Aspinal of London is renowned for its luxury handbags – what do you think makes them so special?

Aspinal bags are made to be loved for a lifetime, our quality is similar to the household brand names but our prices are much more purse-friendly. We listen to what our customers want and create collections - with that in mind. We hope that when someone buys Aspinal, they love their bag and keep coming back for years to come.

The Spring/Summer ‘16 collection featured bright colours and prints – what can we expect for Autumn/Winter ‘16?

Without giving too much away, we are very excited about this collection. It’s taking customers on a journey through the heritage of Aspinal and into the future of where we see the brand going. There are some new bag styles that we are sure will be a hit and we can’t wait to share the vision at London Fashion Week.

Where does inspiration for your designs come from?

The inspiration comes from so many different places, often unexpected! I comb through vintage books and stories, art, movies, architecture and furniture pulling together moods and themes. I then present the mood board for the season to the design team who extract colours and leather ideas as a starting point. The most exciting part is the actual sketching of the designs, where I lock myself away in the studio pencilling new bag styles and features which will, in time, become the new collection.

If you were to use just one bag from the SS16 collection, what would it be?

I love the new Chameleon tote that launched in September at London Fashion Week. A true tribute to the art of personalisation, the Chameleon allows customers to create their own version of the best-selling Marylebone Midi tote. I love being able to change the strap colour or handles on my tote so it always matches with my outfit; we have something like 30,000 colour combinations available and keep adding to it! It was created to meet the demand for instant gratification, so customers can create their own unique bag and walk away within minutes. It is also tech enabled so I can keep all my gadgets charged up throughout the day.

Who would you like to see wearing Aspinal handbags?

We are lucky to have the support of so many celebrities and influencers, it’s always exciting to see who will be wearing Aspinal next.

What do the next few years bring for Aspinal of London?

Continued innovation in our field, whether in tech or personalisation. Not ones to rest on our laurels, we want to constantly push our brand further, creating covetable classics as well as fashion-forward pieces to cater for the new market. We are also looking to expand our retail offering further through partners and new store openings.

Mariya Dykalo Talks Aspinal of London

As Aspinal of London prepares to showcase its Autumn/Winter '16 presentation, we sit down with creative director Mariya Dykalo to find out more about the collection.