Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize - Anndra Neen

Anndra Neen is the winner of the 2011 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize

The label received USD $40,000 from Dorchester Collection as well as the opportunity to display their work at Dorchester Collection’s iconic Hôtel Plaza Athénée during Paris Fashion Week in 2012.

After a tense deliberation period, the judges agreed that the collection displayed by Anndra Neen best evoked the spirit of individuality, luxury, style and craftsmanship, which characterizes Dorchester Collection’s iconic hotels. Their work also demonstrated critical distinction and the potential for future commercial success.

“Being there at the beginning of people’s careers to help support them is something I truly enjoy and Anndra Neen displayed a multi-cultural talent of mixing art with fashion, which is timely. They are two empowered women who have created a family business and have a real depth of talent,” said Elizabeth Saltzman, judge of Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize. “Dorchester Collection has created a Fashion Prize that provides a strong foundation for upcoming designers to build their brand on.”

"While the judges agreed that Anndra Neen's brand will thrive in the near future, the one-of-a- kind artisanal quality of their hand-crafted jewelry and accessories beautifully reflects the originality and spirit of bespoke craftsmanship which defines Dorchester Collection hotels," said Bronwyn Cosgrave, chairperson of Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize.

“The talent for this year’s shortlisted designers was extraordinary, and to have won is an honor. This, combined with the prestige of Dorchester Collection and recognition from judges who we admire, is overwhelming. The Fashion Prize and this type of exposure will help take our company to the next level,” said Phoebe and Annette Stephens of Anndra Neen.

Fallow is proud to present the jewelry and accessories brand Anndra Neen established by siblings Phoebe and Annette Stephens in 2009. The inspiration of the hand-crafted, original pieces they conceive from mixed metals are diverse and informed by the childhood they spent in Mexico surrounded by art and legendary artists. The Stephens sisters make their jewelry in a workshop in their native Mexico City.

Their grandfather, Louis Stephens, was a textile producer in New York who met and eventually married a muralist named Annette Nancarrow, settling in Mexico, though he also had connections to Martha’s Vineyard and Manhattan. Phoebe, 32, and Annette, 28, have different mothers, but as the two girls among five siblings, they were close. They went to college in the Boston area and then worked in New York, Annette as a fledgling actress and Phoebe in television and public relations. A trip to Japan caused them to change course. It wasn’t one thing, Annette said, but the Japanese respect for crafts impressed them. They immediately flew to Mexico City and met with a metal craftsman they had heard about.

The Anndra Neen Collection is carried in New York at No. 6 and Barneys, Browns in London and Fallow.