Anya Hindmarch

Handbags and shoes - two of my great loves and worthy of many a post - Birkins and Blahniks anyone?  I shall be doing a longer post on handbags soon but in the meantime thought I would feature one of my favourite UK handbag designers:

Anya Hindmarch.

Photo: Laura Hynd

I have been a fan of hers for over a decade - she has taken her handbag and accessories label and built it up into a luxury brand through hard graft and steely determination, always promoting the best of British craftsmanship through her classic designs. From the humble beginnings of a leather duffel bag back in 1987 she now has 54 stores worldwide and an annual turnover in excess of £20 million.  I saved up for one of her Be a Bag bags when they were first launched in 2001 in aid of the Lavender Trust, a Breast Cancer charity set up by Justine Picardie when her younger sister Ruth sadly died of the disease.  The bespoke personalised bags have now benefited 31 charities and I still have my trusty bag and love it as much today.

I'm a Bag!

It's a bit battered and bashed and I used it as a changing bag when the boys were small, but that makes it all the more cherished. (Yes, that's me on the left, St. Ives, Cornwall 1968).

Fast forward to The Spring/Summer 2013 'Pomp & Pleasure' campaign - I love the name. Amidst the artistic and literary references, you can just wallow in the vibrant colours and clever composition of these spreads. The bags don't immediately jump out at you, but that's one of the things I love about the images, you just keep looking. As for the bags themselves, well, we're talking class, functionality and objects of sheer beauty.

The Bathurst

The Carker

The Seymour

The Ebury

The Courtney

The bespoke possibilities for your bag are myriad: secret messages inside, initials on the outside, drawings - whatever you want you can have - at a price of course, but this would be a Mother's Day/birthday present to remember and treasure for always... English Gent, are you taking notes?