She Learned the Rules. Then Built the Bag Brand, A by Anyah, That Breaks Them: | Emily Blumenthal & Anyah Sealey

What turns a love of making into an accessories brand people stop you on the street to ask about? We sit down with Anyah Sealey, founder of A by Anyah, to trace a path shaped by global training, hard critiques, and real market feedback. From early beading classes in Ghana to design school in Paris and rotations across major fashion houses, Anyah shares how craft, data, and adaptability combine to create bags that photograph beautifully and hold up in real life.

Key Takeaways:
 • Detach ego from product — The customer, not the designer, makes the final call.
 • Craft + commerce win together — Material knowledge and pricing discipline sharpen creativity.
 • Build heroes, cut the rest — Staying power comes from focus, not excess.

Our Guest:
 Anyah Sealey is the founder and creative director of A by Anyah, a handbag brand rooted in global craftsmanship and modern functionality. With training spanning Ghana, Paris, and major fashion houses across menswear, womenswear, and kids, Anyah brings a rare blend of emotional design and market intelligence to accessories built for everyday impact.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

Transcript

Opening And Early Career Lessons

SPEAKER_01 0:00

And don't get me wrong, when I was working at the very beginning of my my career, I remember like presenting and being my creative director just not liking it. And I would cry. Yeah. I was so distraught.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

I was like, no, like I put hours. I worked so hard.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

I worked so hard, so many hours. And I think that kind of just really trained me for like, that's the real world. That is exactly what you're gonna expect. It's either a hit or a miss. And you cannot, I mean, you there's a lot of things you can do. There are trends you can focus on. There are, you know, literally you going out and see what other people are are wearing and try and predict it. But at the end of the day, the consumer is the one who makes the choice, you know?

Show Intro And Guest Welcome

SPEAKER_02 0:43

Hi, and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast with your host, Emily Blumenthal, handbag industry expert, and the handbag carry godmother. Each week we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love, from the iconic brands and top designers to creativity, craftsmanship, and culture that define the handbag world. Whether you're a designer, collector, or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row seat to it all. Welcome to Handbag Designer 101 the podcast. We have the beautiful, gorgeous, very talented Anaya Seely of A by Anaya, who is going to be one of our amazing handpicked, curated, selected, cherry-picked, all that good stuff for our New York Now it bag section. Welcome, Miss Anaya.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. How are you today?

SPEAKER_02 1:41

I'm great. Listen, this is my jam. I love talking to designers. There's nothing I enjoy more than hearing an origin story because everybody ends up at the same place, but it's not a linear journey.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

You know, so where are you from originally?

SPEAKER_01 2:02

So I'm from Ghana, Jamaica. Born in the US,

Global Roots And Language Journey

SPEAKER_01 2:06

grew up in London, Ghana, and Paris. And in the last seven years, I lived in Amsterdam and currently living in Paris. What languages do you speak? More importantly. English, French, Dutch, and tree from Ghana and a bit of patois. You picked up Dutch?

unknown 2:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

How old were you when you were there?

SPEAKER_01 2:29

I was there from about 20 to 28.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

Ah, so adult. So you had to pay. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Wow. I didn't have to. I just um I have uh, as the Dutch sailor, talk knob, which is like a knack for languages.

SPEAKER_02 2:45

Me too. Me too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I know. It's like wherever you are, you just kind of like tofu yourself in and you take the flavor. There you go. That's amazing. So you were born in Ghana. Um in you were born in Miami? Born in Miami. Okay. Wow. So she carries passports, another respect. That's good. Go to the front of the line wherever you are. Absolutely. So, how did this bag origin come to be? Like, was it something that started very young? Did you have affinity for it? Did you start sewing as a child? Like, how did all that come to pass?

