Mulberry turns 40

“What I love doing is making gorgeous things that women want.”

Mulberry creative director Emma Hill

 That’s right, the forever-famous brand Mulberry will be celebrating its 40^th birthday later on this year, much to the public’s delight. So how has this high end luxury brand defied the current recession?

Mulberry was born in the early 1970’s in a garage in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, and has remained the public’s favourite for all these years after. Founder, Roger Saul, set up the company with the £500 he inherited on his 21^st birthday. Since then, this small-scale company has grown over the years to produce alluring and luxurious bags for all to enjoy.

However, it is no secret that these little ‘bags of fun’ come at a price. With a typical price tag for a Mulberry handbag starting at a costly £600, it’s a surprise sales haven’t been dented considering the current recession. Yet in spite of this, Mulberry sales have in fact risen with pre-tax profits for the brand jumping by 207% from £1.5m to £4.7m.

Beating competition such as Burberry, Pringle of Scotland and Victoria Beckham in winning designer brand of the year in 2010, Mulberry has since gone on to thrive in all of its endeavors. Designer, Emma Hill, being none other than accountable.

Designer handbags have historically been of French or Italian heritage, though Mulberry proudly celebrates its Englishness. What is intelligent about the brand is that the Britishness it embraces is not a twee, traditional version, instead one that embraces contradictions and quirks. Mulberry invests its money and employees in fashion week parties that have become most iconic in the industry. This association with fun has had a colossal affect on how consumers perceive the bags, leaving sales at a constant all time high – much like the guests at such parties.

The Alexa, which is of course named after and inspired by modern British fashion icon, Alexa Chung, has been causing a stir since its launch at Spring/Summer 2010 Fashion Week. Being one of the “celebrities” of the Mulberry world in having a named bag, T.V presenter Chung is responsible for the Bayswater bag, a kind of hybrid of a traditional English doctor’s satchel.  All Mulberry bags come in different shapes and sizes to appeal to a variety of customers. Tiny, doll-sized Alexa bags have been seen on the dance floors of Paris, larger ones stuffed with baby essentials among the school-run mums. The Alexa has made the biggest impact in comparison to that of any other Mulberry bag to date.

It seems the Mulberry customer is buying the bag for their inherent value and usability – not just for its name.  And these beauties aren’t just to be enjoyed by woman. 2010 saw ‘man bags’ flying off the shelves, the Mulberry brand being no exception. With a range of messenger bags, brief cases, gym bags and holdall’s on sale for men, Mulberry has dramatically expanded its sales.

Going that one step further than most bag brands, it is celebrating its success in launching a new womenswear range of clothing, equally as high end as the bags. Not only are quirky dresses and jackets available, but women’s best friend to the bag… shoes! Now every woman can have her accessories matching from hand to toe… simply idyllic.

So Mulberry has avoided the recession with credit cards overpowering the credit crunch. Perhaps being one of the last remaining English indulgence brands out there is responsible for such success? Lets look forward to the new and exciting launches this year in collaboration with its 40^th Birthday bash!