Anupa Horvil wouldn’t run her business any other way but ethically – with a heavy emphasis on fair trade, recycling, and providing employment for local craftspeople. That being said, she’d much rather you came for the product than the cause.
“A bag is a bag,” she says. “The main reason my clients buy anupa isn’t because we’re ethically produced – it’s because we’re bespoke. We empower the people who work for us, and we’d never think to use their misfortune as a selling point.”
Anupa stocks a range of unique collections – predominantly leather goods, jewelry, and accessories – all of her own design. The business has been running here for several years, originally tucked away at the back of a hard-to-find alley, and now in a small, stylish eco-boutique in downtown Saigon.
The classy location and the more exposed shop front have taken nothing away from Anupa’s primary focus on quality products, and her love of the materials is oddly sensuous. “Consumers tend to forget that leather is a skin,” she says. “It’s incredibly natural and sustainable.” Anupa’s use of leather is innately respectful, preferring large, precisely cut pieces to bulky patchwork, and carefully using cut-offs in other products. The key to their longevity is the use of elegant bonded nylon, which for the bags distributes the weight evenly and resists breaking – unlike cotton.
You won’t see her name emblazoned all over the labels – the branding on all of anupa products is limited to a disk of beads centering on a chunk of tourmaline like an understated mandala. “That’s not what anupa luxury is about,” she explains. “With other designer brands, anyone can have them, as long as they can afford them – but where’s the exclusivity in that? Each and every piece is a one-off unique design.”
Oi’s Pick: Matching red clut ch purse with fish leather design (VND 4.6 million) and fish leather key ring (VND 1.1 million)
Anupa Boutique
9 Dong Du, D1
www.anupa.net