Beading School And First Business

SPEAKER_01 3:26

So there were multiple like elements in my life where I was just like, Mom, I need a sewing machine. Mom, I need like uh, you know, I need atts and crafts, I need like beads, I need I had many of those phases. The first significant one I remember was going to beading school, which I really, really loved. Beating school? Beating school in Ghana. I was I think nine or ten. And I was just so fascinated with beads. Up to this day, I still like wear like uh what is beating school? It's just like an extracurricular activity for like kids. Well, not necessarily only kids, but like just like putting beads together and like making these like either it can be like an art piece or it can be like body wear, or because in Ghana the culture is to wear waist beads, which are kind of like a way to control the waistline in the community. And as a kid, of course, I didn't know any of this. I just thought that they were very pretty. It's pretty so I did that for a long time, and actually that was my first ever business. I started like a beads business, I think at the age of like 11, and I would like sell my beads to like friends and school and stuff like that. So that's my interpretive spirit and my creative spirit was like you know, the match was there. Very good. What number child are you? I am the last.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

That's why that's why you could do whatever you want. This go to beading school, and everybody's that's it. That's it. Of how many? Three. Oh, so your parents were tired, they're done.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Yeah, my mom was like, you can have whatever you want. My sister and brother are always like, you know, she's the spoiled child. And I'm like, I'm really not. Mom is actually like kind of hard on me too, but you know, like in a good way.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Wow. So you were into beating, and then how did that carry on? So you learned very young about having an affinity for something artistic and you got a taste of small business. And was there anything specific that you can recall from selling your beads of dealing with your friends?

SPEAKER_01 5:29

That I was a money holder. I didn't do anything with it, I just saved. So I knew that I was good at saving, and I knew that I was good at actually making money. So I just put them together again. By the age of like 14, I had asked my mom for a sewing machine, which my grandmother had. So that kind of started the journey of I actually, so I was in high school in Ghana as well. And my I you don't do it in the US, but we do A levels here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like in the UK. Exactly. So we were doing our A levels, and I had to choose my like three subjects, and it was I ended up going for economics, which I know why. Uh and I can't remember the third one, but I remember like I had an exam and I just broke down. I was like, I can't do this. So I quit economics and then I went for art school, and that was the real beginning. Like my friend just told me, like, you're so creative, like, why don't you just like think that this might be the avenue for you, you know? So I dropped economics like then and there, didn't do the test. Wow. Like went to the class, like dropped my pen, like, I'm out of this class, you know. Wow. Then I started art class and it literally changed my life completely. Like, it really expression that I was

Choosing Art Over Economics

SPEAKER_01 6:45

looking for. It really gave me that understanding that I was a creative person. So I'm very thankful for like that friend who is still in my life, Noor, who's also very artistic. But that kind of led me to going to university and making sure that I was uh going in a direction of fashion. I did like like a foundation year to kind of figure out what avenue I wanted to do within um the creative industry. And then I ended up studying fashion design, and then most more importantly, I had a teacher who also changed the trajectory of my education, and he was like, You're really good at objects and you're really good at functionality, so you should definitely do handbags and accessories. And that's when it started. So it was a long, it was from the beginning, but in different like areas, but it was still like channeling and figuring out its way all along.

SPEAKER_02 7:36

So all it takes is one person, isn't that wild to kind of push you in that direction?

SPEAKER_01 7:42

My life, my entire life, it's always been I meet that one person and like something changes because I'm a very people person in a certain way. I'm very like protected about the people that become my friends, or you know, so that one person that becomes either not necessarily very close, but just gives that idea and sparks that you know, like childlike a seed plant. Exactly. That really has been uh like how my life has has moved.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

So at this point, you started studying handbag design. Did that stick? Were you automatically like, ah yes, this

Discovering Handbag Design Focus

SPEAKER_02 8:18

makes sense, or was it it was like an immediate like click.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

I had this fantastic teacher in uh because I went to university in Paris and he, you know, worked for Loeve, he worked for like these huge brands, and he came and passed on all this information to us that was just so easy because it was for me, it was it was a click. It was just so easy. I understood what I needed to do. There wasn't like really much explanation, it was just it came to me very naturally.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

How did you end up at school in Paris? How'd that go from Jamaica to Paris? So I was that a big deal?

