Our wonderful team at the QVB, and our dynamic Marketing Manager Helen Tirekidis, have won the Ipoh Retailer of the Year award for 2011.  The Ipoh award covers 400 retailers across all 5 of their centres in Sydney; the QVB, Galeries Victoria, the Strand Arcade, the GPO and Chifley Plaza.  We also won Accessories retailer of the Year.  Very proud!

We had a flying visit to Alice Springs this week, my first ever.  I was lucky enough to attend the shoot of a new commercial for one of our favourite, major international suppliers, directed by my brother Bruce Hunt, with a crew of 17 from Revolver Film, and it was 48 hours out of this world.  Such an easy place to get to and yet so instantly remote.  We drove out along the Western MacDonnell ranges to one of the most spectacular waterholes, called Ormiston Gorge, and stayed overnight at Glen Helen.  Having no phone coverage was a crazy feeling, but it was nice to see how quickly everybody acclimatised to that.  No coffee was far more gruelling for the softer inner-city types like me.

I don’t think we can say who the beautiful ad and shoot were for, yet, but watch this space!

Now that’s the way to travel in style… with an Il Bisonte duffle!

Love the article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald… Nice to see our Hunt Messenger too!

The divine new collection by Longchamp, as sported by Audrey Marnay in Keep on Riding by Longchamp, is here…  I love the cross-body bag, and the big tote.  The leather is absolutely the finest, softest, most beautiful quality imaginable.  Mmmmmmm

Love this Barantani briefcase, in the Qantas magazine September issue.  Handmade in Italy by the Barantani family, in Parma, in the most traditional way…

Adding to worldwide plaudits from design, business and travel gurus such as ‘Monocle’ magazine, The Australian editors voted Rimowa their ‘best luggage’.  We agree – and now use it every time we travel.

We were lucky enough to visit the Longchamp factory in Segre for a second time, in June 2011.  There have been great changes since I was there over 10 years ago, with a big new warehouse facility, new cutting machines, and more staff.   And some sheep who keep the grass down! The craftsmanship is just as incredible to witness – the fine, detailed, painstaking handwork that goes into every piece of Longchamp.  And the town of Segre is still charming and rural, just over two hours from Paris on a TGV…  There was a school tour while we were there, as Longchamp is very involved with the local community.  Finally  we were treated to lunch in the ‘little house’ with the worldwide head of manufacturing.  A fascinating day.

Herewith a photo of Jessica Alba on June 3rd, travelling in style with a lovely Longchamp Cosmos in cognac, and a Rimowa Topas suitcase, in Titanium.  Both available from our stores!

Tokyo Bike Bag Fundraiser

We love Tokyo Bike – a small, independent bike store originally from the old suburb of Yanaka in Tokyo.  They opened in Surry Hills in Sydney in 2010.   Cool bikes.  And we love their idea to raise funds for the earthquake victims in Japan…

The bag is designed and produced by Tokyo Bike for fundraising for the Earthquake victims in Japan.

Each bag is $10 and 100% of bag sales will be donated through Australian Red Cross.We started to sell them at Tokyo Bike and people have been very supportive. We are hoping to send our love and strength to everyone in Japan for the reconstruction of the country, both physically and spiritually through this bag project with everyone’s support. http://www.tokyobikeblog.com.au/2011/04/bag-project-begins-1.html

The bag says…..

Imagination makes you think of others

Imagination makes you think of tomorrow

Imagination makes you think of elsewhere

Now available from Hunt Leather Balmain or by phone on 1800 064 768.

Tokyo Bike bag