John Bartlett Grabs a Ghurka Bag

The Accessory Network Group (New York) has appointed designer John Bartlett as creative director of its Ghurka division.

Bartlett, a two-time honoree of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), had been running his own company. He will oversee all aspects of product design for Ghurka men’s and women’s accessories as well as the overall image of the brand, including advertising, creative collateral and retail merchandising. He will report to Rosemary Martinek, senior vp and general manager of ANG’s luxury division.

Ghurka, founded in 1975 in Norwalk, Conn., has three retail stores, in New York, San Francisco and Chicago, and is sold at fine specialty stores across the U.S.

“Ever since my days at Harvard in the 1980s, I have been obsessed with Ghurka bags,” Bartlett said. “They are the epitome of East Coast chic and one of the few original American brands that have maintained an authentic voice.”