Golden Lane

DESIGNER NAMES: Chris Liu and Tibor Matyas

BACKGROUND: London duo Chris Liu and Tibor Matyas received award-winning recognition from the fashion industry for their men’s accessories label, Chris&Tibor, but were always keen to design for women. So this new women’s brand came along very naturally. Before setting up these lines, head designer Chris Liu studied at The London College of Fashion and has since worked as Christopher Bailey’s assistant and at luxury fashion house, Burberry, as a design consultant. It was here that he met Tibor Matyas, who was also working as a graphics consultant for the womenswear lines. Most of Golden Lane’s design team members were trained at the London College of Fashion Cordwainers campus, which is located in Golden Lane near the Barbican — hence the name of the brand.

SIGNATURES: “The main focus in design is creating versatility and unique, structural shapes. Our signature bag features two functional, separated compartments. There is always a lot of detail in the finishing too, which makes the pieces really special. The zips for each compartment are particularly fun!”

TRADEMARK PIECE:  “The Duo Satchel. You can really organize your day-to-day life in these bags – work necessities on one side, and all your other essentials on the other! Our most popular pieces are from the Soave range, which is made out of super soft cowhide leather and comes in a variety of soft and vibrant hues.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “The Golden Lane girl is a stylish and individual person, full of a sense of discovery and playfulness. She is effortlessly cool, confident and self-assured. Part of the reason why we have so many colours available to choose from is so that there is a bag for every girl. You can edit the collection to fit your style.”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “Golden Lane is very much inspired by an area in London near the Barbican under the same name. It is a really fascinating landscape, and the architecture is incredibly inspiring. We wanted to translate that sense of structure and unique design into the collections. Our colour choices are also inspired by the flower market at Columbia Road in London. This collection is one big flower bomb explosion!”

PLANS FOR 2013: “We are really pleased that our first collection for SS13 went down so well with buyers and press alike, so the only way is up!  Our main focus is to further develop our stockists over the next few seasons and expand our business.  We are also adding more styles and shapes for future seasons so it is a really exciting time for us!"