Constitutive modelling in metal plasticity accounting for nonlinear hardening and strain-induced plastic anisotropy is studied. Experimental investigations are surveyed and compared with different theoretical models of anisotropic strain hardening. Constitutive modelling is performed and a formulation for numerical solution of the corresponding initial boundary value problem is carried through. An improved rule of distortional hardening, based on a rate-formulation, is proposed and combined with a rule of mixed hardening.