Five questions with... ANYA HINDMARCH
The British designer known for her quirky style popped into Singapore for the opening of her new standalone boutique in Takashimaya department store. BAZAAR steals a chat with her.
Your fall/winter 2013 Cascade presentation was such a treat. How was that idea conceived?
Thank you! As the collection was inspired by games, I thought it would be fun to work with the world domino champion Robin Weijers who builds incredible sets out of dominoes that are almost art installations. His team of eight very steady handed domino builders spent five days covering our set with 60,000 dominoes by hand, to create the domino runs and tricks. As they tumbled down, our bags were revealed. The intricate and time consuming set up meant that there could be no rehearsal, just one chance to get it right. It was a fun and nerve-racking project but it made people smile.
What has been your career highlight so far?
When I received my MBE from the Queen.
Should every accessories maker have an iconic bag?
[Yes], iconic bags give a strong identity to a brand. They last through the history of the brand and are always recognisable in a collection, which is what makes them so special. They are styles that cannot be forced but come from the huge support that loyal customers give and want to buy over and over again in new colours, finishes and treatments.
You’ve managed to maintain your tongue-in-cheek signature, collection after collection. How much of that reflects your own personality?
I like my designs to have a sense of humour and an element of fun for the main line. I love the fact that our collections are not just about a fashion season but about sealing a moment in time. That’s very important to me and the way it reflects my personality is that I love to have things that last, and have meaning, memories and stories attached to them.
What is it about fashion that excites you the most?
I love fashion that was not made as fashion but ends up being fashion because of the way that it is worn—say for example a beautiful piece of estate jewellery that’s been worn in a nonchalant style as a hair slide.