When consumer perception of a high-end brand goes severely off course, righting the ship is a long, expensive process that takes both luck and little bit alchemy to succeed. Mulberry is in in the midst of one such rebuilding operation right now, and in the Mulberry Fall 2017 runway show a couple days ago in London, creative director Johnny Coca expanded his vision of what Mulberry will become by looking to Britain’s aesthetic past.
Before arriving at Mulberry, Coca was Céline’s head of accessories, which you can see in some of his designs for the brand. When you mix that with an English heritage sense of traditionalism, some of the pieces take on a classic quality that’s almost Hermès reminiscent–but at a lower price point, of course. If you’re looking for a tailored, smart work bag that’s neither too edgy nor too formal, this collection will provide some options. There are some more out-there choices in the line, including several staid bag shapes embellished with elaborate crystal fines or mother of pearl images of facial features. (Just, like, look below. You’ll see what I mean.
Mulberry has a long way to go before its the consumer darling it once was, but Coca’s a more than capable accessories designer, which is what matters most to us.
[Photos via Mulberry]
Wow, I love all these bags and what great colors. I can’t wait to see them.
What is striking is the leather. Beautiful.
Thats what struck me too. So much scrumptious leather!
There’s an artiness to this collection that I like. The fabrics are beautiful! But the bags… as far as I’m concerned, they might just as well have Gucci written on them instead of Mulberry. And the new lock looks a bit BDSM, no? I’m sure the quality is great, but I miss the tree. A little sad here.
I love this collection! The long east/west tote in #7, foldover tote in #9, and the ladylike satchel in #33 would all make classy work and everyday bags. The gold hardware makes me think in the vein of Chloe, but somewhat more practically sized. I’m really excited to see the pricing on these, as I see several that I would love to have.
I guess that I’m the dissenting opinion. It’s just okay. I like the colors. The round bags are interesting. Just not enough for me to give Mulberry a second look. However, it’s nice to see a design house do something different than what is expected of them.
Short flat handles are not great for actual use. Very uncomfortable in hand.
Nope. Give me back the old postman lock, leather, and tree.
4, 5 and 18 are my favorites. I’m not crazy about the new hardware.
I like more structure. Most of them are too floppy. Also who carries her bag like that in real life?
I have never thought I’d ever like Mulberry…. I love this collection of bags: #28, 30, 33, love the color, hardware and last but least the structure.
What the h…where’s Mulberry gone? I see no pride or heritage in those fugly bags. More like hideousity put in a nutshell! Luckily there’s a lively market for preloved, true Mulberry creations. This new line of design is just so wrong.
LOVE #9. Not crazy about the door knocker/nipple ring hardware.
Some of the bags are not bad, but I still miss the subtlety of the tree. They’re very stupid for getting rid of that and put the full name on like a billboard.
I love all of the yellow handbags. Did anyone else notice those nails with a mix of black polish? They look a bit sick and like they’re dead. Not a good choice. But yes to yellow handbags!
I love a lot of these, especially #33!
I’m not loving them that much, most of them look too slouchy and cumbersome. But I totally dig #21, wow, love the ostrich leather so much. I wish I could see a better picture of how to carry it. Does anyone know the name of that bag?
I think it’s a nice comeback for mulberry. The designs are sophisticated even though it lacks that wow factor. I want the tree back though!!!!