London – Mulberry for a number of seasons was the talk of day 3 at London Fashion
Week, then the British fashion label took a little hiatus, but it seems
that new creative director has put the brand back into the
spotlight.
Before the show, everyone was talking about Mulberry, asking could Coca
return the brand to glory, what will the ‘it’ bag be, and what would the
afterparty be like. Well, it seems that Coca, who was previously in charge
of handbags at Céline, can create just as much buzz as Emma Hill with
everyone raving about the ‘Clifton’, a classic over-the-shoulder handbag
with chain strap that comes in a number of colourways including green,
black, red, and tan, with prices starting at 595 pounds.
The Guildhall was also a grand setting for the Mulberry reboot, where
the show notes cited Shakespeare and the “playwright’s capacity to
replicate all echelons of society; from the noble to the nobody, the royal
to the rebel” as inspiration. Coca also added that his greatest influence
was the diversity and contrast on the streets of London and that
contradiction was the key theme for the collection with “sharp tailoring
nestled against acute femininity”.
Coca certainly made a bold entrance, he’s reintroduced a whole new
Mulberry look, gone are the heritage details and quaint satchel-like bags,
and instead there’s an edge about the accessories with handbags featuring
chains and embellished with press studs usually seen on a biker jacket.
There were also new shapes, with an oversized triangular tote catching
editors eyes.
The biggest change has to be the reintroduction of the old Mulberry logo
from the 1970s, the iconic tree logo has been rebranded into a
sophistication gold font.
Other highlights from the collection included chunky Mary Janes and
slingback pumps, which also feature the new press stud detailing, as well
as the outerwear that included woollen military cape coats, shaggy
Mongolians and leather coats, and everyone seemed to be a fan of the
structured colour palette of black, dark navy and khaki green set against
delicate cream, pink and burgundy hues.
Overall the feeling was that Mulberry has been reimagined as cooler and
edgier, and with the lower price points, bags priced between 500 and 900
pounds, it is hoped that the new-look will appeal to more consumers.
An exclusive capsule collection of Coca’s first designs will be
available online and in store from April, with all pieces in the early
release featuring the press stud detailing as seen on the catwalk, and will
include the new ‘Clifton’ bag.
Images: Mulberry AW16