Recently, students of MA Fashion Retail Management were invited to join Anya Hindmarch on New Bond Street to celebrate the SS15 Sticker Shop Collection in collaboration with Charlotte Stockdale.
This exclusive event hosted by Monique, Anya Hindmarch’s event marketing managers, and the lovely New Bond Street team was a unique multi-sensory brand experience.
The whole journey began with ticking off names from the guest list, entering the store after regular opening hours and enjoying a brief chat with drinks. After the welcoming start, Monique showed us Anya Hindmarch’s latest A/W 16 fashion show at LFW and introduced the SS15 collection which was on display in the shop.
MA Fashion Retail students pay a visit to Anya Hindmarch to see the SS15 collection
The SS15 collection is based on a sticker album, inspired by times as a teenager, where collecting and exchanging stickers was so much fun. For the stickers collection Anya Hindmarch collaborated with Charlotte Stockdale to create luxurious real leather stickers for customers to personalize anything from handbags, wallets to smartphone covers. With that in mind, Monique urged us to experience the shop as a place to have fun, to play with the products and not just look at them, to make pictures with sticker props in front of the selfie wall and enjoy the brand.
We had the honourable opportunity of a guided tour through the store. On the first floor, Anya Hindmarch showcases the bespoke area, with one-of-a-kind luxury items like handbags, clutches, wallets or even multilayered jewellery boxes where customers can choose various colours, materials, and shapes for their products.
Definitively the place to go for personalized gifts, Anya Hindmarch´s bespoke floor also has a well hidden gem: the atelier. Accompanied by a distinctive sensuous ambient scent and delicious canapés we were introduced to the craftsman who makes personalisation happen. It was amazing to watch him at work – embossing initials or handwriting to customise products.
MA Fashion Retail students meet the Atelier at Anya Hindmarch
Anya’s goal is to connect the craftsman back to the customers, sustaining the relationship between the product and how it is made. The theme of personalisation continues elsewhere: Handwritten messages of goodwill and congratulations are written on the wall and framed inspirations are showcased. You truly feel the spirit of Anya in the shop.
MA Fashion Retail students see the Atelier at work at Anya Hindmarch
The lovely evening ended with a selfie contest and a lottery where one of our cohorts won a beautiful cobalt-blue Anya Hindmarch clutch, which was embossed by the craftsman afterwards to add her personal touch. Experiencing a luxury brand on that unique level allowed us to learn about craftsmanship, enjoy luxury from a fun point of view and connect with Anya Hindmarch as a brand that goes well beyond stickers and handbags.
So many thanks to Anya Hindmarch & Monique and the team for having us!
Words by Stefanie Dorfer, MA Fashion Retail student.
- MA Fashion Retail Management
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