Designer name: Andrew Bunney
Origin: England
Design background: Andrew originally worked as a buyer specialising in vintage clothing in the US, but has worked for many different companies in different capacities, generally as a designer or design consultant. He has worked with Visvim, and designed for Nike. Recently he worked as Creative Director to re-launch the English brand Dr. Martens.
Bunney started as a jewellery line that seeks to make simple things look beautiful, intriguing and understandable. Taking on the spirit of the city where it resides, Bunney embodies the insouciant attitude towards dressing so characteristic of Londoners. Bunney pieces are meant for use with clothing and encourage the wearer to consider and compose a variety of combinations. From the product down to the packaging, everything is made in workshops around England, and each piece is hand-finished with care and attention before being hallmarked at the Goldsmiths Company, responsible since 1300 for testing the quality of gold and silver.
Design signatures: “A juggle between making something that is simple and understandable, with something that is special enough to have a new or fresh character.”
Career highlight: “Whenever I see a stranger wearing something that I've made or designed, it's a highlight.”
How would you describe your ideal customer? “I'm not looking to make mass-products, but I want to make things that could appeal to a wide variety of people, male or female, of any age... So it is more about the understanding, and someone who can appreciate the spirit more than anything else.”
Trademark piece: “Up until now, it would be either studs, badges or padlocks...”
Three autumn/winter 2012 inspirations: “The Derek Ridgers archive, Grange Hill and Bonhams estate auctions.”
What does 2012 hold for your brand? “To steadily develop new products and to see more people wear them.”
What is your favourite decade in fashion? “I like all of them in one way or another since the fifties. Beyond the style or products themselves, I'm interested in how people choose to wear or interact with their clothing. I want to see the spirit of the wearer come through.”
Where do you go in London to seek artistic inspiration? “It can be found anywhere in London, but generally I like to visit the museums when it's cold and the parks when it’s hot.”