Be a Bag!

We are a bag! An Anya Hindmarch wash bag that is!

This is something that Mum had always wanted – for years! It was the tote bag that she wanted but she never knew which photo to put on it. Time passed and they were no longer making them. But a couple of months ago, they relaunched Be A Bag!

We visited the store at The Village on Pont Street.

There were six styles to choose from …

After debating long and hard, Mum chose a wash bag because this way she can take it with her whenever she travels.

In conjunction, they had a pop-up studio at Anya Hindmarsh’s Village where we could have our photo taken by Rhian Ap Gruffydd, a portrait and reportage photographer who specialises in capturing dogs in her trademark style.

And George flirted …

We had a choice of the same photo on either side of the wash bag or a different photo – it wasn’t a difficult decision. Mum knew exactly the photo that she wanted to put on the other side.

And voila! We are a BAG!

We had to wait a few weeks for the wash bag to be customised. Finally last Thursday we were told we could go to collect it.

May’s comment: Anya Hindmarch launched Be A Bag as a charity project twenty years ago. Capitalising on the advent of digital printing, she saw an opportunity to create a little piece of magic, allowing customers to create personalised bags that marked special moments.

The response to the original Be A Bag was extraordinary – queues formed around the block on Pont Street, personalised bags adorned the arms of everyone from Elton John to Kate Moss and the project benefitted 11 cancer charities internationally.

I, too wanted one but just couldn’t decide on the perfect photo for the tote bag I wanted. It was only when Darcy became a part of my life, I knew it was her face that I wanted on the bag. I had inquired, but they reluctantly offered the service. And I never got around to it. Well, I guess that was lucky because then George came along. I would have needed two bags!

A couple of months ago, they relaunched Be A Bag at The Village’s pop up shop.

The collection includes six new styles, crafted in an innovative cotton-canvas feel fabric that is created from recycled plastic bottles, and finished with luxurious leather trims.

This time around, Be A Bag is supporting The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, a charity very close to Anya.

And so with the choice to these very raw images of Darcy and George by Rhian Ap Gruffydd …

And along with my favourite photo of the three of us captured by Raven Imagery when we were in Marazion, CornwallI I finally got my Be A Bag decades later – with photos of my two loves.

And this wash bag will travel with me everywhere.