Anima Iris Wants You To Stop Playing It Safe

For Anima Iris founder and creative director Wilglory Tanjong, the future of fashion is anything but neutral. With the launch of the brand’s Hot Sexy Jungle Summer collection, the designer is entering a new chapter for the accessories label—one defined by bolder designs, unexpected materials and, most importantly, a willingness to take risks.

The shift comes six years into Anima Iris’ journey, as Tanjong looks beyond what initially made the brand successful and toward what will carry it into its next era. “What was working in year one to get us to our first million is not going to help us get to our first 10 million,” she told ESSENCE. “So, something has to shift.”

That shift means moving away from the one-off pieces that characterized the brand’s early years and toward a more curated, intentional offering that can grow with its audience. As a result, their new Hot Sexy Jungle Summer collection introduces pony hair and animal prints alongside vibrant colors and playful details, creating bags that are designed to be noticed.

“My whole thesis with Anima Iris is producing bags that you can’t really get anywhere else,” Tanjong explains. “The kind of bag that people see and they immediately ask, ‘Hey, where’d you get that from?’” It’s an inspiration that unexpectedly came from TikTok. Tanjong spotted a Bambi print in the background of a video and immediately envisioned it as a handbag. From there, she paired the animalistic material with colorful linings and introduced a new technical detail: belt loops underneath the base of the bag that allow the adjustable strap to be tucked away.

That belt feature was a direct response to customer feedback—something Tanjong says is fundamental to the way she approaches design. “It feels like Anima Iris is truly like a group project,” she says. “It’s a brand. It’s not just pioneered by one person. It’s co-pioneered.”

That collaborative spirit extends beyond aesthetics. The bags are designed to move with the women carrying them, transitioning from a shoulder bag during the day to a handheld style at night. For Tanjong, that functionality is just as important as making a statement. “We really want it to be able to carry you to wherever you’re going next, both literally and metaphorically,” she says.

But, perhaps the most compelling part of Tanjong’s new chapter is her rejection of the idea that a handbag needs to be practical in the traditional sense. She wants women to embrace pieces that feel expressive, even if they don’t match everything in their closets.

“I am most excited by the fact that a lot more women are willing to explore bag styles that are not black, that are not white, and are not beige,” she says with a willingness to experiment with a larger cultural mood. “The world is on fire. Everything is too expensive, and nothing is really safe. So why keep playing it safe?”

Her answer is simple: Wear the fun bag. Buy the $10 dollar coffee. Enjoy the things that make you feel good now.

“I feel like we’re all playing scared. We’re all playing so little,” she says. “I feel like these bags allow us to reflect that we’re tired of playing scared. We’re tired of playing small.” That idea is at the heart of Hot Sexy Jungle Summer. The collection is more than just animal prints or pony hair. It’s about embracing the confidence to wear something because you love it, rather than because it’s guaranteed to work with everything else you own.

“We’re big dogs,” Tanjong says. “You are the dominant animal in the jungle. We have this Sexy Jungle Summer collection to showcase that you run this jungle. This is your jungle. You run your life.” And, that mentality is exactly what she hopes women take with them when they carry an Anima Iris bag.

“When you go out into the world, and you have to be bold, and you have to be brave, you can look down at your bag, and the bag is so bold, and it’s so brave that you’re reminded that you don’t want to play small anymore,” she says. “That you are the big dog in the jungle.”