Anhelo: there is a corner in San Sebastián where femininity and craftsmanship reach their maximum expression
Anhelo: there is a corner in San Sebastián where femininity and craftsmanship reach their maximum expression
Anhelo is a boutique located in a nineteenth-century building on Calle Matia of San Sebastián. The shop has two floors, one for taking care of customers and the other reserved for the workshop, where the company’s founders, Ana and Elena (specialists in porcelain headpieces and creations from glass), handcraft high-end bijou pieces, hats and headpieces, and accessories for women and girls. Their collection includes earrings, necklaces, brooches, head scarves, fine headbands, hats decorated with feathers, decorative hair combs, hair clips, scrunchies, Swarovski crystal bracelets, berets, and headpieces with feathers. These accessories coexist with others from renowned international firms: umbrellas by Chantal Thomass –a renowned French lingerie designer– and jewelry for totes by Ladurée, among others.
Beauty products and fragrances are another fundamental pillar of Anhelo: eaux de toilette by Maison Abriza; candles and fragrance diffusers by Sara Miller London; fabric refreshers and biological soaps by Kerzon; air fresheners, candles, and incense for the home by Ladurée; lipsticks, eye shadow, cosmetic compacts, and cosmetic pouches by Paul & Joe Beauté; and Korean and Japanese slow beauty cosmetics by firms like Aromatica, Mizon, and Utsukusy – vegan brands, brands that are barely scented and which have high concentrations of active ingredients like snail mucin. Another firm that they have just added is the French Nailmatic, specialized in nail polishes and whose products are of 84% natural, ecological, and vegan origin, being made from potatoes, cassava, corn, cotton, and wheat. They also have a corner reserved for makeup, manicure, and pedicure services in which they use only ecological cosmetics, essential oils, and nail polishes by the Madrid firm Handmade Beauty –suitable for people with celiac disease, those who suffer from allergies, pregnant women, and young girls– as well as by the American firm CND, which supplies vegan and 7-free products.
Their eau de cologne, soaps, and body lotions by Claus Porto are also remarkable (they have the entire Deco collection), as well as the perfumes by Binet-Papillon and Dr. Vranjes and the alcohol-free line by Sabé Masson; not to mention the perfumes and colognes, bath salts, and candles by the Italian Ortigia (with new products from the Lime di Sicilia line having been added recently). Anhelo also sells the exclusive diffusers and air fresheners in spray format by Un Soir à l’Opéra, a French firm that manufactures scents inspired by the most famous operas and ballets: the latest air freshener fragrance that they have added is La Bayadère, featuring sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, and saffron.
The knowledge acquired by Ana and Elena from selling such refined fragrances for so many years brought them, four years ago, to launch their very own scented candle, Eleana, made with plant waxes and featuring a cotton wick with rose, violet, honey, lily, jasmine, and cypress essence. The good reception of this initial fragrance encouraged them last year to develop it in another format, now available in a spray. In addition, this year they are launching the Eleana scent in Mikado reed diffuser format.
The reputation obtained by Ana and Elena throughout these two decades of quality craftsmanship has drawn the attention of top-level institutions and, for the first time, the Balenciaga Museum in Getaria (dedicated to the work and life of the great couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga) has put a selection of Anhelo’s products up for sale in its store.
Anhelo
Calle Matia 1, San Sebastián.
Tel.: +34 943 310 747
