Mulberry fashion article

FASHION

01 Quintessentially British, Mulberry is leading the way in bringing ‘le style Anglais’ to the fashion world.

Quintessentially

mulberry The British Lifestyle Brand turns 40 SIOBHÁN CORLEY

Unlike any other high end designer, the brand name of Mulberry echoes the luxuriously hand crafted accessories of its namesake, while evoking images of its traditional British country heritage. Over the past 40 years, Mulberry has blossomed into an internationally renowned design house, with many of its creations becoming icons in their own right. Even the celebrity world is knocking on its door. We take a glimpse behind the scenes and speak to Creative Director Emma Hill to discover the mystery of Mulberry.

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he Mulberry brand first saw the light of day in 1971, emerging from the picturesque English county of Somerset. Despite its rural home, Mulberry’s founders Roger Saul and his mother Joan, were inspired by the cosmopolitan of city life as well as the unique tailored craft of the traditional British countryside. Starting its high end life on the shelves of the London fashion emporium Biba, Mulberry’s fresh take on hand crafted city chic soon set alight the fashion world. It wasn’t long before the once modest brand became the first British lifestyle brand, representing ‘le style Anglais’ to the international fashion elite. The first pieces to become Mulberry ‘must - haves’ included the leather agenda and poacher bags, remembered today as style symbols of their era.

Although Mulberry has gone on to create a full range of womenswear, menswear and even footwear, the brand is best known for their superb accessories collection. Most notable of which are their timeless handbags. The Bayswater and The Roxanne are the classic Mulberry stalwarts that continue to hit the spot in terms of on trend fashion. Other firm favorites have stolen our hearts over the years, from The Mabel and The Mitzy, The Alexa and to this year’s Tillie. Each handbag has its own individual style and has been delicately crafted in myriad different sumptuous materials and colors.

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The Alexa is one of Mulberry’s most prolific designs and has created quite a stir. Named after the British fashion icon, Alexa Chung, The Alexa reflects the effortlessly chic style of her namesake and gives Mulberry enthusiasts everywhere a chance to follow in her footsteps. Such luxury statement pieces have become renowned the world over, showcasing Mulberry’s unique talent of combining its heritage and craftsmanship with high end style.

Emma Hill, the current Creative Director, is the talent behind The Alexa and some of Mulberry’s recent creations. Taking on the role in 2007, Hill has brought an impressive portfolio of experience to Mulberry, particularly in accessory design. After graduating from fashion school in 1992, she started her career as an accessory designer at another British lifestyle fashion label, Burberry. After two years, the bright lights of New York beckoned. Hill worked there for a number of years, first with Liz Claibourne, followed by several high profile positions at Marc Jacobs and Gap. After building up such a vast range of skills and savoir - faire in the industry, Hill decided to try her hand at consulting in 2006 and began working on a freelance basis for Temperley and Reiss. The French fashion house of Chloe also benefited from Emma Hill’s talent and knowledge before she took over from Stuart Vevers as Creative Director at Mulberry.

05 02 The Deck Shoe Boot in Midnight.

03 Mulberry is famed for its accessories; the Oversized Taylor Satchel in Mole Grey is from the Autumn/Winter 2011 collection.

04 Throwing a warm duffle coat over a luxurious evening dress celebrates the contrast between decedent luxury and traditional attire, shown here on this AW11 look.

05 The AW11 collection focuses on Englishness, the nostalgic countryside heritage and the mysterious beauty of the wilds and woodlands of England.

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Mulberry is committed to its British roots and continues to produce all of its pieces in its British factory.

06 The Postmans lock bootie in oak is perfect for keeping feet warm and stylish in the winter.

07 The Bayswater is a classic Mulberry handbag that continues to hit the spot in terms of on trend fashion.

08 Mulberry is committed to its British roots and continues to produce all of its pieces in its British factory in Somerset.

09 Carter Double Handle Bag in Birds Nest Croc Nappa.

All Mulberry bags have been delicately crafted in myriad different sumptuous materials and colors.

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Her first design for the brand was the timeless classic, The Bayswater bag. A bag which Kate Moss loved so much that she took Hill’s Prototype in order to be the first to be seen with one on her arm. In December 2010, under Hill’s creative direction, Mulberry won the Best Designer Brand prize at the British Fashion Awards and, in the same month, posted profits of nearly 45 million.

