UK bag and accessories designer Anya Hindmarch is opening her first standalone store in Singapore this month.
Hindmarch is known for her colourful bags with their symbols, smiley faces, googly eyes and pixelated Space Invaders aliens. Her 2014 fall/winter collection included clutch bags resembling Kellogg’s Frosties and Coco Pops cereal boxes, and customers can have their bags personalised with alphabet or symbol “stickers” made of embossed goat leather.
The new Anya Hindmarsh Singapore store, opening on September 24, will take up 538 sqft (50 sqm) at Takashimaya Department Store on Orchard Road.
For the launch of her latest spring/summer collection at London Fashion Week, gymnasts and mirrors were arranged on set to give guests the illusion they were looking into a kaleidoscope. At the show for her autumn/winter 2013 collection, the stage was set with 50,000 dominoes, toppling along a winding track. Her domino-themed clutches and bags then rose from hidden trapdoors.
“I think bags can really make a difference to how a woman feels and the ‘role’ she plays,” says Hindmarch, who has five children. “They also have to work. Functionality is very important.”
As an example, her Italian-made tote bags are roomy and have multiple pockets with zippers. She also designs backpacks and crossbody bags that leave the wearer hands-free.
The bespoke service will not be offered at the new Singapore store yet, and the brand’s first men’s collection, launched in London in July, will not be available in Singapore either.
Since launching in 1987, the brand has expanded to include ready-to-wear items. It has 56 stores in nine countries, with 23 standalone boutiques in Asia, and counts British model Kate Moss among its fans.
