50 Years of Responsible Innovation
In 2021, Mulberry celebrate 50 years of Mulberry. From the very beginning, they have combined a Made to Last ethos with responsible innovation, creating timeless collections that champion contemporary British design and craftsmanship.
On their anniversary, they affirm their commitment to keeping these values at the very heart of their brand, to ensure they are building a truly sustainable legacy – for the next 50 years and beyond.
A new series of limited-edition collections, Mulberry Editions, will drop throughout this year’s celebrations. Each collection draws inspiration from their iconic design and DNA, featuring an exciting list of new collaborative partners from Britain’s contemporary design community.
The very first Mulberry collections were made with leather offcuts from a local factory, handcrafted around a kitchen table into beautiful belts and chokers. Today, as a global business, the responsible sourcing and use of materials remains at the heart of their design and manufacturing process. They are proud that their AW21 collection not only pushes new boundaries in sustainable production, but also expands their circular economy programme, Mulberry Exchange, to Mulberry.com and Vestiaire Collective, giving customers across the globe access to unique vintage pieces, designed to be handed down from generation to generation.
Their responsible approach to design and manufacturing is brought to life this year at the V&A’s Bags: Inside Out exhibition, which runs until September 2021. A new short film invites visitors to immerse themselves behind the scenes of their Somerset factories, while iconic Mulberry bags from famous names – Kate Moss’s Bayswater and Alexa Chung’s Alexa – showcase the timeless design and enduring quality that Mulberry encapsulates.
The AW21 Collection
With long-awaited relaunches and elegant new arrivals, the AW21 collection combines versatility and sustainability with timeless design for today’s lifestyles.
The launch of the Iris Hobo adds a relaxed new offering to their signature Keystone Lock family, keeping the clean lines of the much-loved original silhouette, while adding a hint of the 1970s style of the early Mulberry collections. The new East West Amberley takes a contemporary approach to evening; the horizontal styling and chain handle add a sense of occasion, while its versatile size makes it a lightweight option for daytime.
First launched in their AW12 collection, the Bryn satchel returns for AW21, bringing its vintage, feminine style and soft construction to the traditional briefcase silhouette. The hardware-studded Roxanne is another favourite from the archives that they have reimagined this season. A new scaled-down iteration joins the first Mulberry Editions drop, Icon Editions: a collection that features their most iconic silhouettes in miniature.
The colour palette celebrates the vibrant Mulberry Pink that runs through their archives; its joyful radiance is complemented by refined new shades Cambridge Green, Apricot, Cloud and Metal Blue. Patchwork, tweed and crushed leather form an intriguing texture library that add a playful, celebratory touch to the collection.
Made to Last
From the very beginning, the Made to Last ethos has been at the heart of Mulberry’s collections. Founder, Roger Saul, had a passion for making things well – and making things that could be passed on to the next generation – that can still be seen in the way they source, manufacture, repair and pass on their products today.
For the AW21 collection they are proud that over 70% of their bags are made with leather sourced from environmentally rated tanneries, and 58% of those received gold standard ratings. In June, a Mulberry Editions drop will reintroduce their much-loved vegetable-tanned leather. This sustainably sourced leather is tanned with natural plant materials and develops a unique patina as it ages. Another heritage material, their durable, lightweight Scotchgrain, will now be made from sustainable Bio-Synthetic, created from inedible cereals that would otherwise go to waste.
An obsession with quality and functionality led to the creation of their Somerset factories, which are now proudly carbon neutral and send zero waste to landfill. Over 50% of their collections are still made there by a community of Mulberry craftspeople – many trained through their own apprenticeship programme.
Their circular economy programme, The Mulberry Exchange, will launch digitally this season on Mulberry.com and Vestiaire Collective, offering customers the chance to buy pre-loved and vintage bags that have been expertly authenticated and refurbished by the highly skilled artisans of our Somerset repairs centre.
The Colour Field Collection
These exclusive designs feature a bold new print that celebrates the instantly recognisable forms of their iconic hardware, while paying homage to some of their favourite modern British artists. Inspired by their brave use of colour and abstraction to reinterpret forms from their brand DNA.
Throughout 2021, customers can discover this artwork across limited edition 50th anniversary packaging, crafted with the same sustainable CupCycled material as their signature Mulberry Green bags. The vibrant prints will also be available across this limited-edition collection of coordinating accessories.
The Icon Editions
Mulberry are excited to announce the first of Their Mulberry Editions drops, the Icon Editions: a hand-picked collection of Mulberry’s most era-defining silhouettes – perfectly recreated in collectable, miniature sizes.
Over first fifty years, their successive creative directors have continued to champion British craft skills and a youthful, elegant aesthetic, while adding their own twist on their DNA. This collection pays tribute to the legacy of some of our most influential creative directors of the past two decades, from Nicholas Knightly and Emma Hill to Johnny Coca.
The Iris, Amberley, Bayswater, Bayswater Tote and the newly relaunched Alexa all feature in miniature forms as part of the Icon Editions, alongside the Roxanne. Debuted in AW03, this luggage inspired silhouette is making a long-awaited return, reintroducing its free-spirited stud and belt detailing to a new generation.
As with all Mulberry Editions drops, this collection is strictly limited-edition, featuring seasonal new shades and an exclusive archival check.
Happy Birthday Mulberry. We are excited to see these beautiful new designs up close!
