Thursday, March 28, 2024 Mar 28, 2024
43° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Publications

THE LAST LAUGH

The other kids made fun of him because he enjoyed dressing up dolls. Now Anthony Mark Hankins, the hottest designer in Dallas, is worth $40 million and is loved by the ladies.
By Valerie Douglas |

HE CROSSES THE ROOM, ABSENTM1NDEDLY DROPS HIS KEYS ON THE kitchen table, and flashes his signature 1.000-watt smile. Anthony Mark Hankins was named one of Newsweek’s 100 People to Watch in 2000. His labels are carried at 1,000 stores. And he does monthly stints on the Home Shopping Network.

“I’m sorry I’m late, but I just had to have some Caribbean food,” Anthony explains to his personal assistant, Isaac, as he and Barbara- his design assistant-bound into the room.

Anthony bends his 6-foot-2-inch frame between the Wedgwood chandelier and the dinning room table to retrieve his latest stack of mail. His home is also his studio-he runs his S40 million business out of his Gaston Avenue mansion.

The delicate pastel-colored interior walls of Anthony’s house are in honor of Lady Pink Holsonbake. the original proprietress. W.W. Holsonbake-her banker father-built this house as a gift for her in 1923. The interior is a curious hodge-podge of Lady Pink’s taste and Anthony’s, although the house still has much of the original 1920s aura. A black-and-white antique portrait of his grandmother hangs on the wall near a mural painted by Lady Pink’s grandmother. But surrounding the room are dolls, collectibles, antiques. Old pieces and new finds sit side by side on every shelf, counter top. and surface. In one corner, a mannequin in ’20s attire waits expectantly for the Bessie Smith 78″ on the victrola to play. A life-sized Spiderman clings to the ceiling.

The house is a perfect reflection of him-classic, with a fun and interesting twist.

“Time to work,” he says to Barbara as they head upstairs to his design studio, where the squawks of his four parakeets temporarily drown out his words. Vibrant-colored cruisewear, separates, and accessories line the walls.

“Oh, you’re working on the butterfly series,” he says excitedly as he watches Barbara cut out patterns and tinker with fabric designs. “I love them against that background. My ladies will just love that.”

His “ladies” are his customers. Women he knows so well that he can accurately predict what they want. But they don’t just purchase his fashions; they write him letters and send him Christmas cards. And these women trust him. “I’ve watched panel discussions with shoppers and they always say that they know they can trust me to tell them the truth,” he says. “They know 1 wouldn’t lie to them about what looks good and what doesn’t.”

Members of his entourage appear unannounced, but Anthony is relaxed and gracious. Hauling his guests over to admire his new signature line of footwear, he says, “Look at this one!” and presents a suede ankle boot with black marabou trim. “What if my lady gets tired of the marabou accent or it doesn’t suit every outfit?” Puzzled, his guests look on. He triumphantly removes the trim and turns the top down to reveal a finished cuff. The consummate showman, Anthony markets himself and his products constantly, relentlessly.



ANTHONY MARK HANKINS HAS ALWAYS KNOWN THAT HE WOULD BE a designer. When he was 7. his mother wore his premiere creation. The seams were crooked, but she still proudly donned the suit. She grew concerned, however, when Anthony was making dresses for his twin sister Angie”s dolls and Angie was more interested in sports. A trip to the family doctor was arranged.

“Buy Anthony a sewing machine and Angie a baseball glove,” the doctor announced. Right then his mother became his biggest design advocate.

In school, classmates teased Anthony mercilessly for being the only boy in both sewing and home economics classes. And his circle of friends was a girls-only club. This combination seemed like a recipe for adolescent disaster in his blue-collar New Jersey neighborhood. Undaunted by their criticism, Anthony’s skin toughened and he secured his most necessary commodity-his self-assuredness.

His desire to design took him to the Pratt Institute in New York, where he made friends and connections. Setting his sights on Paris, he was accepted at the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. He had none of the $10,000 tuition, but that didn’t stop him. He convinced a local newspaper to cover his “media event” and the Today show profiled him in a two-part series.

