Your Mulberry - where was it made....and is there really a difference!....

[Roxaholic]

Hi everyone

A little thumb twiddling tonight, what with the anti-climax after Murray's sensational Gold Medal (and the crappy weather!), so I just thought of a (potentially) interesting topic and would love to know other's opinions on it.

I recall, quite recently, that we had a similar, albeit brief, discussion somewhere about "Made in" - and touched on the obvious political/economic/ethical reasons for not wholly agreeing with Mulberry's ethos of outsourcing (to China, for instance).

But these issues aside, (and I know we are prohibited from discussing anything controversial and inflammatory - and of course we all know that Mulberry is now half owned by Chinese billionaires) - do you have any specific preferences as to where your Mulberries are produced. Of course, we all know and love English Mulberry at it's best - but what of Turkey, Spain and China - does the quality differ, or do you think it is consistent across the board?

That said, I have examples from all places (with the exception of Spain), and I am really undecided as to whether one is obviously better than another - but I must say that the finishing on my dear old Black Roxy (England) is immaculate and stitching perfect, but my Turkish examples are also gorgeous, ditto my Chinese Elgin.......

Comments/views much appreciated!....xx

 

[steph22]

All of mine are made in England apart from my black Lily which is made in Turkey, and the quality is fine. I don't know if you can compare unless you look at two of the same but made in different countries side by side.

Being political here, but regardless of the quality issues I find it frustrating that they produce abroad to reduce costs (which I don't have an issue with) but then continue to increase prices.

 

[Roxaholic]

All of mine are made in England apart from my black Lily which is made in Turkey, and the quality is fine. I don't know if you can compare unless you look at two of the same but made in different countries side by side.

Being political here, but regardless of the quality issues I find it frustrating that they produce abroad to reduce costs (which I don't have an issue with) but then continue to increase prices.

True Steph.....I just don't see how they can justify these price hikes either - because there is only so much (quality wise) you can do to a bag - save for encrusting it with precious gems!!!....

Good bit of news though - when I was over at Shepton on Friday I was talking to one of the older SA's and she was saying, with the opening of the new factory in Bridgwater, they may actually be able to save on production costs, and that it is actually becoming more and more expensive to outsource - so I suppose the Far East is suffering too with the terrible global recession and it is just not so cost effective to get the bags produced there....who knows, but an English factory in my book is excellent news for the Brand....(it would just be great if the savings could be passed on to us customers though!!)....

 

[Miss Mulb]

Both my Alexa and Lily were made in Turkey. I hope Mulberry wouldn't be foolish enough to let quality slip wherever their bags are produced, but I would prefer if they were made in England in keeping with the brand's heritage. It would bother me if a bag was made in China - it's a model based on mass production and however skilled the workers, that just doesn't seem to fit with a luxury brand. Again, I wouldn't mind from a quality point of view, but I would wonder what I was paying for if production had been outsourced to make it cheaper.

 

[Roxaholic]

Both my Alexa and Lily were made in Turkey. I hope Mulberry wouldn't be foolish enough to let quality slip wherever their bags are produced, but I would prefer if they were made in England in keeping with the brand's heritage. It would bother me if a bag was made in China - it's a model based on mass production and however skilled the workers, that just doesn't seem to fit with a luxury brand. Again, I wouldn't mind from a quality point of view, but I would wonder what I was paying for if production had been outsourced to make it cheaper.

Great points! - but I have to say, ethics/ethos apart - I so love the quality of my one Made In China.....and yes, one would hope that quality at the luxury end of the market is never compromised......

That said, I do find it ironic and difficult to reconcile the fact that the majority of mass produced counterfeits hail from the Far East!.....

 

[madmadmo]

I have at least one bag made in each country. It doesn't bother me where they are made as long as they are perfect. My Chinese bag a Joelle shoulder bag made in NVT was my first. It has been used a lot in all weathers and looks almost as good as they day my OH got her for me.

 

[Roxaholic]

I have at least one bag made in each country. It doesn't bother me where they are made as long as they are perfect. My Chinese bag a Joelle shoulder bag made in NVT was my first. It has been used a lot in all weathers and looks almost as good as they day my OH got her for me.

Totally agree - I think my Elgin (China), along with Black Darwin Roxy (England) are probably the most perfect I have - (if one is being hyper critical!!)............but maybe it ultimately boils down to the neatness and expertise of the particular craftsperson(s) making it!!....

 

[Plemont]

Well that sent me running to check the labels on my bags - I actually hadn't thought too much about country of origin before (apart from being pleased with my Made in England bags of course) - I suppose I looked at the labels when I first got the bags and then forgot about it.

