to detail. Before launching her covetable shoe collection, Anya studied with shoemakers in Venice to master the craft. Shoes are lined with quilted inlays to ensure the wearers comfort and the sole has a small metal bow at the tip to protect the toe.
In both 2006 and 2007 Anya Hindmarch was awarded Designer of the Year by Glamour magazine. The prestigious British Fashion Awards 2007 honoured anya with the designer brand of the year award. In 2008 Elle presented Anya with an award for outstanding achievement. In 2009, Anya Hindmarch was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition for her contribution to the British fashion industry. Later that year Anya was awarded Bravery in the Face of Adversity by Luxury Briefing and nominated as one of the 25 most influential people working in Britain’s fashion industry by the prestigious British Fashion Council’s Press Committee Power List.
In 2001 Anya launched the charity promotion, Be a Bag, allowing customers to have their own photographs printed onto a bag. This much copied original idea was launched with the help of more than 100 style icons including Kate Moss and Elton John who provided personal images to support the project. Be A Bag was an instant success and has now launched in more than 20 countries benefiting over 20 charities around the world. 2007 saw the launch of I’m Not a Plastic Bag in collaboration with the global social change movement We Are What We Do. Anya wanted to use her influence in a positive way make it fashionable not to use plastic bags. The limited edition canvas totes sold for just £5.
The Anya Hindmarch Bespoke Collection was two years in the making. It embodies everything that Anya loves – designs that start with great craftsmanship and beautiful materials, individual pieces that are made personally for you, hidden details that are both practical and surprising, old fashioned touches and finishes, personalisation so that you can be creative, your name hand tooled on your chosen product, packaging that is as special as the contents, pieces that will solve those endless present dilemmas.
Anya’s designs are worn by many of the world’s most glamorous celebrities including Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Madonna, Claudia Schiffer, Angelina Jolie, Naomi Watts, Jourdan Dunn and Reese Witherspoon.Besides being sold at Le Mill Mumbai, the brand is also stocked in the world’s leading department stores and boutiques including Corso Como in Milan, Dover Street Market in London, colette in Paris, Net-a-Porter.com, isetan in Japan and Saks and Scoop in the US.
