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Bag designer's inside story on royalty and movie stars
By Yang Di |
May 4, 2012, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR the past 23 years, Lana J Marks has mingled with royalty and socialized with Hollywood legends. So it's no surprise that her designer handbags have been carried by some of the biggest names of the times, such as the late Princess Diana and Elizabeth Taylor, and are often seen on the Academy Awards red carpet, adorning celebrities such as Helen Mirren, Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Based in Palm Beach, Florida, Marks grew up in South Africa and England.
She got the idea of starting a luxury handbag collection back in 1984, when she could not find a bag to match a purple and red suit she was wearing to attend the birthday of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
"I wanted to buy a red alligator handbag but after I looked at all the collections in Florida, not only did I not find what I wanted but I saw that no top international brands specialized in fabulous colors and very high-end skins. So I thought there was a niche market to be filled,'' she said.
Since Marks started the brand 23 years ago, many royal families in the Middle East and Europe have become customers. And when the flagship store opened in Los Angeles 11 years ago, Marks figured that it was important to become involved in the Oscars, so she came up with the famous Cleopatra clutch.
Different versions have been carried by Hollywood actresses at subsequent Oscars - most recently Chinese actress Li Bingbing in February.
Marks opened a shop in Beijing 18 months ago and recently launched a Shanghai store in the Yifeng Building at Rockbund.
Q: Did you have a formal education in fashion?
A: My father was a property developer so from the age of three he introduced me to all his architects helping me understand architectural design. Proportion is in my DNA.
Q: You have designed bags for many A-list celebrities, including the late Princess Diana and Elizabeth Taylor. What were they like? And what bags did you design for them?
A: Princess Diana was one of the rare magnificent people of the world. She was incredibly kind, sweet, very funny and always very caring. I did 15 handbags for her with two sizes in different colors.
Elizabeth Taylor was absolutely gorgeous and highly intelligent. I told her before she died that my Cleopatra bag was inspired by her and her beauty.
Q: Among celebrities, who best personifies your label? And Why?
A: I would say Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren, Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet and most recently, Li Bingbing. They are beautiful, intelligent, lovely and glamorous.
Q: Many fashion houses have high-end leather bags. What makes your handbags unique?
A: We have a huge variety - ladies can purchase bags in 150 styles and 100 colors. We only create them in the most exclusive materials - including American Louisiana alligator, Australian crocodile, ostrich from South Africa. I would say the style is a mixture of American fashion and European craftsmanship.
Q: What is the inspiration for the various forms and colors in you handbag collection?
A: I get inspired by places, nature and architecture. The shape of one of the latest handbags was inspired by the architecture of China.
Q: You use exotic skins for the handbags. Have you encountered any protest from the animal activists?
A: No, we haven't, because we don't use the skins of any endangered species.
Based in Palm Beach, Florida, Marks grew up in South Africa and England.
She got the idea of starting a luxury handbag collection back in 1984, when she could not find a bag to match a purple and red suit she was wearing to attend the birthday of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
"I wanted to buy a red alligator handbag but after I looked at all the collections in Florida, not only did I not find what I wanted but I saw that no top international brands specialized in fabulous colors and very high-end skins. So I thought there was a niche market to be filled,'' she said.
Since Marks started the brand 23 years ago, many royal families in the Middle East and Europe have become customers. And when the flagship store opened in Los Angeles 11 years ago, Marks figured that it was important to become involved in the Oscars, so she came up with the famous Cleopatra clutch.
Different versions have been carried by Hollywood actresses at subsequent Oscars - most recently Chinese actress Li Bingbing in February.
Marks opened a shop in Beijing 18 months ago and recently launched a Shanghai store in the Yifeng Building at Rockbund.
Q: Did you have a formal education in fashion?
A: My father was a property developer so from the age of three he introduced me to all his architects helping me understand architectural design. Proportion is in my DNA.
Q: You have designed bags for many A-list celebrities, including the late Princess Diana and Elizabeth Taylor. What were they like? And what bags did you design for them?
A: Princess Diana was one of the rare magnificent people of the world. She was incredibly kind, sweet, very funny and always very caring. I did 15 handbags for her with two sizes in different colors.
Elizabeth Taylor was absolutely gorgeous and highly intelligent. I told her before she died that my Cleopatra bag was inspired by her and her beauty.
Q: Among celebrities, who best personifies your label? And Why?
A: I would say Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren, Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet and most recently, Li Bingbing. They are beautiful, intelligent, lovely and glamorous.
Q: Many fashion houses have high-end leather bags. What makes your handbags unique?
A: We have a huge variety - ladies can purchase bags in 150 styles and 100 colors. We only create them in the most exclusive materials - including American Louisiana alligator, Australian crocodile, ostrich from South Africa. I would say the style is a mixture of American fashion and European craftsmanship.
Q: What is the inspiration for the various forms and colors in you handbag collection?
A: I get inspired by places, nature and architecture. The shape of one of the latest handbags was inspired by the architecture of China.
Q: You use exotic skins for the handbags. Have you encountered any protest from the animal activists?
A: No, we haven't, because we don't use the skins of any endangered species.
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