the story behind

There is a story behind every brand. In our category ‘Behind the Brand’ the designers share their candid insight about their inspiration, the production process, and the people behind the brand. We sat down with Andrea and Angelika, founders of the fashion label an an londree.

How was an an londree born? What was the initial idea behind the brand?

We, Andrea and Angelika (the founders of the brand, red.), had been friends for years before establishing the brand. At some point, we decided to create something together. Andrea has a commercial business background and Angelika worked as a designer for several luxury fashion companies.

How would you describe the aesthetic identity of an an londree?

We love the movement, the ‘dance’ of silk when the wind catches it and changes its patterns like the waves of the sea. Our summer '20 collection precisely reflects this magical summer feeling.

an an londree features colourful, distinctive designs. Is there a special way the prints are developed?

Yes, a very special way. Our individual designs are printed by hand screen printing. Each single colour is printed with an extra screen. After printing, the silk is washed several times. All our garments are finished with handmade embroidery.

Where does the name an an londree come from?

‘an’ for Andrea, ‘an’ for Angelika and ‘londree’ means ‘clothing’.

"We love the movement, the ‘dance’ of silk when the wind catches it and changes its patterns like the waves of the sea."

What does a week at an an londree look like?

We are a small company. A few people handle the whole business, starting from design to development, production, sales management, logistics, press, etcetera. Every week can be completely different. It really depends on the season and how far we are in it. Our team works together very closely. Ideas are developed and implemented quite quickly.

How do you stay inspired to come up with new and exciting designs?

We love to travel, we love art, we keep our eyes open for new ideas and impressions and we love to try and test new techniques.

How do you want women to feel when they wear an an londree?

Women should feel comfortable and beautiful; they should even become addicted to the touch of silk of our clothes on their skin.

In what kind of item should everyone invest in?

We think a dress is a must-have. Combined with a big soft cardigan, you can even wear it on cold days.

The an an londree collections contains a lot of silk. How do you keep your items in the best possible condition?

Dry cleaning is the best way to maintain a long-life time for garments. Cold washing and drying it on a hanger is another possibility. No ironing is needed. When traveling, you can refresh silk pieces while hanging them in the bathroom as you take a hot shower. Steam refreshes and irons the material.

"Women should feel comfortable and beautiful; they should even become addicted to the touch of silk of our clothes on their skin."

Sustainability is one of your key pillars: an an londree has a zero-waste policy, the collections are handmade locally and the packaging contains no plastic. What challenges did you face in the past to get where you are now? What do you want to achieve in the future concerning sustainability?

There are quite some challenges. For instance, our compostable bags have a date of expiry. Therefore, we are limited to ordering these bags in large quantities. Additionally, we have to store them in a dark, cold place before using them. We also started to develop small accessories in order to use even the smallest left-over pieces from our fabrics. What do we want to achieve? Right now, we are building a new water-cleaning system at our new printing location. In this way, the water that is used for washing silk can be recycled and reused.

What is your greatest accomplishment with an an londree?

Our biggest accomplishment is our loyal customer base.

What did you recently learn from having your own business?

To be patient and happy with your current situation.

Any future plans you would like to share with us?

We plan to start working with different handmade fabrics in addition to developing new printing/washing techniques. Stay tuned for more!

Discover the an an londree collection by Pauw here.