How the pencil case became autumn’s hottest fashion accessory

New shoes are nice, but have you ever experienced the unequivocal joy of a shiny new pencil case or a box of pin-sharp graphite HB pencils teamed with a crisp new jotter?
Anya Hindmarch has yet to find something more appealing. “I really look forward to this time of year,” the accessory designer and lifelong diary obsessive tells me. “It’s the beginning of things, it means a clean and fresh notebook that’s full of promise, and putting all your new things in a brand-new pencil case. I find it deeply satisfying.”
Her affection for September, and the sense of renewal that comes with it, has become a crucial part of Hindmarch’s business calendar. Just as fashion consumers think of the month as a time to update their wardrobes, for Hindmarch it’s new stationery season and a time to offer fans of her luxury notepads, files and beautiful but light-heartedly designed pencil cases an update.
“I am happy to spend money on these things because they give me pleasure in the same way that a beautiful new pair of shoes would,” she tells me. “And sometimes you sort of feel like you’ve got enough shoes.”
As proof of her dedication to the back-to-school feeling, Hindmarch shows me one of her brand’s bestselling room diffusers. The playful pot releases the unique scent of pencil shavings. “It’s delicious: one sniff and I immediately think of a new term, a new start, a new school satchel,” she says.
Customers can expect to find that same unique pencilly scent hanging heavy in the air at a pop-up on Pont Street in London this week (part of Hindmarch’s “village” of shops), with the space transformed into an American-style classroom (yellow school bus outside and all) to mark the launch of a collaboration with Charles M Schulz’s Peanuts gang — set to send stationery geeks into a tailspin.
Demonstrating Hindmarch’s skill for recasting pop culture symbols in luxury form, the range features everything from a leather-bound Snoopy notepad (£395) to irresistible pencil sharpeners with price tags of about a fiver. Similar pop-ups are planned for Liberty, also in London, and with Moda Operandi.
“It taps into nostalgia, but I think it also taps into things that add personality and start a conversation,” Hindmarch says. “These are small pleasures. We all need a bit of that from time to time.”
Despite the prices — a £320 pencil case isn’t for everyone — stationery spin-offs such as this one allow brands like Hindmarch’s to reach a broader range of customers: “A bit like a lipstick in Chanel, it’s the entry level at which many customers will first access your brand,” she says.
She’s not the only one to spot the appeal of good old pen and paper. Since the British heritage stationery brand Smythson entered the luxury fashion sphere two decades ago, stationery that serves as an extension of our wardrobes and, indeed, our personalities has become more commonplace, almost a must-have offering for luxury fashion brands. Accordingly the online retailer Net-a-Porter now has a stationery category listed alongside accessories, while brands such as Celine, Dior and Aspinal offer notepads alongside their shoes and handbags.
Fashion brands are also keen on collaborating with some of the world’s best-known stationers. This summer Smythson, recognisable by its signature blue boxes, brought out a line of notebooks with the swimwear label Hunza G, while Papier, which specialises in chic notecards and diaries that are loved by the fashion crowd, has released collections in collaboration with the likes of House of Hackney and the London-based designer Rejina Pyo.
Papier’s founder and chief executive, Taymoor Atighetchi, credits the brand’s success to millennials and their desire to take a much needed break from their online lives. “Our customers need to disconnect from their screens and turn to ‘analogue’ products like stationery to support their productivity, organisation and mental well-being,” he says.
Atighetchi also notes increased interest from Gen Z customers, who have grown in numbers since 2021. A studious bunch, their favourite product is Papier’s chic academic planner. The rise of TikTok accounts showcasing stationery hauls confirms the younger generation’s interest in traditional writing methods.
Hindmarch has noticed it too. “My twentysomething] kids, who would normally go back to school with just a laptop, are beginning to see a pencil case as a fun new idea,” she says.
For those of us whose lives depend on the organised chaos that is four separate Google calendars and a list of arrangements made across multiple platforms including WhatsApp and Instagram DMs, the appeal of a beautifully curated notepad or diary is the respite it offers.
• Are you a papyrophiliac (someone who’s addicted to stationery)?
“Writing something down on a notepad I really love is the height of luxury for me,” says one friend, a fashion editor who considers her annual Smythson notebook to be the most important purchase of the year. “There’s something about it that feels so decadent.”
Considering the way our working patterns have changed, with more and more of us relying on shared office spaces and hot-desking to get our jobs done, the rise of stationery you want to keep with you makes sense. “You used to have it all in your top drawer. But now you often need your home office to come with you,” Hindmarch says.
For those of us who feel overwhelmed by the juggle of everyday life, stationery is also a route to feeling more in control. “I sit down at a board meeting and get out my pencil case and it immediately makes me feel more organised and in charge of what’s going on in my life, even when I’m not,” Hindmarch says. A great notepad or a carefully chosen pencil case is also a fashion statement. “More than being a conversation starter, great stationery is an extension of your personality,” she adds.
Atighetchi agrees: “Stationery has evolved from a functional tool into a personal style statement. The notebook is now an accessory that lets you express your style and aesthetic just as you would through your jewellery.”
Take note.