The training in Paris was brutal. He was ready to come home, but Patrick Kelly, who was also in Paris, inspired him to work through the hard times. His hero, Yves St. Laurent, took Anthony under his wing and awarded him with an internship at his design shop, where Anthony hemmed dresses for the likes of Princess Diana and Fergie.

He graduated from the Ecole-attempting briefly to stay in Paris-but opportunity and homesickness took Anthony back to New York when he was 19.

Back in New York, Bob Mackie took one look at Anthony’s portfolio and insisted that Anthony pursue mass production. “Only so many people can afford $20,000 pieces,” advised Mackie. “Mass production is where the money is.”

At age 21, Anthony accepted a job in California with JCPenney as a quality control inspector where he learned valuable lessons about maintaining quality, even in mass production. Determined to make history as Penney’s first in-house designer, Anthony approached the suits. After a series of disappointing meetings, Anthony met Bruce Ackerman, head of the minority affairs division. Two years later, Anthony-with Bruce’s help)-convinced the retailer’s executives that he should be their first in-house designer. But the JCPenney era was short lived. Corporate types never supported Anthony’s desire to promote his product line, and he resented being marketed as “an African-American designer for African-American women.”

Bruce encouraged Anthony to start his own business, so he did. When he left JCPenney, he took Ackerman-a 37 year veteran-with him as his business partner and built his own design empire. Now, at age 31, he’s running the $40 million company that bears his name.

How can someone so carefree and affable be a hardened businessman? “1 have had to learn how to handle distributors, buyers, and the whole business end of things,” Anthony says. “When you’re 31, you have to look to others who have been in your position before as mentors. I think of Bruce and Liz Minyard as my mentors. I call Clarice Tinsley (who is also one of his customers) all the time and ask for advice on how to handle certain situations.”

“ANTHONY LOOKS GREAT!” ONLOOKERS EXCLAIM BETWEEN camera flashes. The normally tranquil courtyard is a bee-hive of activity during a photo shoot. Flanked by two beautiful models-wearing his designs, of course-Anthony enjoys the limelight.

He waves at friends as they try to avoid tripping over camera cords and lighting equipment. He sweet talks everyone around him until they are perfectly positioned. He’s in his element now.

“Issac,” Anthony calls out. “Isn’t this piece supposed to be lined’?” he asks, eying a sheer cream-colored ensemble on one of the models. “Yes,” Issac answers carefully. “I think the ones upstairs are.”

“Go get them for me. please.” he asks with an uncharacteristic frown.

When Issac returns and Anthony discovers that some pieces are lined and some are not, he immediately gets on the phone with his manufactures. He hangs up angrily. “They’re gonna eat those pieces, I can’t have my ladies wearing an unlined piece, especially in that color.”

The photo shoot ends and Anthony retreats to his design table. Beads sway and tap behind him as he steps through a movable portrait of the Mona Lisa covering the doorway. The parakeets chirp happily behind him as he enters the “nerve center” of Anthony Mark Hankins Inc.

Paintbrushes and canvas cover his design table. This is where it all starts. His paintbrush faintly touches the canvas of a new sketch. His face clouds over. He doesn’t like the color. He begins again, with a vibrant shade and the smile returns. He continuously buzzes around the room, studying fabric swatches and examples of collections with mix-and-match pieces to which he continues to add. Thank you notes are scattered on desks and bookshelves. Glancing at his watch, he abandons his project. He rushes off to select an outrageous outfit for TV-one of his segments for HSN is being filmed at his house this afternoon.

“Turn this way,” the camera man calls out, and Anthony’s characteristic smile is now back in place when he returns to doing what he does best-being the center of attention.

Related Articles

Image
Travel

Is Fort Worth Really ‘The New Austin’?

The Times of London tells us it's now the coolest city in Texas.
Image
Dallas 500

Meet the Dallas 500: Chakri Gottemukkala, o9 Solutions

The o9 solutions leader talks about garnering a $3.7 billion valuation, growing 10x over the next few years, and how the company is innovating.
Image
Local News

An Early Look at 2026 FIFA World Cup Logistics

The World Cup matches will be held in Arlington, but Dallas will be home to a great deal of team and fan experiences. We're getting an early look at what that will look like.
Advertisement