The beloved British accessories designer turns to playful influences to breathe a little life and laughter into luxury.
Plenty of designer bags have sparked wait-list frenzies throughout the years, but only Anya Hindmarch has managed to incite a legitimate riot. Her “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” tote — the British designer’s most famous, and infamous, creation (a collaboration with the nonprofit We Are What We Do) — drew lines in the thousands across Britain upon its launch in 2007; by the time it was released in Taiwan, it caused a mall stampede that sent 30 shoppers to the hospital. Hindmarch’s luxury leather goods continue to inspire a fervent following, albeit a more peaceful one, for their balance of impeccable craftsmanship, custom detailing and irrepressible whimsy, a mix Hindmarch has been refining since she launched her line in 1987. She was only 19 at the time, but even before then — the moment she inherited a Gucci bag from her mother at 16, to be exact — “I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” Hindmarch says. “There are just so many different roles that women play, and bags help fulfill those roles. They’re quite mood-altering.” Now, Hindmarch — named a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 — oversees a staff of 300 and 58 stores, including a new bespoke boutique inside Bergdorf Goodman where, as in all her stores, items can be embossed with messages in the customer’s own handwriting. Her sly sense of humor and Pop sensibility are evident not only in her collections but also in her taste for art and design. “I tend to enjoy playing with things that seem ordinary,” she says, “but doing them in an extraordinary way.”