SPEAKER_01 8:56

No, because I I was raised in London. So it was just moving back to Europe. So Right, right, right. I left Ghana when I was 17. And I remember at the time I had like piercings everywhere, and my mom was like, if you don't take them out, you're going to like university in Ghana. And I remember like literally taking out all of these piercings. And then like, you know, I'm going back to Europe. I went to, I did like a fast course in the UK for a year. Uh, that's where I did my foundation, and I was like, I just want something new. I just want a challenge. I've been in I've lived in London before for the most part of my life as a as a child, a kindergarten, let's say, and I just wanted something different. So I applied for Parsons actually in New York. I also applied for Parsons in Paris, and I applied for S-Mud and a few other uh universities, and I ended up going to S-Mud in Paris, and that was really like the most amazing experience.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Do you think though? And it's so funny because I've spoken to people who like you have

Mobility, Identity, And Adaptability

SPEAKER_02 10:06

moved around a bit, but then again, it doesn't seem unnatural to have moved around, right? Because by virtue of your family moving and so forth, and then it's like then their parents are kind of shocked that they're not living with them at home. And it's like, but you you primed me to be this person who's able to fortunately like land someplace and come up with skills to build something, start something, make friends, because it takes its toll on a child to come to new places and to find out who your personal brand is within the scope of this new space. You have to be almost like I call it tofu. You have to be able to take the flavor wherever you are and still try to be yourself.

Masterclass Announcement

SPEAKER_02 10:53

If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you. If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you. If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction, this is for you. I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, and this is the handbag designer 101 masterclass. Over the next 10 classes, I will break down everything you need to know to make, manufacture, and market a handbag brand. Broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the handbag building process, but also to save money to avoid the learning curve of costly mistakes. For the past 20 years, I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City, wrote the handbag designer Bible, founded the handbag awards, and created the only handbag designer podcast. I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course from sketch to sample to sale. Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start up again, or if you've had a brand and need some strategic direction, the handbag designer 101 Masterclass is just for you. So let's get started, and you'll be the creator of the next it bag. Join me, Emily Blumenthal, in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass. So be sure to sign up at Emily Blumenthal.com slash masterclass and type in the code ICAST to get 10% off your masterclass today.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

And forever

Family Influence And Travel Parallels

SPEAKER_01 12:28

evolving. I think that's the trick with like moving so much is that you have to be adaptable. And I think that is one thing that I learned as a child, but also was instilled in me by my family, my grandfather. He was also like a very avid traveler, especially for a black man in the ages in at that time.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

Yeah, at that time, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Like every time I I go on like uh business trips to China, he's like, Yeah, I've been there, you know. Like, where are you? Are you in Shenzhou? Are you in like Beijing? And I'm always like, it's almost like we lived the same life, but just at a different time, you know? So I definitely think that that experience of my family really helped me like navigate these situations that I kind of put myself in. But there they've always been like amazing experiences because I think that's the way you learn through experience, really.

SPEAKER_02 13:16

You know, it's funny because I've been told this that you end up almost living the path of what your family did without even realizing it, that you end up following their footsteps in some backhand and twisted way. You're like, oh, someone in my family did this and someone in my family did that. And then all of a sudden, you when you put two and two together, you're like, oh my God, I'm everything that they've like, that's it. Yeah. And then, and then they're surprised at that, like you're doing it's like, but but but do you see what you you've built around me? I've been affected, and it's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 13:50

It's a good thing. My grandfather calls me every time. He's like, So where are you now? Like, he can't put me in one place, you know.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

You're Carmen San Diego of the Seely family.

Learning French And Embracing Discomfort

SPEAKER_02 14:03

So you end up in Paris and you could speak French by default from being from Jamaica. Yes? Was that there? Or did you have to because Patois and French? I mean, they they're not the same.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

So Jamaicans don't speak French, and it's not in Ghana either. I actually learned French whilst living in France, just having friends that are French and just like picking it up. Yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 14:27

So because Esmod, unlike Parsons, Esmod, the classes are in French.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

I did my first two years in English, and then in my third year, in my master's year, I just decided, you know what? I'm actually gonna bite the bullet and do my classes in French. And that kind of propelled me, like an extra level of just confidence in the language, and just again taking a challenge that really makes me uncomfortable, but really helped me navigate the language as I do today.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

You know, those who actually are able to find and meet with success, it's and it's so cheesy and it's so trite and it's so cliche, but it's really putting yourself constantly in a place of discomfort. Absolutely. And what comes from that is you know, you can live this very safe life where you do the same thing, but if you put yourself in places where there's risk, there's reward. I mean, there's obviously it could go pear-shaped, but you know, right. Everything affects you moving forward. So, because you and I have spoken a bit in the past, like I know you've had a

Internships And Corporate Training

SPEAKER_02 15:38

very storied handbag career before taking this, you know, next step. What happened after you finished uni?

