fashion

Meet the Designer: Anna Gray

Ahead of Mother’s Day, we sat down with one of RI's handbag designers, Anna Gray, to learn more about the new Mother’s Day handbag collection. Diving into all the nitty-gritty details, she tells us where she gets her inspiration, how the design process works, what makes this new collection special and so much more. Basically, it’s your exclusive back-stage pass to life on the Island. Consider yourself a groupie.

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Where do you go for inspiration when trying to design a new bag?

We take inspiration from everything and everywhere. Catwalks, inspiration trips, vintage shopping, street style, music, pop culture - the list could go on!

How do you work with different teams when creating a bag? How many people are there behind one product?

It takes a village to create one bag! As the in-house design team, we work with the buyers, merchandisers, tech team and suppliers to make the final bag come to life.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the design process for a River Island bag?

We start the design process by gathering all our research, pulling out macro and micro trends that help us create the look and feel of the season. From here, we start designing the key bags for the season. Once the designs are ready, they’re sent off to our suppliers who we will receive the bag samples from a few weeks later. Finally, our buying and merchandising teams work together to then get the bag into the stores.

How far in advance do you have to start designing new season collections?

We tend to start the process very far in advance, sometimes close to a year. However, we are constantly being reactive to current and emerging trends that may come up. We’re always looking for the next must-have bag!

What does a typical day look like on the RI design team?

It sounds cliché, but no day is ever the same. There’s a lot of collaborative working which one day can involve pulling trend packs, another day can be sketching and designing, and then I could be out doing shop reports and inspiration trips in-between.

Why do you think this bag is the perfect design for a Mother’s Day gift? What makes it special?

This satchel style is a key shape for the season and there’s so many ways to wear it. It’s one of those super versatile, goes-with-everything kind of bags. The branded hardware lock and the bright floral print really makes the bag feel like a River Island special that you can’t get anywhere else.

What is one piece of advice you’d give someone who wanted to enter the fashion industry?

Be open to all opportunities. I designed clothing at university and thought I would go into this. But, I got into designing handbags through coming to River Island and now I would never turn back – designing bags is what I love!

What’s one thing you always keep in your bag?

A River Island purse, of course!

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