I thought I'd have a guess before checking, making these assumptions:
Best quality = Made in England
Unusual leathers = Made in Spain (someone once mentioned that on tpf)
Quirky bags = Made in England
Cheaper lighter leathers/ unlined bags = Made in China or Turkey
Vintage bags = Made in England
Darwin = Made in England

And do you know, I wasn't far off with my guesses? The bags were made in the following countries:

China:
Bayswater Belt Bag, Charlie, Brinkley, The Duck. Lightweight leathers, good quality but need a bit of looking after.

Turkey:
Red Onion SBS, Ledbury, Anthony, Mitzy. Apart from Red Onion, all light leathers again,

Spain:
Buffalo Shine Bayswater. Unusual leather - thick and excellent quality.

England:
Vintage black Old Bags, Oak Darwin Euston. All indestructible.

The only one I got really wrong was The Duck which has a real English quirkiness and seems like it couldn't have been made anywhere else, or so I thought.....

All the above comments, are, of course, based on my observations of my own Mulberries, but the conclusion I would draw is that while the better quality leathers are found in the English and Spanish bags, the quality of manufacturing doesn't vary very much at all

 

[Roxaholic]

Well that sent me running to check the labels on my bags - I actually hadn't thought too much about country of origin before (apart from being pleased with my Made in England bags of course) - I suppose I looked at the labels when I first got the bags and then forgot about it.

I thought I'd have a guess before checking, making these assumptions:
Best quality = Made in England
Unusual leathers = Made in Spain (someone once mentioned that on tpf)
Quirky bags = Made in England
Cheaper lighter leathers/ unlined bags = Made in China or Turkey
Vintage bags = Made in England
Darwin = Made in England

And do you know, I wasn't far off with my guesses? The bags were made in the following countries:

China:
Bayswater Belt Bag, Charlie, Brinkley, The Duck. Lightweight leathers, good quality but need a bit of looking after.

Turkey:
Red Onion SBS, Ledbury, Anthony, Mitzy. Apart from Red Onion, all light leathers again,

Spain:
Buffalo Shine Bayswater. Unusual leather - thick and excellent quality.

England:
Vintage black Old Bags, Oak Darwin Euston. All indestructible.

The only one I got really wrong was The Duck which has a real English quirkiness and seems like it couldn't have been made anywhere else, or so I thought.....

All the above comments, are, of course, based on my observations of my own Mulberries, but the conclusion I would draw is that while the better quality leathers are found in the English and Spanish bags, the quality of manufacturing doesn't vary very much at all

Plemont - how interesting and great points.....but that is strange about your Duck as I would have said without doubt English made - but same with my latest Elgin - just seemed English through and through - to the extent I didn't even check the label (until today) - which is what sort of prompted this thread!....

And Spain - very interesting point - they do seem to use the slightly more unusual leathers - saw a Rosie a month or so back on Fleabay and she was a most enticing shade of rich distressed chocolate with contrast white stitching......but I have heard that the Spanish bags (esp in the Rosemary) tend to be a little out of proportion and more "dumpy" than from elsewhere - but I kind of like that......

....but at the end of the day, as you say, consistent quality is the foremost concern....

 

[madmadmo]

True Steph.....I just don't see how they can justify these price hikes either - because there is only so much (quality wise) you can do to a bag - save for encrusting it with precious gems!!!....

Good bit of news though - when I was over at Shepton on Friday I was talking to one of the older SA's and she was saying, with the opening of the new factory in Bridgwater, they may actually be able to save on production costs, and that it is actually becoming more and more expensive to outsource - so I suppose the Far East is suffering too with the terrible global recession and it is just not so cost effective to get the bags produced there....who knows, but an English factory in my book is excellent news for the Brand....(it would just be great if the savings could be passed on to us customers though!!)....

Wouldn't it be great if they started making bespoke bags again when they open the new factory?

 

[Designpurchaser]

Hi everyone

A little thumb twiddling tonight, what with the anti-climax after Murray's sensational Gold Medal (and the crappy weather!), so I just thought of a (potentially) interesting topic and would love to know other's opinions on it.

I recall, quite recently, that we had a similar, albeit brief, discussion somewhere about "Made in" - and touched on the obvious political/economic/ethical reasons for not wholly agreeing with Mulberry's ethos of outsourcing (to China, for instance).

But these issues aside, (and I know we are prohibited from discussing anything controversial and inflammatory - and of course we all know that Mulberry is now half owned by Chinese billionaires) - do you have any specific preferences as to where your Mulberries are produced. Of course, we all know and love English Mulberry at it's best - but what of Turkey, Spain and China - does the quality differ, or do you think it is consistent across the board?

That said, I have examples from all places (with the exception of Spain), and I am really undecided as to whether one is obviously better than another - but I must say that the finishing on my dear old Black Roxy (England) is immaculate and stitching perfect, but my Turkish examples are also gorgeous, ditto my Chinese Elgin.......

