Handbag Designer to the Stars
Lana Marks Visits Dubai

Dubai, UAE - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW by HELLO! Magazine: Designer to the Stars LANA MARKS In Dubai talks fame, fashion and her celebrity following.

As Dame Helen Mirren stepped up to the podium to accept her Oscar for Best Actress, she looked every inch the iconic movie star. Dressed elegantly in a sumptuous Christian Lacroix gown, The Queen star was undoubtedly the belle of the ball. "Here I am with my purse..." she said waving her U.S. $250,000 diamond studded Cleopatra Clutch from Lana Marks. The 62-year-old actress was clearly captivated by her precious purse - and she's not the only one. Mirren is just one of the many red carpet regulars who opted to cary a Lana Marks bag on Hollywood's biggest night of the year. Charlize Theron, Kate Winslet and Jennifer Aniston are also fans.

But it's not just the Oscars that signals the arrival of the much-coveted carriers. They've been the toast of the Sex and the City girls in more than one episode of the show, and most recently ditzy law graduate Elle Woods carried one during the Broadway version of Legally Blonde. Fellow famous customers include the lat Princess Diana, who had one custom-made and Ophra Windfrey, who never leaves home without it.

However, despite the star following, handbag designer Lana Marks is modest, "I'm taking things slowly and I'm just glad my designs are well liked." Not exactly the words one would expect from a woman who has had mingled with Royalty and socialized with Hollywood legends such as Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor. HELLO! caught up with the South African born designer during her recent trip to Dubai, to talk current trends and celebrity shoppers.

Your designs are very popular in Dubai. Why do think that Lana Marks is so well received here?
"I think that Dubai customers are some of the most stylish in the world. The woman here have a real eye for fashion and they want nothing less than the best from their purchases. The Lana Marks brand is world-renowned for it's quality and versatile style so it's obviously going to be popular here."

You're obviously very passionate about what you do. Have you always been interested in fashion?
"Fashion is something that has always intrigued me and one of my earliest memories is sitting in the school playground at break-time, sketching fashion designs and dreaming of one day being a famous designer. I was raised to do the things that I love and to do them properly, with a sense of achievement, so I've always given this my best."

So you could say you were in training from a young age?
"I suppose you could. Certainly there was a lot of influence at home. My father was a very successful property developer and he taught me all about proportions and design. My mother had a wonderful eye for fashion and she used to show me European couture fabrics and instruct me about fine quality."

That must have been given you a fantastic grounding. Did you undertake a formal education in fashion?
"When I realized I wanted to go into fashion I persuaded the top factories and tanneries in Italy to teach me the tricks of the trade. They taught me so well, and who would have thought it, but now I am their number one customer."

To what do you attribute your amazing success?
"It's probably a combination of things. I'm hard working and diligent, which is always god. Coupled that with my love of design, and my ability to spot a market niche, and you've got a winning formula. The fact that I'm a relentless perfectionist is also useful."

Why handbags? Why not fashion design in general?
"It goes back to the market niche. I noticed that there was no luxury brand worldwide specializing in fashion handbags. It struck me that a brand focusing on fabulous handbags, of every color and fabric, might be popular."

Are there any designers that you particularly like and respect?
"The haute couture couturiers of yesteryears have my utmost respect. Very few of them still exist. The original Italian and French couturiers did magnificent things for fashion and they did it with skill, creativity, precision and grace."

Which labels do you wear?
"Italian labels featuring pretty heavily in my wardrobe. I spend quite a bit of time in northern Italy for the production side of my business, so I usually allow myself a half-day four times a year to shop for my wardrobe for the following season."

What brought you into fashion design?
"It all started in the summer of 1984. My husband and I had been invited on -board the Royal Britannia for a celebration of Queen Elizabeth's birthday. Obviously my outfit had to be just right and I looked high and low for a special red alligator handbag to match my suit. I realized that if I was finding it impossible to track down the perfect handbag, there were probably other women out there with the same problem. that's when I decided to start my business."

You are now based in Florida. What prompted our move to the U.S.?
"My husband Neville was given a wonderful opportunity in the U.S. to be an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at a top University. It had always been my dream to move there, so I was absolutely thrilled."

You and your husband are quite a successful pair then. How does he feel about having such an accomplished wife?
"Relationships are reciprocal and my husband and I are passionate about each other's careers. When we were first married he was very much the star and we'd often receive prestigious invites for events, which would read, 'Dr. Neville Marks and guest'. Later on, as my business flourished I became well known too. Once I was invited to the White House and Neville came as my guest. Fortunately my husband is a very secure gentleman. He's very supportive of what I do."

How did you feel when Helen Mirren referenced you in her Oscar speech?
"To be honest, I wasn't sure if it had actually happened, or if I'd imagined it. On the day of the Oscars I was exhausted and I'd been working the red carpet and doing interviews for the majority of the day. When she went up and referred to her Lana Marks bag, I just assumed I'd dropped off and dreamt it! Then the phone calls started coming in and it dawned on me that it had actually happened. Later on she wrote me a beautiful letter telling me how much she loved her bag. She is a very classy lady."

You have custom-designed handbags for many of the biggest stars. Where do you get the inspiration?
"I believe fervently that a person is solely responsible for achieving his or her own success and with that in mind I'm very hard working when it comes to my brand. I study around 600 fashion journals throughout the year, listen carefully to the needs of my customers and always keep an open mind."

What advise would you give to anyone wanting to get a foot in the door of your industry?
"There are two things I'd tell them. Believe in yourself and be prepared to put in a lot of hard work."

What has been the highlight of your career to date?
"Throughout my career I have met so many wonderful people and had the opportunity to do so many wonderful things. In terms of career highs, I would say my first private lunch with the late Princess Diana at Kensington Palace was very memorable. Another would be the time I met Elizabeth Taylor at her home in Beverly Hills. In those two ladies you have the ultimate British royal and the ultimate Hollywood royal. Obviously seeing my handbags worn by Academy Award winners is also a career high."

You knew the late Princess Diana well. What was she like?
"Diana, was on of the extraordinary people you might meet once in a lifetime. She was kind, sweet, considerate, self-depricating in her humor, and always made one feel at ease. Her thoughts were always on her boys and her family and she wanted to do everything in her power to make people happy and help the underprivileged."

You designed a bag for her. What was her reaction?
"I designed the Princess Diana Handbag in her honor. She absolutely loved it."

What would be your ultimate professional goal?
"To be a household name."

If you could pick any one celebrity to personify your label who would it be and why?
"It would have to be the late Princess Diana, because she was royal, beautiful, glamorous, and sophisticated."

What can we expect from Lana Marks in the future?
"We'll be branching out into global distribution, which has already progressed significantly."

Setting a new standard for luxury accessories, Lana J. Marks is the CEO of her Palm Beach based companies, and sole designer of the LANA MARKS Collections. Marks has distinguished herself as one of the most talented accessories designers to both Hollywood and royalty. Having started her company with a red lunchbox, the LANA MARKS Collections now consists of over 150 designs available in 100 colours of alligator, ostrich, and lizard and customized leathers and satins. LANA MARKS designs are available at her stores in New York, Palm Beach, Beverly Hills, and at LANA MARKS Boutiques at Harvey Nichols – Dubai, UAE, and The Bellagio – Las Vegas. Visit LANA MARKS on the web at www.lanamarks.com.