In our first Power List interview since the launch last week we profile Anna Mason, founder of her eponymous womenswear maison, and former Walpole Brand of Tomorrow. Read on to discover what she's most excited about for 2022...
20th Jan 2022
What does it mean to you to be named in the Walpole 2022 Power List? This award means a huge amount to me. It is affirmation of what I set out to do every single day as the founder and creative director of Anna Mason London. In Walpole my luxury womenswear business has found strength in community and I am delighted that through this platform I have the chance to represent the British fashion industry. ‘Power' in its literal sense is about acting in a particular way to direct and influence others. That’s a concept I shall hold onto as a voice for British luxury.’
What have you achieved in the past year that you are most proud of? I’m incredibly proud of myself and my small team for navigating the trials that nearly two pandemic years have thrown at us. Despite the enormous challenges of the team at times - working from home, grappling with Brexit and its production impact, pivoting designs and production towards the changing customer agenda and ramping up for an increasingly digital world - we have achieved a huge ambition in the opening of our new atelier and showroom in a Grade II listed building in Belgravia, central London.
What is 2022 set to look like for your business? We go into 2022 with plans to spread and deepen our roots as a British luxury business. Anna Mason London is unusual in that we operate from a central design hub, where our customer showroom and our design and production atelier share the same site. This brings the customer closer to our craftsmanship and allows me to bring more production on site, so many items can be British-made as well as designed here. By extension, I want to collaborate with other British brands, materials, suppliers and production specialists. Another focus will be on the US market, where we have already made strides with partnerships with NET-A-PORTER, Saks and other, smaller retailers. We have a considerable following amongst US influencers and style-setters and our customer base there is growing every day. We’ll also continue with sustainability plans. Everything we do will be filtered through a lens focused on minimising environmental impact, promoting ’slow fashion’ values and championing craft skills in our sector.
What are you most looking forward to professionally for 2022? 2022 will see a number of brand collaborations curated by me, showcasing the best of British artistic and design talents. These will be supported with events and initiatives to attract customers, both in my new Maison and online. I know that my broader taste-aesthetic appeals to other sectors beyond luxury womenswear, so expect to see launches from Anna Mason London in other areas.
And personally? Like many others I’m looking forward to hopefully being able to travel more freely. Diana Vreeland once said, “the eye has to travel”. That is so true for a creative person - not only travel in the physical sense but to be able to experience culture, fashion, music, food - it all informs my creative direction and output.
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