First, let’s cut to the chase and answer the question in the headline: Yes. Not only was poaching Céline‘s head of accessories the sort of buzz-worthy move Mulberry needed in order to bring some positive attention to the ailing brand, but the designer brought considerable handbag chops with him. Coca’s first set of Mulberry runway bags, which debuted over the weekend in London, are, in many ways, exactly what the brand needed to distract both the industry’s chattering class and the brand’s shoppers from the uncertainty of the past few years.
There’s a lot of the most wearable parts of Céline in these bags, but unlike so many brands who have simply tried to recreate the magic of its luxurious, woman-focused minimalism, Mulberry went out and hired the man who pioneered that look in Céline’s bags, shoes, sunglasses, jewelry and small accessories. It’s a move that’s paid off, and if these bags eventually sell at a price point that’s more in line with Mulberry’s prices before the company hired a CEO from Hermès, prices skyrocketed and everything went sideways, I can see a lot of fans returning to the brand, as well as new customers shopping Mulberry for the first time.
Below, we’ve assembled all the images we could find of the collection. The runway bags are the most ambitious of the lot, of course, and the off-runway pieces (some of which will be available for pre-order shortly) strike a note somewhere between everyday charm and serious fashion that’s perfect for the current accessories market.
[Images via Mulberry]
I’m a longtime fan of Mulberry (until prices went crazy) and very excited to see some new looks for the brand. I’d love to see those heavy chains added to the classic Bayswater to create visual interest and a shoulder strap.
I still love my old Mulberries – but stopped buying circa ‘DelRey’. I like quite a lot of these.
Oh look. Celine bags with a mulberry stamp on them. Excellent job poaching the designer, he’s full of so many original ideas
Oh yes, so true! For example, I learned on the Mully sub (where the conversation on this topic is really interesting), that the bag in slide 4 is basically a Céline Trio with a flap on it. Also, the gold foil stamping is SO not Mulberry and SO Céline!
10? 14? 15? I for one am not feeling the love.
Seems like another design mash-up hoping one of them will hit the mark.
I would consider myself a huge Mulberry devotee, but this collection might change it. In general, I am not a fan of silver hardware, except it is understated. The chains are way too massive and there is too much going on in every bag. What a disappointment.
Totally agree re: chains. Ever since I bought (and subsequently sold) a Stella Falabella bag, I’ve always kept chains at bay.
I need Slide 4 in my life!! These bags are definitely reminiscent of Celine but I think it’s a step in the right direction for Mulberry.
I love the ones with the very clean lines that aren’t particularly ornamented (yes, they look kind of Celine-y, but that’s a good thing, in my opinion. And they look Celine-y without looking like any bag Celine sells, so I’d be happy to buy these!).
The bags look very clean and well put-together. I’d have to know the prices, however, before making any purchase decisions. Agree with kindled — there is a flavor of Celine but they don’t look like copies, at least IMO.
The look of the bags are very Celine x Fendi. I find the placement of the new fond/logo screams Celine, and that one bag up there is very Dotcom bag. That said, the bag that most resembles the Fendi Dotcom bag seems the most functional and the only one that really caught my interest. The rectangular tote bag is interesting…ly weird. The wallet-type thing seems to be one of those things that you’d use often but for some reason, I kind of cringe at it’s placement. I think people would find it more appealing overall if the bag’s length and width dimensions were flipped. Long tote bags never work well for the standard arm length IMO…
Wth is this? Celine? Chloe? AW? I’ve spent most of my life around Mulberry, and not one thing about these bags scream “MULBERRY!” to me. There’s nothing classically British or casually stylish about them. Those bags are demanding, you don’t just put on your favorite jeans, booties and a poncho to carry something like that. You really can’t do relaxed, casual bohemian with a bag like that on your arm.
Where are the soft leathers, easy designs and postman’s locks?! I was just looking through the local Mully fan club Facebook and in the “I want to buy” gallery, there were 94 bags&wallets with 86 of them being styles that feature a postman’s lock.
There’s zero appeal, the weeird and boxy things don’t evoke one bit of warm, fuzzy feelings or the will to buy – not even if they sold them for the price point Mully was at 5 years ago.
The only good thing about Coca’s coolection is the logo that’s gone back to the original font.
Really disappointed.