SPEAKER_01 15:48

So I finished uni in 2016. Wow, no, more than. Yeah, 2016, not even 2015. 10 years ago, wild. Oh my god. So I actually got an internship straight out of university, but it wasn't in Paris, and that's where I wanted to stay. It was in Amsterdam. So I packed up my stuff again, and I was like, okay, I guess I'm moving to Amsterdam. I went there once before, I think with my aunt or my mom. And I was like, this city's kind of cool. There's a lot going on. There's like ferries and bikes and like cars, and it's just like a lot, but I feel like I can handle it. A lot of tall people, a lot of tall people. So it was again another challenge. And I did my first internship at Carl Lagerfeld. I ended up, did I stay there? I think I ended up during a year there, and then I moved on to Tommy Hofigure. I got recruited. I think actually, no, I got recruited whilst I was at Carl Lagerfeld doing my internship. So again, I was looking for that window to kind of like go back to Paris. But then I got this opportunity and I was like, well, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna not say yes, you know. I was like, I guess like 22 or something. I was like, this is a great opportunity, you know? So I worked for them for quite a while as a handbag designer, but during that role, I switched quite a lot. I did menswear, I did women's wear, I did kids, which I thought was very, very cute and fun. And I think just I did SOGs as well, and all these kind of mixtures helped me identify with what it takes to look at the creative director's perspective and create a product that actually works for the market. But also working in such a conglomerate kind of company, it helps you understand okay, does this product actually work based on the numbers we're seeing? So it's more of a corporate way of working, but I think that really helped me understand, you know, what it is that I would expect for myself in my business. So it was a massive training uh for me. I think I was there for about two or three years. Then I was at Echo, Leather Goods, and that was a really interesting time. It was during COVID, but it was really interesting because it helped me understand the other side. So the leathers, the tanneries,

Materials, Tanneries, And Experimentation

SPEAKER_01 18:12

you know, the processing of how these bags are made. And they have like experimental courses as well where they do like summer courses in in the summer, where a lot of designers, different designers from different reaches and different areas in the industry come and essentially play about with tanning leathers and create products that you know might never been seen before. So that was a very interesting experimental uh time. And I was ahead of their department of it, it was like a new project that they were working on, and they were just bringing new designers to create new stuff with their leathers and really just get a knack for experimentation. So I was head of that project, after which I started doing consulting and I did consulting with like so many Y3, Calvin Klein, Karen Group. So that really kind of propelled me into oh, I've had a taste of corporate, I've had a taste of working for myself a little bit. I I understand what it takes to do my own taxes. And uh that was like, okay, right, I don't want to work for anybody else anymore. So I packed my stuff up again, quit all my jobs and moved back to Paris.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

It's so funny because most

Consulting And Going Independent

SPEAKER_02 19:33

people who didn't have, I'd say, privilege or luxury or didn't have that kind of experience. So many people get so emotionally vested with what they've created, what they've designed. And I've spoken to a I've spoken to a lot of people within the handbag industry, but even speaking to say, like Lou Frankfurt from Coach, whose episode is is up to take the emotion out of product that doesn't sell. And that for so many people is so difficult. And I think only after you've seen it from a corporate numbers sales, you look at it from a holistic like this didn't stick. Our customers didn't get it one way or another. We could have assumed, we thought it didn't work, we're gonna pull it. It's gotta go. And understanding price point and how far you can push the consumer to pay for something and the constraints, like that is the best education you could have ever received, and getting paid for it too. So I think you know, the most successful designers typically are those who've had that kind of experience and are able to see it beyond their ego. Because just because you've had that doesn't, you know, doesn't guarantee success. However, if you're able to look at it like, okay, I already have a sense of the market that the these silhouettes work for this kind of customer and these kinds of leathers work for that kind of customer. And if I'm gonna just like

Detaching Ego From Product

SPEAKER_02 21:12

go for it, I know that if I put this and this together and it's executed in the right way, then there's a high chance of this working.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Absolutely. And don't get me wrong, when I was working at the very beginning of my my career, I remember like presenting and being my creative director just not liking it. And I would cry. Yeah, I was so distraught.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

I was like, no, like I put hours.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