This year sees the brand’s 40th anniversary and with Emma Hill on board, while being bolstered by a colorful history of successes, Mulberry clearly has a lot to celebrate. Never moving far from its history, Mulberry’s home is still based in the idyllic Somerset countryside. While many designer brand’s have moved their production facilities to the Far East and Eastern Europe, Mulberry is committed to its British roots and continues to produce all of its pieces in its British factory. This hasn’t limited the brand’s

international expansion however, with Mulberry outlets now open across Europe, the United States, the Far East and here in the Middle East with stores in Dubai, Qatar and Kuwait.

To mark its colorful 40 years in British and international fashion, the brand has recently launched a book, simply entitled ‘Mulberry’, which tells the story of the private and public life of the Mulberry brand over the past two years. A photographic montage exhibits backstage preparations, behind-the-scenes parties, everything from factory to Fashion Week. Compiled by the highly acclaimed photographer, Venetia Dearden, this unique illustrative showcase truly brings the brand, its people and its history to life and is sure to make a treasured keepsake for all Mulberry and fashion aficionados.

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Durrah talks to Emma Hill about Mulberry’s latest collections and trends and what the Mulberry brand, as an institution in British fashion, means to her.

You started at Mulberry in 2007 and in 2010 Mulberry won the Designer Brand of the Year award at the British Fashion Awards, what do you feel you have contributed to help the label grow from strength to strength?

I like to think that I brought a sense of luxury, a sense of international, a cohesiveness to each season’s ‘story’. Some humor, a women’s perspective and some seriously sexy shoes! Plus, I kept all that is treasured about the brand our ‘Englishness’, our heritage, our quirkiness, our icons and the fabulous Mulberry team!

10 10 Under Emma Hill’s creative direction, Mulberry won the Best Designer Brand prize at the British Fashion Awards in December 2010.

11 The Oversized Tillie in Foxglove Pink Nappa; Emma Hill’s pick for this season’s ‘must have’ bag.

You are responsible for designing the must-have ‘Alexa’ handbag. Can you explain your inspiration for this handbag and why you think it has become such a success?

Alexa Chung has been a fan of Mulberry for years and when we spotted her out and about using her vintage men’s briefcase (The Elkington) as a handbag we were instantly inspired! Alexa is effortlessly chic so we designed Alexa (the bag) which suits her down to a T! What makes British style stand out in the competitive world of fashion?

British style stands out to me because it is: individual, bold, quirky, charming, classic, well crafted, ironic, edgy, traditional, unselfconscious, well-loved and world class!

12 The Spring Summer 2011 collection draws inspiration from the film ‘Grey’s Gardens’, and the timeless children’s novel, ‘The Secret Garden’.

How did you get started on the path to becoming a fashion designer? Was

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it something you always wanted to do from an early age?

I became an Accessories Designer quite by chance, having trained as a RTW designer at Ravensbourne School of Design, where I was offered my first job as Accessories Designer for Burberry. I quickly fell in love with designing accessories and have been fortunate to have spent my career working for some of the best brands in the world – Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Chloe and Halston. My dream job is the one I now have – heading up such an iconic, fabulous, heritage-rich and cheeky-charming British brand as Mulberry and working with my incredible team!

Your role as Creative Director at Mulberry must be quite diverse, what do you enjoy most about it?

I am so blessed to love my job so much and work with such brilliant people, that work often doesn’t feel that way! My Mulberry team is my second family!

How do you relax and unwind from such an exciting and demanding role?

Spending quality time with my four year old son Hudson, watching movies, baking cakes and having brunch with my best friends.

Can you tell us about your inspiration for the Spring/Summer 2011 collection?

For SS11 we took a walk through the vintage glamour of the film ‘Grey Gardens’, as well as the timeless children’s novel ‘The Secret Garden’, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. My

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design team and I then built our color palette, mood boards, print ideas etc around this and the collection was born!

What key pieces should we look out for this season?

The Tillie Bag! She’s cool and relaxed, something that could become a friend to our cherished Alexa and Bayswater, and something with a sense of heritage and heirloom. She has all the iconic Mulberry trademarks – slouchy, multifunctional, effortless – but has been loaded with a cheeky Mulberry nod of graphic, metal trompe l’oeil hardware which makes it for sure our ‘must have’ bag!

And the forthcoming Autumn/Winter collection? Can you tell us a little about your inspiration and key trend predictions?

For AW11 we wanted to focus on Englishness, and on the nostalgic countryside heritage so inherent to our brand’s identity. We’re celebrating the contrast between decadent luxury and traditional attire: the quintessential English glamour of chucking on a warm duffle coat over a luxurious silk dress. We have been inspired by the colors, textures and mysterious beauty of the wilds and woodlands of our homeland.

What styles or pieces have proved the most popular amongst your Middle Eastern clientele?

The Alexa and Tillie are selling very well and we are very excited about the expanding market!