Annabelle at work in her Madrid studio
Meet the Maker
Annabelle Hardie is an Outback Australian designer based in Madrid, Spain. She hand makes slow fashion accessories with Flamenco passion. Her designs are heavily influenced by Spain and its rich culture, sourcing all of the materials from local Spanish family run suppliers. She loves to find traditional materials and transform them with her Australian essence. Annabelle strives to make one offs, limited editions and custom made pieces, because in a world full global fast fashion, it's hard to find something that is essentially, you. After growing up on a large sheep and cattle property, she has always been connected and inspired by nature. The designer wants the world to change their destructive shopping habits and buy pieces that they really love and will wear for many seasons and hopefully pass down.
Outback Australia runs in her veins, dancing to a Spanish beat, but free spirits fly.
Many moons ago, at 17, Annabelle started her first accessory and womens' clothing label, Minterbelle, sourcing materials and manufacturing clothes out of India. Her jewellery designs were worn on and off set, of the iconic Australian show, Home and Away by Kate Ritchie, Rebecca Hewitt and Australian muse, Isabel Lucas. Later, she moved on to become a Stylist and Accessories Designer for the Australian sportswear label, Lorna Jane.
Her itching curiosity of what lay behind those never ending horizons of her childhood and her trips to India gave her the thirst to be a full-time Wanderluster. In 2008, she took off with a best friend, a backpack and an around the world ticket, and ended up continuing traveling solo. The day her feet touched Spanish soil, she was lost forever, hopelessly in love with Spain and couldn't help but walk to her new Spanish beat.
She sold everything she owned and packed her bags for Madrid in 2010 when she won a scholarship to study Fashion and Accessories Design in the leading Institute of European Design. Her first year designs were invited to be exhibited in the Paris Fashion Week at the Louvre in 2011 and later in La Caixa Forum in Madrid as part of their Sustainable Fashion Movement exhibitions.
In the European summer of 2012, Annabelle launched a new accessories label called Three Lives Collide with her best friend, Hannah Morgan, a psychologist based in Sydney at the time. Under Three Lives Collide, Annabelle designed pieces for the Spanish actress sensation, Blanca Suarez for events such as the Valentino party.
Annabelle's love for wine and costume design came together when she completed her thesis in 2013. Working with Spanish photographer Jorge Alvariño and Venezuelan artist Robert Tirado, she designed a collection of wine bottles and their packaging and made a marketing campaign in an underwater photo shoot and short film to launch the first wine of the collection for the Spanish winery, Elesvinos.
Upon graduating from IED, Annabelle received her first bridal gown client, Sian. She also made the bridesmaids' accessories, and from there, viola, the aisle to bridal wear opened up. Since then she has personally accessorised many brides, bridesmaids, flower girls, guests and even the groom and his groomsmen too. In 2016 she married her Spanish love in Spain, and loved every minute of breaking all the usual bridal wear design traditions while designing her own dress.
In the European summer of 2016, Annabelle decided to combine all of her loves and talents and launch her own accessories and bridal design label and as they say, the rest is history!