Ask any woman about their first 'proper' handbag and they'll be able to recall it in detail. The colour, the shape, the way it felt when they carried it, how they styled it. It's an experience that becomes an enduring memory.
For accessories designer and Anthro collaborator Danielle Foster the experience shaped both her career and the signature silhouettes that make up her unique collection. Here, she recalls the moment she found her first 'proper' handbag.
"I still remember the day that I found ‘the one’. I was 17 and working in a small boutique in Market Harborough. On my lunch break I’d head to the charity shop around the corner and scour the place from top to bottom, hunting for something special. I walked through the door one day and there it was: my first designer handbag.
To Have & Hold
Danielle Foster on
Handbags
As told to Leanne Mascoll Wheaton
"It was old, but the brown pebbled leather had aged beautifully, the short strap – meant for a hand – slipped snuggly over my shoulder, and the tiny silhouette made it light to carry. Most importantly for my Saturday-job salary, it was an absolute bargain. I was ecstatic. I carried it everywhere and wore it with everything from pretty dresses to my go-to uniform at the time of flared jeans and a t-shirt.
"When I look back, my obsession with accessories pre-dates that discovery. Ask my parents and they’ll tell you all about the nightmarish check-in experiences they endured during family holidays – my suitcase woefully overweight, frantically redistributing more handbags and shoes than one-person could possibly wear on a one-week holiday. But this charity shop find was the first handbag that really felt special. It definitely sparked a passion for quality craftsmanship, and an appreciation for the durability of leather.
"When I look back, my obsession with accessories pre-dates that discovery. Ask my parents and they’ll tell you all about the nightmarish check-in experiences they endured during family holidays – my suitcase woefully overweight, frantically redistributing more handbags and shoes than one-person could possibly wear on a one-week holiday. But this charity shop find was the first handbag that really felt special. It definitely sparked a passion for quality craftsmanship, and an appreciation for the durability of leather.
"When I started developing the silhouettes that make up my own collection, I thought about the things I’d learnt during the years I’d spent with my thrifted bag. My designs were in part a reaction to not being able to find something equally as effortless to carry. I searched high and low and all I could find was fussy closures and one too many pockets. That’s when I realised there was a space in the market for something more minimalist. Stripping everything back felt obvious, but it also felt new and inventive because no one else was doing it.
"The closures on my bags are sculptural yet uncomplicated to use. The mixture of textures and colours in the leathers are pared back and balanced. The quality of every piece – all handcrafted in London – intended to stand the test of time. And there isn’t an unnecessary pocket in sight. In some ways, it’s all a little tribute to that much-loved handbag."
"The closures on my bags are sculptural yet uncomplicated to use. The mixture of textures and colours in the leathers are pared back and balanced. The quality of every piece – all handcrafted in London – intended to stand the test of time. And there isn’t an unnecessary pocket in sight. In some ways, it’s all a little tribute to that much-loved handbag."