Anya Hindmarch

Anya Hindmarch (born 1968), is an English fashion accessories designer. Aged 16, she was given an old Gucci handbag by her mother.


At that point, she was planning to attend University. The bag, however, made her feel so good that she dropped her plans of going to University and instead, she went to Florence and learned how to speak italian.

Noticing that a drawstring leather duffel bag was increasingly popular among fashionable women, Hindmarch borrowed $1,000 to import some bags to England from Italy.
She sent it to a fashion magazine, Harpers and Queen, and the publicity that followed the magazine's article, allowed Hindmarch to sell 500 such bags.
After learning to produce her own bags in Hackney, inspired by Margaret Thatcher, Hindmarch opened a small shop in Walton Street, London at age 19.
Following the success of the discreet shop in London, December 1995 marked the opening of the shop in Hong Kong to much acclaim. It was the first Hindmarch shop in Asia.

In 1997, on the company's tenth anniversary, a second store was opened in London. February 1999 welcomed the first Hindmarch concession within the world famous store Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge.

Every season a collection of approximately 45 handbags (each adopting its name from various London streets) covering day, evening, informal and formal wear is produced.

In 2007 Hindmarch, in collaboration with the global social change movement We Are What We Do, designed the global sell out tote bag I’m Not A Plastic Bag, using her influence in a positive way to make it fashionable not to use plastic bags. The limited edition canvas totes sold for £5, launching in four limited edition colours around the world, and were selected by Vanity Fair to be included in their "Oscars" goodie bags.


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