Sep 6, 2017

These Customisable Fashion Pieces Will Make Your Style More Individual

by Natalie Hammond

Welcome to Who What Wear UK’s first-ever Wellness Week. With that back-to-school feeling in the air, we thought what better time to hit reset on the health and happiness of yourself and your wardrobe. From uplifting outfits to savvy ways to update your look to the psychology of our purchasing habits to the pyjamas that will help you get some extra z’s, check back all week for a daily boost of style success.

If you’re terrible at remembering names, you’ll be relieved at the latest trend sweeping Instagram. Personalised merch has gone massive, from T-shirts sewn with “Lily” or “Rachael” at the pocket to phone cases bearing their owner’s initials.

Personalisation has also gone way past simple initials, so there’s plenty to choose from. Anya Hindmarch launched her Build a Bag service earlier this year where shoppers can choose a leather bucket bag and then change its colour, add or subtract handles and decorate with tasselled key fobs, colourful ruffs or zany stickers all from the comfort of their laptops (from £895, anyahindmarch.com).

Loquet London, founded by Laura Bailey and Sheherazade Goldsmith, specialises in heart locket necklaces and rings that you can fill with tiny charms that mean something to you. Bailey’s carries “L” and “T” charms for her children’s names, while Goldsmith’s has the birthstones of hers (from £390 for an “empty” locket and chain, loquetlondon.com). Keep scrolling for 10 of the best brands for personalisation. Who said shopping couldn’t boost your emotional well-being?

DeMellier

Photo:

@demellierlondon

London-based handbag label DeMellier offers a complimentary personalisation service for most of its crossbody and shoulder bags that are handmade in Spain. You can get tiny gold initials stamped onto the strap or even a favourite word.

Key Buy:

DeMellier The Mini Berlin (£305)

You can customise your bag on the website too. What could be easier?

Anya Hindmarch

Photo:

@narellekheng

Not only can you build your own bag, but you can customise an existing one with Hindmarch’s mad-cap collection of leather stickers (you can’t go wrong with a winky face or that fried egg). Items like the loose pockets can also be embossed with a handwritten message or even a doodle (from £135).

Anya Hindmarch Egg Leather Sticker (£45)

This definitely looks good enough to eat, but we suggest sticking to the Haribo.

Chaos

Photo:

@victoriabeckham

All the cool girls, Adwoa, Alexa, Poppy and, of course, VB, have initial-stamped phone cases courtesy of Charlotte Stockdale’s luxury tech label Chaos London.

Chaos Initial Case iPhone 6 (£165)

Amazingly, you can also create your phone case in real time, so we did one for Who What Wear. What do you think?

Baia

Photo:

@baiabags

Baia makes buttery-soft bucket bags that you can customise by choosing gold or silver hardware and delicate embossed or foil monogramming for an extra £25 (from £300).

Cressida Jamieson

Photo:

@cressidajamieson

Cressida Jamieson marries her love of flowers and embroidery on her T-shirts, which feature hand-stitched blossoms and loopy letters spelling out names. You can commission something personal via her Instagram feed, @cressidajamieson; prices start from £60.

Not Another Bill

Photo:

@notanotherbill

All-black wheelie cases look the same after a 14-hour flight, so why not single yours out the easy way with a monogrammed luggage tag? Not Another Bill, the ingenious gift service that sends you something special every month and also has an online store, sells alphabet leather tags that you can personalise with your initials.

Not Another Bill Personalised Leather Tag (£24)

You’ll never lose your luggage again (we hope).

Dinny Hall

Photo:

@dinnyhalljewellery

An engraved pinky ring might sound slightly too Eton for your liking, but you’ll instantly be swayed by Dinny Hall’s elegant Lotus shape in sterling silver or 22-karat gold.

Dinny Hall Signet Pinky Lotus Ring (£140)

You can inquire about engraving on the website’s live chat, or speak to someone in store.

HB London

Photo:

@hb_london

A monogrammed phone case is the easiest way to dip your toe into the trend. HB London, who specialise in bespoke luggage (hello, never losing your suitcase again), phone cases and soon candles, have marbled covers for a wide range of devices from £34.

The Cambridge Satchel Company

Photo:

@camsatchelco

It’s known for its sleek satchels, but Cambridge Satchel Company has diversified into crossbody bags made out of the same durable leather. All its bags can be embossed with initials and a symbol (like hearts, stars or lightning bolts).

Loquet London

Photo:

Loquet London

The best thing about investing in one of Loquet’s heart pendants is that you can slowly build up a collection of charms over time.

Loquet Charms Tourmaline (£50)

Start with a classic, a birthstone from £30 or a teeny tiny dog for £175, 10% of the proceeds go to the Wild Heart Foundation for animal welfare projects around the world.