5 Years of Annie’s Ibiza: Annie Doble on the community she has built, Kate Moss, and her new beginnings as a designer.

Diving into vintage fashion since 15, Annie Doble has created the ultimate sanctuary for vintage fashion fanatics, and now she is aiming to put even more of her ideas into reality, by bringing forward her very first collection as a designer. With two boutiques and a collection under her belt, what else is next on her radar?

When most of us think about vintage fashion, we often associate 1980s Mugler sharp silhouettes, or 1990s Vivienne Westwood punk platforms. However, for Annie Doble vintage can date back as far as the Ottoman empire and its intricate beadings, or Renaissance corsetry, all found in her limitless wardrobe of fashion history. Founding Annie’s Ibiza, and opening her first official boutique in 2018 in the heart of Ibiza’s Old Town, the connoisseur has become one of the biggest names associated with vintage fashion, with the likes of Kate Moss spending up to 8 hours in her store, selecting and admiring the rich historical archive. “Thinking back to those five years, I cry with happiness. We have developed in a slow and steady way, and really have nurtured everyone in our community - from the girls working with me growing into professionals, all the way to our customers and the magical community we have created.”

Annie Doble first began to explore vintage at the age of 15, and she was always fascinated with the personal stories and moments that fashion can hold so dearly to its wearer. “I began exploring vintage at the age of 15, and back then it was a lot harder to explore and find the right places that sell those special pieces. Seeing how vast this part of fashion has grown in the last five years, especially with the pandemic and people’s attention turning towards a sustainable approach towards their wardrobe, we were one of the first places to offer sustainable party and special occasion pieces that are special.” When prompted about what her outlook is on the big expansion of the vintage market after COVID, Doble looks out towards the community that she has created in the past 5 years. “I feel that clothes should really be witnessed as art. They should be special and invoke a joy and fun when you look at them and put them on. When I think about our customers in Ibiza compared to London, they all want to feel freedom and put in a lot of thought into what they wear. We have such a strong community of people come into our space, and they all come in from all over the world, with such excitement to explore and interact with those special pieces.”

Opening a second location in the heart of London’s Carnaby Street, Annie’s Ibiza has taken on a new meaning with young women taking inspiration from Annie’s personal style, her great historical knowledge and the meticulous research she puts into each piece that comes into her space. In the last year, Doble made another personal vision come to life - designing and creating her own collection. Debuting the very first instalment with a show on the London Fashion Week schedule, she wanted to bring her years of research into a very specific vision. “Designing came really easy to me, and I never studied fashion. I felt a very specific direction and vision, and I just felt it was something that I have always had inside of me. I even remember playing around at age 5, and sketching my first pair of shoes with crayons. When asked about who she intends to design for, Annie points out that everything comes with her style in mind. “My customers and I have a very similar approach to fashion, I design pieces that I would love to wear and find beautiful to approach. I am really open with my feeling towards style, allowing to evolve and sprout into diverse directions. I think a lot about the people I meet in my boutiques, and I like to challenge them, because they love to get in depth in their style.”

So, what is next for her? “I would love to continue working on more collections. I feel free and confident, because I get to connect with my customers and see how what I design is incorporated into their lives, and I also want to do it in a sustainable way once a year, where I get to spend time on the collection and create something I absolutely love and I am proud of. In my head, I already know what the next three collections will be like! I also love being back and forth between Ibiza and London, and getting to explore and find more and more incredible finds, and steadily continue building my passion further.”