Well said. I was interested in what Coca would bring, and I hope it is good for sales of this great brand, but it’s not the perfect luxury-casual-chic look anymore, at least with this first offering.
Looks a lot like Celine…and in fact, I would rather buy Celine.
I have to admit… not a fan of this new collection… I’m a girl who likes a bag that will wear well…. these things? I can’t say they’ll be the sort of things that stay in your wardrobe for years to come… And whats with the new logo re-branding? Looks very much like the original from years ago!! – And that isn’t a good thing!
Interesting collection but doesn’t look like Mulberry much at all.
The first Mulberry bag I bought was in the early 80’s and I have kept several Mulberry bags since that time. Reason being they were classic understated bags in beautiful leather without a logo that shouts at you . For me personally, the chains and studs just didn’t get it. Why change a good thing and remove the Mulberry tree replacing it with the company name. The sad thing is the Mulberry name is on their Target brand. If I want a Celine I would buy one but these bags do not represent the classic clean lines of the English brand. I realize the company has serious financial problems and perhaps this will be the return to financial stability for the company. However, time will tell but as of now it will be without my purchase power.
Please don’t bring back heavy chains. They hurt. The bags are heavy enough. And some looking a little Paul Revere’ish.
I find some pieces interesting, but I hate all the messy studs and grommets there.
I find the bag in slide 3 nice, but not the one with studs in the slides after that.
The whole collection looks like an old Celine’s knock off with the new Gucci-esque stamped logo on it. Where’s Mulberry British charm and heritage gone? 🙁
No offense, Amanda…. but I do not see, these bags being priced in the “contemporary” range. It seems Mulberry still wants to try, to become the next “it” premium luxury brand. I might not be much of a Mulberry fan, but this collection does not represent the brand at all. There is nothing British about any of these bags.
These bags looks like they came from NYFW not LFW. Very Wang/Schouler-esque. I thought they were trying to win back the British customers they lost…It would have made more sense to go for a more classic refined aesthetic rather than so urban.
I wish Mulberry copped Alessandro Mitchell. These bags are the less classy version of that Celine collection when the huge buttons were introduced (I didn’t like those either) and some of the forms look like PS. Image 14 and 15 are the only interesting pieces. They seem to be a play between the luggage tote with an emphasized gutter unaligned with the main flap. I like the concept so I hope it will be better executed next season.
Oh wait I thought this was Kenzo, Sophie Hulme or Proenza Schouler Celine post… haha. It’s very hard to be different these days granted, and I appreciate the fact they’re trying to reinvent themselves but honestly, I prefer their original Mulberry. Stick with what you had but drop your prices. I don’t buy Mulberry because it’s copied too much. But I like it.
However, I forgot to mention the addition of ‘Made in England’ in small font I like, I don’t think that was there before??? Rock the made in England. They have a great reputation. Own it.
I don’t think this collection was a good idea – it’s a complete change from the preppy, wearable look that Mulberry used to stand for. These new bags just look like a Celine bag with the wrong logo on it. I used to love the push lock, Alexa & even Cara collection – but this new collection is just neither classic nor preppy British.
Mulberry is speaking my language! Especially that clutch in slide 9!!
This collection doesn’t look like Mulberry, but for me that’s a good thing. I find the bags appealing and interesting, which is not generally how I feel about this brand. So if the aim is to attract new people like me, people who normally would not give Mulberry the time of day, then I would say this collection is successful. If the aim was to do both – attract new fans and stir up excitement among its existing clientele – then it may not be. This new aesthetic may alienate the brand’s traditional customers.
I agree with you! To me, Mulberry has never been interesting. But with this collection they really got me interested. Especially the Clifton bag. So clean and elegant but at the same time very cool. And with this logo instead of the tree it looks more serious in my opinion. What is very strange to me is that people in this discussion seem to be very negative. It may be as you said that maybe it doesn’t appeal to the traditional customers. Here in Norway the Clifton bag has been seen on a lot of fashion bloggers.
I’m going to go against the grain a bit and say that I quite like the new Coca collection. I’ve never been a fan of Mulberry®’s “utilitarian-chic” and this new line of accessories has piqued my interest.
The fabrication of the bags looks to be higher quality and the materials – whether they be real exotics or the more-likely embossed calfskin – to look more luxurious and appealing.