Anna Valentine, previously known as Robinson Valentine, is a British

luxury Luxury may refer to: *Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises *Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars **Luxury tax (sports), surcharge put ...

fashion house Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...

launched in 1986. It was founded by designer duo Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine. The pair began working under the name "Robinson Valentine." Robinson and Valentine met at a college in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

while taking a pattern-cutting course. After completing the course, they approached

Enterprise Allowance Scheme The Enterprise Allowance Scheme was an initiative set up by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative UK government which gave a guaranteed income of £40 per week to unemployed people who set up their own business. It was first announced on 13 November ...

program which helped them open a small shop in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

. After becoming successful, they opened a much larger shop in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

Notable clients

Robinson Valentine designed clothes for

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, socialites and notably the British Royal Family and the

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

. The label's biggest client is

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the acc ...

. Robinson Valentine designed her wedding dress which she wore on her wedding to the Prince of Wales in 2005. Other clients include

Serena Armstrong-Jones, Viscountess Linley Serena Alleyne Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon (''née'' Stanhope; born 1 March 1970) is an Anglo-Irish aristocrat. She is the estranged wife of David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, who is the son of Princess Margaret and thus a cou ...

, Patti Palmer Tomkinson,

Lady Sarah Chatto Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Chatto (née Armstrong-Jones; born 1 May 1964) is the only daughter of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. She and her brother, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, are the only ...

Laura Lopes Laura Rose Lopes (' Parker Bowles; born 1 January 1978) is an English art curator. She is the daughter of Queen Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles, and the stepdaughter of King Charles III. Biography Early life Laura Parker Bowles was born on 1 J ...

Jemima Khan Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith (born 30 January 1974; known as Jemima Khan for work) is an English screenwriter, television, film and documentary producer and the founder of Instinct Productions, a television production company. She was formerly a j ...

Saffron Aldridge Saffron Aldridge (born 1968) is an English fashion model, freelance journalist and social activist. Discovered at the age of sixteen, she rose to prominence working for Ralph Lauren in the 1990s. Her siblings include fashion photographer Miles ...

and

Sheherazade Goldsmith Sheherazade Ventura Goldsmith (' Bentley; 14 March 1974) is a British environmentalist, jeweller and columnist. During the 1990s, Goldsmith worked in the fashion industry and, after Year 2000, 2000, engaged in environmental activism undertakin ...

In the media

In 2005, Robinson Valentine received widespread and instant publicity when it was announced the label would be designing the

wedding dress of Camilla Parker Bowles For her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales (King Charles III since 2022) on 9 April 2005 at Windsor Guildhall, Camilla Parker Bowles's wedding dress was a cream silk chiffon dress hemmed with vertical rows of Swiss-made appliqued woven disks, and ...

. They were interviewed by ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', '' Hello!'' magazine and numerous media outlets. Robinson Valentine was praised by fashion critics for the Duchess's choice of dress and design. The Duchess continues to wear outfits by the label to high-profile events which is often highlighted in the media.

Robinson's departure

Antonia Robinson, who now uses her married name, Antonia Shields, departed from the label and moved to

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

where she set up antoniaspearls.co.uk. Valentine then became the sole name on the label.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Website
at ''

'' British brands High fashion brands Luxury brands Clothing brands of the United Kingdom 1986 establishments in the United Kingdom Clothing companies based in London Clothing companies established in 1986 Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea