HOW THE PENCIL CASE BECAME AUTUMN’S HOTTEST FASHION ACCESSORY - OFFICE PRODUCT SECTOR UPDATE
30 AUGUST 2024
New shoes are nice, but have you ever experienced the unequivocal joy of a shiny new pencil case or a box of pin-sharp graphite HB pencils teamed with a crisp new jotter?
Anya Hindmarch has yet to find something more appealing. “I really look forward to this time of year,” the accessory designer and lifelong diary obsessive tells me. “It’s the beginning of things, it means a clean and fresh notebook that’s full of promise, and putting all your new things in a brand-new pencil case. I find it deeply satisfying.”
Her affection for September, and the sense of renewal that comes with it, has become a crucial part of Hindmarch’s business calendar. Just as fashion consumers think of the month as a time to update their wardrobes, for Hindmarch it’s new stationery season and a time to offer fans of her luxury notepads, files and beautiful but light-heartedly designed pencil cases an update.
“I am happy to spend money on these things because they give me pleasure in the same way that a beautiful new pair of shoes would,” she tells me. “And sometimes you sort of feel like you’ve got enough shoes.”
As proof of her dedication to the back-to-school feeling, Hindmarch shows me one of her brand’s bestselling room diffusers. The playful pot releases the unique scent of pencil shavings. “It’s delicious: one sniff and I immediately think of a new term, a new start, a new school satchel,” she says.