Hester Van Eeghen, designer of shoes, bags and accessories (1958 – 2021)
She was born in 1958 in a prominent Amsterdam trading family. Studied Dutch literature, wrote plays and composed musicals. Out of curiosity she started crafting objects in leather, selling her first bags on the Queen’s Day market.
Spanning more than 30 years, her company grew into an international brand with a strong design identity. Produced in ateliers in Milan, the collection contains a myriad of timeless models. Hester van Eeghen’s personality is reflected in her designs: colourful, functional, outspoken and refined. The special folding techniques and multiple usages make her work popular with fans around the world.
Her work is sold in museum shops such at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Art museum in the Hague. Hester designed custom collections for Marlboro Classics, Jaguar, the Museum of Modern Art, the Van Gogh Museum and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Hester shared widely her love and passion for designing with leather. She founded ‘The Hester van Eeghen Leather Design Foundation’, an initiative in which design within the leather craft is central. As a bag designer she wanted to stimulate the dying leather profession in Europe and give new talent a chance. In 2008 Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen awarded her a Royal recognition for motivating young designers.
The company with two physical shops in Amsterdam, a global webshop and wholesale clients will be continued.
Photograph by Imke Panhuijzen.
