Accessories designer Anya Hindmarch visited Dublin this week to launch a pop-up shop at Brown Thomas, Grafton Street. Her offering ranges from the quirky to the classic — and always ultra organised — with sustainability at its heart
The Eyes Crystal Embellished Drawstring Pouch, €490
A selection of designs by Anya Hindmarch, who has a new pop-up at Brown Thomas Grafton Street
The Anya Life Eyes Teapot, €140
Anya Hindmarch at an exclusive lunch event to celebrate the launch of her new Anya Hindmarch pop-up at Brown Thomas Grafton Street. Photo: Kieran Harnett
The Mortimer top handle bag, €1,995, Anya Hindmarch
Dublin’s reputation as a place to live may have taken a bit of a kicking in recent times, but one style expert still has a positive view on things. “It’s so sophisticated and beautiful that you’re really lucky to live here,” Anya Hindmarch says of the capital.
The acclaimed accessories designer — who, in June, was made a dame by Britain’s King Charles in recognition of her services to fashion and business — was in the city to launch her first pop-up boutique at Brown Thomas. Housed in the Grafton Street store, it features her main line of classic leather handbags, as well as more quirky homewares and accessories.
A selection of designs by Anya Hindmarch, who has a new pop-up at Brown Thomas Grafton Street
Over lunch at Wilde in The Westbury hotel, she spoke about how she began working in fashion at age 18 — spending time in Florence, home to some of the world’s leading leather craftspeople — before later launching her own brand. “For me, the point of a beautiful handbag is actually how it makes you feel,” she told invited guests. “Somehow you stand a bit taller, you look people in the eye, you almost forget what you’re wearing. And, of course, a handbag is about leaving home and having what you need. Feeling organised, feeling together and feeling you can cope with anything.”
Though being prepared and being creative are often thought to be mutually exclusive, Hindmarch tells me that “you need to be organised to be creative”. Organisation is a cornerstone of her offering; her Labelled collection has a designated pocket for everything from phone and sunglasses to earphones and keys, each marked in gold embossed letters. “It’s a system of prompting yourself to feel in control when you’re out of control.” Her designs include a baby changing bag for new mums and “pieces that organise you when you travel and essentially just tell you how to pack”.
The Eyes Crystal Embellished Drawstring Pouch, €490
Irreverence is also key, as illustrated by the Labels line, which offers a designer take on familiar brands such as Pritt Stick, Polo Mints, Kit Kat, Diet Coke and Heinz Tomato Ketchup. Though playful, the pieces are a substantial investment: a Love Hearts keyring charm costs €195, while a Kellog’s Rice Krispies sequinned mini tote will set you back €1,490.
The reason for these price tags is that Hindmarch says she doesn’t believe in “silly” fashion, and puts craft and sustainability at the heart of her brand — something she’s been doing since long before it became a fashion industry buzzword.
The Mortimer top handle bag, €1,995, Anya Hindmarch
In 2007, her I Am Not A Plastic Bag project highlighted the amount of plastic going to landfill; in 2019 she repurposed that waste to create the popular I Am A Plastic Bag line. “I care desperately about how things are made. I don’t think there’s any luxury in things that are doing harm.”
To that end, during this year’s London Fashion Week, Hindmarch closed her stores in the city and filled them with 90,000 used plastic bottles in the hopes of connecting people to the enormity of the waste issue. “Sometimes when you see the problem, you realise that you need to change your behaviour.”
brownthomas.com
