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In conversation with Anami & Janine

Amy Silberzahn and Janine Buntman

Anami and Janine… Two creatives with good intuition

So how did it all begin?

Janine met Anami in 2004 whilst she was at university studying accessory design. She was working for Mo Bacchus (a handbag designer, interview coming up) at London’s famous Portobello creative market. Anami had come over from India for the summer season and was selling a collection of wrap dresses in varied fabrics. She was enjoying an  amazing run at Portobello Market  and so Janine asked if she could take a selection and sell them at Spitalfields Market. They did a full season like this and then when Anami was planning to head back to India at the end of the summer they decided to go into business together 50/50.

I came up with the first dress design and we used different sari fabrics at that time rather than print.  It was kismet – it was random. I was receptive to something and had passion, I was young, full of dreams and aspirations and it was pretty exciting really, and now here we are 12 years later!

Rose and Thorn… a boutique in Brixton Village.

Rose and Thorn Boutique

The store came about due to a wholesale customer who absolutely loved Anami and Janine’s designs. There was an opportunity for a retail space within the new Brixton Village space and the area was considered to be a happening place to be creatively. Janine decided to go for it and opened the store in partnership with Kamilla, the designer behind Dynasty Jewellery. Janine feels that the shop has been pretty amazing and after 5 years, business is good. She’d like to bring more of other peoples’ designs – perhaps more neutral products, casual separates to sit alongside their collections.

On London:

It is the best place, in the world for the fashion, uniqueness, something different. I don’t think you can go anywhere, not New York, not Paris. London is where the trends bubble from. People just aren’t afraid to be different here and anything goes. I love that about London. Trends are created just by people walking down the street, with people snapping what they are wearing.

Where do the fabulous A&J Prints come from?

Anami and Janine have worked with the same print designer since they started. They give him seeds of ideas, for example stars, a beautiful girl with wings, an enchanted garden and then he puts pen to paper. The team meet, discuss and edit the designs ensuring they remain unique and original.

The conservative cuts of the dresses then balance the often bold prints. Anami and Janine plan to start to move a little bit away from the feminine demure 1940”s look, that they readily admit to have been a little obsessed with. Janine would like to go a bit more contemporary like this seasons rather fabulous bomber jackets, which I snapped up immediately!

SilberzahnStyle wears Anami and Janine

Into the future…

In my opinion, Anami and Janine’s prints are collectible, I never used to do print but I love these. With the London Assembly Boutique, I had one particular client who bought one or two pieces from each of the collections we stocked because she loved them so! The prints are very particular to them and as such, a natural development for the brand would be to step into the lifestyle market and they are already doing this , albeit tentatively so, with a selection of cushions featuring the latest print, ‘Fantasy Nymph’. Janine would be interested moving into more homewares, and I think wallpaper would be an obvious development for the brand. The wallpaper in the shop is actually an original design!

Anami and Janine Wallpaper

 and finally Janine On Brexit:

“Well currently it means a better exchange rate for tourists to spend their money, so thats one positive! We manufacture in India so maybe it will get better for me. however saying that it really was a total shock! Everyone I knew was voting to remain but maybe that was the london bubble. It did feel like a vote against London.  For now lets just get on with it and hopefully it will iron itself out.”

Many thanks to Janine Buntman for her time and energy.

xx AS

Find Anami and Janine online via www.anamiandjanine.com and in store at Rose and Thorn, Unit 75, 5th Avenue, brixton Village, SW9 8PS.

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