Out and about....secret garden

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

I first met Sunita when I was taking pictures around the Chelsea Flower Show and The Kings Road.  She turned past me out of a shop she had just been in and had such great presence it only took a heart beat for me to turn after her. And what an interesting turn it turned out to be. Sunita who is originally from Malta is an accessories and jewelery designer. With the accessories, her obvious emphasis (from the images), is bags. After the shot Sunita kept in touch and invited me around to see more. How could a girl to resist, and of course I took my camera. Although the bag I first took her picture with was the wonderful over sized clutch her current collection is somewhat smaller. So after we took some more shots together I took the opportunity to ask her a few questions about the range and her influences.

Dvora: Why did you choose to be an accessories designer?
Sunita: I love handbags so it just felt like the natural thing to do, to start my own collection.

D: What were your influences for the two similar but quite different ranges in your collections?
S: I love bling, everywhere and on everything. So for the first part of this collection I have combined these two loves. For the second part and the cross over pieces I turned to my African and Indian influences. Having lived on both continents and been surrounded by wildlife in both I wanted to explore the textures and prints that come from there.

D: You use snakeskin in the second part of your collection, does this cause any ethical issues for you?
S: I do not use any endangered species in the making of my bags. The skins used are solely from water snakes or I use snake print on leather to allow for most peoples sentiments.

D: Is your work rescticted to what we see in your collection?
S: No, I enjoy making bespoke/custom made bags for like minded people who would like to have a one off bag that no one else is carrying. Or specially made to match a partictular outfit perhaps. Everything can be custom made. I do use red as my signature lining, however this also can be altered to suit your needs.

D: Who or what is the greatest inspiration for your work.
S: My Mum is my greatest motivational influence, she has inspired me to be successful and to give something back. Although she died of breast cancer, when people speak of her today she still inspires love when they say "what a great woman she was". Mum lived with breast cancer for 5 years and I give back by working alongside the charities that meant the most her and us as a family.

You can see more of Sunita's wonderful bags here.

What is the meaning of the title then I hear you all say after reading this post. Well, although Sunita lives right in the middle of London the garden we took the pictures in is on the roof of the building where she lives and it was like being transported to another place. You would never believe how busy or noisy it was at street level.