All About Anya Hindmarch

photo by nameless users / CC BY

Anya Hindmarch began her huge handbag empire in a simple but effective way. After a stint studying abroad in Italy she fell in love with the Italian leather bags that she saw women carrying, and she decided to bring them over to the UK and sell them. After a successful first attempt, Hindmarch continued sourcing Italian leather bags between 1987-1992, as well as having her own designs made by a factory in Italy. These bags were then sold in luxury stores in London, New York, Japan, France and Italy. It wasn't until the factory began selling directly to Harvey Nichols - cutting her out of the equation - that Anya Hindmarch opened her own store and the brand was born.

6 More Amazing Handbag Collection YouTube Videos for Designer Bag Obsessives

Photo by Tyler Pruitt / CC BY

Designer handbag collection videos make for compulsive viewing. For me, they fill that void when I'm trying to stay away from expensive purchases, but they are actually also very helpful when you want some inspiration on what to buy next. This is the second time that I've gathered together amazing handbag collection YouTube videos, and I think that I'm even happier with this selection! If you love designer bags, and if you love discovering new YouTubers, then take some time out and dive into the wardrobes of these five amazing women - I don't think that you'll regret it!

Mansur Gavriel's Breakout Success

photo by Anne-Marii / CC BY / edited: resized, sharper

Founded in 2012, Mansur Gavriel might be a new brand but their high-quality Italian leather bags are carried by some of the most fashionable women in the world. Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel came up with the concept for the brand in 2010, aspiring to create pieces with a "casual but elegant" aesthetic that were free from hardware and logos. Additionally, the founders were very keen to make their bags from traditional vegetable tanned leather, a material that they both loved but that is more often associated with men's accessories. Indeed, all of their aesthetic decisions turned out to be spot-on, and their break-out design - the bucket bag - was a roaring success, proving that vegetable tanned leather goods can carry some serious cool-factor.

3 Modern Designer Bag Brands Worth Checking Out

photo by Lauren Beck / CC BY / edited: resized, sharper

As much as I love classic designer brands, sometimes there's something fun about branching out and trying something fresh and new. I very rarely invest in brand new bags, because quite frankly the pre-loved designer bag market is just so good, but I know I can be tempted by special pieces from more affordable modern brands. In fact, there are a couple of bags that I've spied online and am keen to add to my collection - and I'm going to share them with you today.

Just a bit of background on my taste in bags; I'm a real sucker for special (especially handmade) leather clutches. I typically only carry clutch bags to parties and events, but that's why I like wearing special pieces. These bags tend to get a lot of attention and I'll often get asked all sorts of questions about the brands and designs - and where they're available to purchase. If you're anything like me, you'll know that there is a special pleasure in carrying something unique or rare, something that your friends probably don't own. So if you're into being a little bit different then I think you'll enjoy the three brands featured in today's post. They're all great examples of new, modern designers producing interesting and wearable pieces, and the price points are low enough that they don't feel like too much of an investment. 

The Allure of Alexander Wang's Dressed-Up Casual

Photo by mangostar  / CC BY

When you read about Alexander Wang online, the words you'll see everywhere are "model off-duty". This seems to have become the presiding definition of Wang's dressed-up casual style, that effortless-looking brand of chic that's both cool and somehow smart, without actually conforming to what we've come to know as "smart".

The Étienne Aigner/Aigner Munich Split

photo by fervent-adepte-de-la-mode / CC BY

Étienne Aigner (pronounced et-tee-an / on-yay) apprenticed with Christian Dior and Cristóbal Balenciaga before moving to New York to launch his own eponymous brand. In 1950, Étienne Aigner began producing antic red leather bags (which have now become the brand's signature colour) and in 1959 Aigner opened his first showroom in Manhattan, New York. Since then, the brand has grown into a worldwide success with major offices in Munich and New York. Currently, these offices are owned by different companies with their own e-commerce sites, and you can purchase different handbag designs from either site.