Discovering Sophie Hulme

“I’ve always been fascinated with packaging – things that you keep other things in,” says British accessories designer Sophie Hulme, inside her home in Islington, North London. “When I got Christmas presents as a kid, I was more interested in the boxes they came in, so that I could make something out of them.”

Most children would simply play with the packaging; few could have parlayed that fascination into becoming one of the hottest names in handbag design. Boasting clean lines, sturdy, luxurious leather (of the type used to make saddles) and her signature gold plate details, Hulme’s minimalist bags embody a skillful melding of classic silhouettes with a masculine and utilitarian edge – and a staunchly anti-logo stance. “There were a lot of ‘it’ bags and logo-based products around when I was starting out and I was really tired of seeing them,” she says. “I wanted to take things back to basics and make beautiful, timeless things that are not fashion based."

Before the launch of her exclusive evening bag line for Lane Crawford, we spoke to the designer about London life, vintage charms and collecting beautiful objects that inspire.

What sparked your interest in fashion and accessories?: Both my mother and grandmother loved antique jewellery and they used to take me to specialist jewellery markets - that’s where my fascination for charms and beautiful pieces of design started. It’s still a massive influence in my designs.

“In France, they used to have these things called chatelaines (short chains used for carrying keys) that the lady who ran the chateau would have. They fascinated me. I started collecting them and now design modern versions. So, rather than having needle or match holders, we have chip forks and cocktail stirrers, which are what the modern woman needs!”

Your home is a converted toy factory – is that right?: Yes. The building has an amazing heritage. I moved in seven years ago as a flat share with friends but now it’s my home and studio. It used to be a toy factory and then a graphic design studio. Recently, someone found a photo of our studio with Francis Bacon laying out his art book with Derek Birdsall, who owned the graphic design studio.

There’s a minimal, Scandinavian feel to your house - was that your intention when decorating?: I love Scandinavian design - there’s a real sense of practicality and simplicity to it; there’s something really beautiful about that sort of functionality. And that rings true with what I try to do with the brand. I really wanted to go back to basics, using the best leather along with beautiful, gold-plated hardware.

How does being from and based in London influence you as a designer?: I like understatement - I don’t put logos on things and there’s a certain practicality and honesty to the way I design. I don’t like superfluous things and I like everything to function. At the same time, it’s all about things that mean something to you and stories that relate to you. I’m inspired by things like chip forks, which are a very British thing – I have spent a lot of time trying to explain to people from other places what a chip fork is!

What do you gravitate towards for your own wardrobe?: I love vintage clothes and like mixing them with great designer pieces. There’s something really exciting about discovering something that nobody else has, especially with everything being so connected these days. And I’d rather buy one really lovely thing and keep it forever instead of buying loads of things and chucking them away.

Can you tell us about your exclusive collection of evening bags for Lane Crawford?: We’ve launched a range of evening bags, taking core items from the range and remaking them in plexi glass. Plexi glass is an amazing material to work with - you can mold anything into it, like glitter and things that make it really fun for evening. We’ve done some special colourways especially for Lane Crawford’s customers.