STYLE
QUINTESSENTIALLY
BRITISH AND ICONIC Creative Director of the quintessential, iconic luxury leather goods company, Aspinal of London’s Mariya Dykalo, describes the brand as a mix of the best of British culture; the refined English elegance and that innovative London cool.
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hen Iain Burton founded Aspinal of London, he was working with some of the biggest museums around the world, such as The Louvre, The Vatican, and The National Portrait Galleries, supplying them with beautiful stationery made in England. His original business was creating and supplying audio guides, this then evolved into Aspinal of London. Over the years he adapted and in 2009 Aspinal of London introduced their first line of bags. Asking Mariya, in how she got involved with Aspinal of London, she went on to say; it was actually whilst studying at college, I was on an internship, and to be honest, I have never looked back- working my way through the creative company, to becoming the Creative Director back in 2014, it has been amazing to evolve and grow with the brand. She reflects on her proudest moments, “When I see men and women wearing Aspinal of London bags. There is no better feel-
22 | VELVET Fall 2018
ing than walking down the street and seeing someone with one of our bags, they really are like my babies. So much time and effort are spent on perfecting them, so seeing people enjoying them is priceless. Each presentation is so exciting, they are like a celebration of everything Aspinal of London and they really represent the timeless elegance behind the brand. I knew I was meant to work in the luxury leather market because… I knew I was meant to work in the luxury leather market as ever since I was a little girl, as I dreamt of being a fashion designer. Thankfully, my Mother was always very stylish and immersed me in the world of fashion from a young age, surrounding me with lots of fashion magazines. She always made me beautiful handmade dresses which inspired me at thirteen years old to enrol on a pattern making course after which I started making my own clothes. After school I studied at a Design College for 3 years, followed by a 6-year Master’s in Design and
