Anya says: “It is so fulfilling to observe how, from a flat piece of leather, a three-dimensional product appears that is not only beautiful but also practical and useful. Sometimes I look at some of my complex products and can hardly believe I handmade them myself! The amount of work that goes into making bags is incredible".

Born in Riga, Latvia, when it was still part of the USSR, Anya’s childhood was marked by the typical Soviet challenges: no access to foreign goods and limited exposure to Western culture. Anya compensated for this, like a lot of Russians, by involving herself vigorously in classical Russian arts such as ballet, gymnastics, piano-playing and fine art. From an early age, with the encouragement of her mother, Anya also learnt to make herself beautiful clothes and accessories.

Her creative flair led her to study architecture and then interior design in Riga.  Later, she was talent-spotted by the Central Saint Martins’s College of Art and Design in London, and after graduating from there she undertook a degree in Product Design Development for Leather Accessories at the London College of Fashion.