I worked so hard. I worked so hard, so many hours. And I think that kind of just really trained me for like that's the real world. That is exactly what you're gonna expect. It's either a hit or a miss. And you cannot, you I mean, you there's a lot of things you can do. There are trends you can focus on. There are, you know, literally you going out and see what other people are are wearing and trying to. Predict it, but at the end of the day, the consumer is the one who makes the choice, you know? So it was definitely a great training for my future. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 22:09

How did you decide when you're like, that's it, I'm going for it? How did you come to the conclusion of what your it bag anchor piece hero item would look like without polling from too many other brands, saying, like, okay, I've been fortunate enough to see what sticks, but obviously I have my own vision, my own DNA. And exactly what you said, like, it's a hard, hard learning curve that the first few times that you try to present something and it doesn't get shot down, it gets bulldozed down, like, no, okay, thanks next. Moving on. And you're like, but but uh I you have to be that that strong and tough and discerning with

Designing The Hero Bag

SPEAKER_02 22:53

yourself. So, how did you come to the conclusion like this will be my bag?

SPEAKER_01 22:58

So I particularly design with emotion. I design ironically when I'm upset, I design when I'm feeling happy, I design when there's something to express. And I have one bag that actually we're showing at New York now. And it's not out yet, but I just know it's more than a feeling, it's more than numbers, it's more than it's literally every single time I've worn that product, I've had strangers come up to me like, wow, where did you get that bag from? And it's been really encouraging because it gives me so much hope that, you know, like every next step is better than the the one before, even if I feel like I'm going 10 steps back at every single step with every but you know, I think it's just you know because you know the market, you know your education, and you just have to kind of trust, you know, what you do know, which in my case is is my experience and what has worked for me before and what's currently working in the market.

SPEAKER_02 24:06

So it's so funny because what you said was so right-left brain. Like I lead with emotion, but I have to follow what sells. But I know this is good. It's so funny. Quick question How did you decide about putting your name on the brand? Because that's that's a risk.

Naming The Brand And Meaning

SPEAKER_02 24:24

Yeah. Also, I mean, it's it's kind of funny if you're looking like long term. Well, if I get acquired, then there goes my name and you know, big picture, and you seem like a big picture kind of gal. So, what made you say, like, that's it? It's it's it's about me. Not in the the selfish sense, of course.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

Oh, I mean, we can be selfish, we're allowed to be, it's fine. I mean, yeah, that too. But so initially the brand was called A. And I think for the first That's hard to trademark. Exactly. It was like for the first six months, it was like, well, people kept asking, Well, what's the brand the brand? And I'm like, A, and they're like, What? Yeah, you know, so for a while I was just like, Oh, I don't feel like it's getting under it's not being understood, right? Anaya was already taken, but most importantly, I think I'm just doing justice by the meaning of my name, which is the river of love. So I really feel that I'm providing something that is beautiful, and I'm sharing what my purpose is, which is to provide things that are beautiful, which for me is not so. I really believe that I'm just doing uh justice by my name. And in terms of acquiring it, I have five other names. So it's

Where To Find A By Anaya

SPEAKER_01 25:44

all good.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

It's all good.

SPEAKER_02 25:48

Five other names. Take one, pick one. Oh my goodness, Anaya. How can we find you, follow you, buy your beautiful bags in within the river of love of A by Anaya?

SPEAKER_01 26:02

So socials are A by Anaya. The brand is also A by Anaya. My personal Instagram is BlackTheCreator. That's also one of my second names, Black. And TikTok is a by anya underscore official. And Anaya is spelt an y-a-h for anyone that did not know.

SPEAKER_02 26:23

Thank you. I was about to spell it and you just saved me. It has been so wonderful having you. I can't wait. Um for anybody listening, make sure you come to the Javet Center. And if this runs after, I'm not sure I have to check. Absolutely check out Anaya's bags. They are storied, they are beautiful. We found her, we picked her. She is a gem that's going to be doing big things. So I can't wait. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

Thank you, Emily. Thank you for the time that you have invested in me so far. And I'm really excited to be at New York now and excited to meet you. Yes, me too.

SPEAKER_02 27:00

Thanks for listening. Don't forget to rate

Closing And Listener CTA

SPEAKER_02 27:03

and review and follow us on every single platform at Handbag Designer. Thanks so much. See you next time.