Noticed an ‘Empowering Sweatshirt’ making its way through Instagram? That would be the work of US-based designer Anine Bing.
Creating the coolest essentials to build an effortless wardrobe for a modern woman, Bing is consistently inspired by her Scandinavian heritage mixed with the laid-back spirit of Los Angeles.
Born in Denmark, she started out as a model before launching her eponymous fashion label which struck a chord with shoppers instantly, with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Kendall Jenner being amongst some of her A-list fans.
Now she continues to deliver minimalist pieces at a contemporary price point, while expertly documenting her personal and work life on Instagram – a platform she attributes a lot of her success to.
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What was your favourite subject at school?
Growing up, I loved creating my own clothes, and I always preferred the more creative subjects like art, music and writing.
What was your first job?
I learned to work hard from an early age. My very first job was when I lived in Sweden. I was biking 5 miles every Sunday to a local restaurant and cleaning before they opened. In my teenage years, I started modelling and that was my first taste of the fashion industry and I fell in love.
What inspired you to launch Anine Bing?
I always dreamed of launching a modern-day luxury fashion house. I wanted to create a wardrobe for the modern woman that felt approachable, effortless and not overcomplicated. The multifaceted woman leads a very busy life––between work, family, and kids––so quality and craftsmanship are very important to me when it comes to designing pieces that are intended to last a long time.
When launching a D2C brand, I knew that I needed to take an innovative approach to be recognized and trusted as an authority in the marketplace. It’s critical to keep the consumer engaged, which is why I decided to focus on the “see now, buy now” model, which at the time, was breaking new ground in the fashion industry. We continue to launch new pieces every week and regularly restock our Classics Collection, a curated assortment of timeless styles, including suiting separates, everyday layers, leather jackets and more that our customers keep coming back to us for.
What are the key elements of your role?
In the beginning, I was wearing so many hats and crossing over into different facets of the business. I wanted to fully understand every function in order to be able to grow the brand. I can still remember packing and shipping orders straight from our office. Now I’m very lucky to have an incredible team with specialized expertise— we learn from each other every single day.
The key elements of my role now are within design, creative and content creation. I work very closely with the design team every day to solidify new collections. I also love aligning with my creative team to build out concepts behind each collection.
As the Founder, I work super closely with all the team leads on a daily basis to understand the business on all levels. Another area where I spend a lot of my time is with the buying and planning team—we work together on deciding what styles to buy and build out blueprints for each collection. My strength is definitely identifying and creating the styles and imagery for the seasonal campaigns. But I truly love learning from all my teams each day.
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Talk us through your daily routine.
I have always been a morning person, so I love getting up early and having time to myself to get ready and make coffee and breakfast for my family.
During this time, now that schools are closed, we have set up our own little office in our dining room so that we can work together as a family. I begin with home schooling and setting them up on their Zoom calls before I get started with my work for the day.
I have calls and meetings most of the day with my different teams to make sure we’re aligned on our upcoming projects. Between calls I like to shoot content and get out for an afternoon walk. Evenings are typically quiet, I like to eat dinner with my family and put a movie on before bed.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
My advice would be to have a strong aesthetic and brand image. Stay true to yourself and your vision.
Which fashion brands can we find in your work wardrobe?
I only wear ANINE BING, it’s my go-to uniform. I’m super proud of my brand, and I only create pieces I stand behind a hundred per cent, which is why I like to wear my brand every day.
For workout clothes I like to wear APL sneakers and Alo leggings. I love mixing in vintage a d designer purses as well. Chanel and Hermes are my favourite investment pieces, they’re so timeless and chic.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Stay true to yourself and always trust your gut. When you know something is right, allow your intuition to guide you.
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Images: Instagram
