Politics? Plastic bags? Anya Hindmarch has used her fashion genius for much more than her designer accessories. Here, she reveals why her current focus is bringing ‘luxury’ and ‘bespoke’ back to where they belong.
Anya Hindmarch has never been afraid to rock an unfashionable statement. Which is funny, given that she’s one of the UK’s top designers, famous for creating some of the world’s most coveted bags, shoes and accessories.
Take the ‘I’m not a plastic bag’ tote she designed in 2007. Despite efforts by some towns across the UK to ban plastic bags in the mid-noughties, and Ireland imposing a tax levy on them in 2002, the trend still wasn't catching on in Britain.
Then Hindmarch stepped in. Designing a limited edition canvas bag featuring those now immortal words, and costing a mere £5, the effect was instant. Not only did they sell out across the globe in all four colours (later popping up on eBay for up to £230 each), but research has since revealed the impact on the environment. Plastic bag usage in the UK was cut from 13.4bn in 2007 to 9.9bn a year later.
Her political affiliations have also been similarly unfashionable. A proud Conservative since youth, she’s not only a huge fan of Margaret Thatcher but has also been an important supporter and fundraiser for the Tory party in recent years. And, voila, David Cameron is now in office.
"I think my office was a bit nervous about getting my name, and hence the company name, involved in politics," admits the 41-year-old, who was at the Tory headquarters until 6am on election day in May.
"But if I’m passionate about something, I’ll do it. For me, politics made a difference to my life. It was one of the things that encouraged me to start my business and changed the country for the better. And I think it is now happening again."
“My office was a bit nervous about getting my name, and hence the company name, involved in politics. But if I’m passionate about something, I’ll do it”
Hindmarch has used this same magic for her fashion business. Her call card is taking quintessentially British products or brands that might be considered old or outdated, and making them must-have items again.
Her recent collaboration with Barbour is one such example. Injecting some cutting edge design into the traditional staple, her four newly launched jacket and coat designs already have a waiting list as long as an ogre’s arm.
Before that, her wicker basket hampers for Selfridges proved similarly popular, as have her beauty bags for BA’s First Class passengers over the last ten years.
Now though, she’s turning her focus to ‘luxury’ - a concept that’s become increasingly misunderstood, she says. "Everyone’s lost what luxury means. It’s about having things specially made for you and personalised for you, things that have stories with them."
Her Bespoke store on London’s Pont Street was launched as a direct response to this, selling only items that are unique and tailored to the individual, where personal embossing and interwoven pictures and messages are considered standard.
Her mother is the inspiration behind the store, having taught Hindmarch the power of personalised gifts since childhood. But if it was a lifetime in the making, the shop took just two and a half years to launch in September 2009 – smack bang in the middle of the British recession.
Hindmarch was undeterred. Having set up her handbag business in 1987 during the last recession, she’s using the lessons she learnt first time around. These have helped her grow to 51 stores world-wide with an estimated turnover of £20m and a client list that has included everyone from the Princess of Wales to Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.
"If you believe in something, you should always keep plugging ahead with it," she says. "You also have to think much longer-term than the immediate couple of years. And you need to remember that if there is still aspiration, and I don’t think anyone will lose aspiration, you’ll always have luxury in this country."
Longevity and aspiration is also the focus when it comes to designing her famous bags. "Spending thousands on something which is unfashionable the next season is ludicrous," she exclaims. "I make beautifully crafted bags that women invest in and can hand down to their children. That’s the difference."
Hindmarch was little more than a child herself when she first began designing. Hailing originally from Essex, it was on her gap year in Italy, while pursuing an opera singing career, that she discovered handbags.
Noticing a duffle bag design on the arm of all the Italian fashionistas which she thought her friends would like, she sought out a factory to produce some samples, brought a batch home and sold them through Harpers & Queen magazine.
Then just 18, she went on to launch a wholesale business, selling her designs to department stores including Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Bergdorf Goodman in New York, eventually launching her first UK store in Chelsea in 1993.
Family life came equally fast and furious for Hindmarch. Meeting the widow James Seymour at age 25, and marrying him two years later, she became mother to his three young children - aged one, three and four at the time - and went on to have two more of her own.
“I love my sleep, I do get tired and I’m actually quite lazy in some ways. But I wouldn’t be a very good stay-at-home mum. I’m better maxed out”
Life has been a juggle ever since, with her focus split between a full-time job, a punishing travel regime, five children and other pursuits which, alongside politics, include being a trustee of the Design Museum and Royal Academy of Arts, and co-chairing their summer exhibition with Tracey Emin for the past two years.
And yet Hindmarch insists she’s lazy. "I’m far from superwoman," she laughs. "I love my sleep, I do get tired and I’m actually quite lazy in some ways. But I wouldn't be very good at being a stay-at-home mum. I just love my job and am better maxed out."
With a hectic summer of children’s birthdays (a 21st and an 18th), media parties and political fundraising behind her for the moment, Hindmarch could sit comfortably. But she won't. There's just too many unfashionable statements to tackle.
Visit
Anya Hindmarch Bespoke
at 15-17 Pont Street, London SW1X 9EH
By Barbara Walshe
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