I will confess now – I own a Mulberry handbag, a black ‘Alexa’ to be precise. It took me a very, very long time to save up for it, but I see it as a timeless investment that will last me years. I get compliment after compliment on it and it is definitely one of my most prized possessions! The men in my life are absolutely baffled as to why I would spend £795 on something that I just carry my things around in, and justifying it to them is often tricky. However, when you really look at a Mulberry handbag, you’ll see that it is a complete work of art. Take mine for example, it is made of gorgeous quality leather and perfectly finished with Mulberry’s iconic golden ‘postman’s lock’ fastening. It looks worth the money. What’s more, 30% of Mulberry bags are hand-made about thirty minutes down the road from my home in Bristol in ‘The Rookery’ factory. Since purchasing my Mulberry handbag in January 2011, and admittedly feeling quite smug about it, I’ve noticed the increasing rate at which others seem to be buying them too. It seems that despite the recession, luxury purses and handbags are very much in demand!
Mulberry started out in 1971 when Englishman Roger Saul started to produce leather fashion accessories such as belts and chokers. It is thought that his eye-catching styles caught the interest of various prominent department stores both in the UK and overseas and his small company very quickly outgrew his tiny premises. With the business proving so profitable, Saul thought he would move onto producing and manufacturing leather handbags as well.
Mulberry has achieved some very impressive sales figures throughout the past few years, with clients from what seems like a recession proof Asia, namely China, seeming to be the predominant buyers. It appears there is a difference between creating a handbag that sells reasonably well and selling a handbag that sends out ripples all around the fashion world and mainstream media channels, and this is where Mulberry possesses an impressive reputation. Despite advertising itself as ‘Luxury English Fashion’, it is in high demand worldwide. Mulberry has said that the opening of five new stores in the Asia-Pacific region has lead to its rapid growth and significantly increased international sales and therefore profit. The Financial Times has also recently published an article which discusses the post-Christmas sales which commenced on boxing day in London Mulberry stores where some handbags were reduced in price and substantial numbers of Chinese customers flocked in to snap them up, apparently coining the term ‘travelling luxury consumers’.
The first Mulberry I think I ever saw was on the arm of Fearne Cotton when flicking through a magazine: a Bayswater in pastel pink with a bow above the fastening. Since seeing it and taking a mental note of the brand ‘Mulberry’, I started seeing more and more celebrities on the glossy pages of magazines carrying similar Mulberry arm-candy. Fearne cotton now has a remarkable collection of Mulberry handbags, and in an interview with Fabsugar UK, she claimed that she ‘would die’ if they named a Mulberry handbag after her, and that she doesn’t think there’s been a bag of theirs that she hasn’t loved.
My bag, the ‘Alexa’ is inspired by and named after my fashion heroine, Alexa Chung. Always ticking all the right style boxes, Alexa has been my favourite girl in fashion since her Popworld presenting days. So, maybe it was partly due to Alexa’s name being attached to my Mulberry handbag that contributed to me wanting one so desperately. I definitely think that celebrity culture has a huge role to play in what is ‘fashionable’ these days, and many young people like myself want to create a copycat image of our favourite stars. However, it was during a trip to House of Fraser with my mum when I first saw a Mulberry handbag in the flesh. In my opinion, they were in a different league to the other brands of handbags on the shelves. I picked up the Alexa, put the strap over my shoulder and that was it, I was in love, and so the ‘big save up’ commenced!
I asked two of my fellow students who also have Mulberry bags why they wanted theirs and the general consensus was the same reason that I did: because they are high quality, timeless accessorises and they would rather save up and spend a substantial figure on one Mulberry than tens of other cheaper bags. I believe that Mulberry handbags aren’t just another fashion fad, but that they are here to stay. I hope that the brand continues to thrive like it has been doing despite the current economic climate, whether due to customers abroad in their international stores, ‘travelling luxury consumers’ or even students who had to save up for ages like me!
Photo Credits: mulberry.com, coolspotters.com, fashgasms.blogspot.com,