Comments/views much appreciated!....xx

Nothing like a bit of thumb twiddling to set of a very interesting thread, well done Rox

Well that sent me running to check the labels on my bags - I actually hadn't thought too much about country of origin before (apart from being pleased with my Made in England bags of course) - I suppose I looked at the labels when I first got the bags and then forgot about it.

I thought I'd have a guess before checking, making these assumptions:
Best quality = Made in England
Unusual leathers = Made in Spain (someone once mentioned that on tpf)
Quirky bags = Made in England
Cheaper lighter leathers/ unlined bags = Made in China or Turkey
Vintage bags = Made in England
Darwin = Made in England

And do you know, I wasn't far off with my guesses? The bags were made in the following countries:

China:
Bayswater Belt Bag, Charlie, Brinkley, The Duck. Lightweight leathers, good quality but need a bit of looking after.

Turkey:
Red Onion SBS, Ledbury, Anthony, Mitzy. Apart from Red Onion, all light leathers again,

Spain:
Buffalo Shine Bayswater. Unusual leather - thick and excellent quality.

England:
Vintage black Old Bags, Oak Darwin Euston. All indestructible.

The only one I got really wrong was The Duck which has a real English quirkiness and seems like it couldn't have been made anywhere else, or so I thought.....

All the above comments, are, of course, based on my observations of my own Mulberries, but the conclusion I would draw is that while the better quality leathers are found in the English and Spanish bags, the quality of manufacturing doesn't vary very much at all

This is really interesting Plemont and if I wasn't so blinking tired I'd be rooting out all of my bags to check on their origin, most of which are Turkey and England

Wouldn't it be great if they started making bespoke bags again when they open the new factory?

Madmadmo - now you're talking, but hey what a blinking long waiting list they would have.

That said Rox my ostrich iphone cover is made in Spain but this thread has now encouraged me to get all of my babies out tomorrow and compare quality, stitching and leathers, ahhhhhhhhh you've saved me from a housework day whilst princess is with nanny................oh I do like you Rox!!!

 

[Plemont]

That said Rox my ostrich iphone cover is made in Spain but this thread has now encouraged me to get all of my babies out tomorrow and compare quality, stitching and leathers, ahhhhhhhhh you've saved me from a housework day whilst princess is with nanny................oh I do like you Rox!!!

Ostrich made in Spain is fitting in with my theory nicely (but reminds me that I STILL don't own anything in ostrich, grrrr)

DP, I'm torn between telling you to have a shopping day while you've got a bit of freedom, and encouraging you to have a Mulberry day because hopefully there'll be some lovely lovely photos taken as evidence...... Definitely no housework though!

 

[Designpurchaser]

Ostrich made in Spain is fitting in with my theory nicely (but reminds me that I STILL don't own anything in ostrich, grrrr)

DP, I'm torn between telling you to have a shopping day while you've got a bit of freedom, and encouraging you to have a Mulberry day because hopefully there'll be some lovely lovely photos taken as evidence...... Definitely no housework though!

Plemont you now join my most liked list of TPF'ers, thank you for enabling a shopping trip. Yes I will take a family pic along with the Alexa swop. Looking forward to very leathery day!!

 

[Somersetlove]

Well that sent me running to check the labels on my bags - I actually hadn't thought too much about country of origin before (apart from being pleased with my Made in England bags of course) - I suppose I looked at the labels when I first got the bags and then forgot about it.

I thought I'd have a guess before checking, making these assumptions:
Best quality = Made in England
Unusual leathers = Made in Spain (someone once mentioned that on tpf)
Quirky bags = Made in England
Cheaper lighter leathers/ unlined bags = Made in China or Turkey
Vintage bags = Made in England
Darwin = Made in England

And do you know, I wasn't far off with my guesses? The bags were made in the following countries:

China:
Bayswater Belt Bag, Charlie, Brinkley, The Duck. Lightweight leathers, good quality but need a bit of looking after.

Turkey:
Red Onion SBS, Ledbury, Anthony, Mitzy. Apart from Red Onion, all light leathers again,

Spain:
Buffalo Shine Bayswater. Unusual leather - thick and excellent quality.

England:
Vintage black Old Bags, Oak Darwin Euston. All indestructible.

The only one I got really wrong was The Duck which has a real English quirkiness and seems like it couldn't have been made anywhere else, or so I thought.....

All the above comments, are, of course, based on my observations of my own Mulberries, but the conclusion I would draw is that while the better quality leathers are found in the English and Spanish bags, the quality of manufacturing doesn't vary very much at all

Loving this thread and will be getting my three out tomorrow for a good look, but what is "The Duck"?

 

[Sammiantha]

I was also wondering what the duck was! My Alexa Hobo has a little ZK tag (not sure what that means) and my new bag, winging its way too me this week was made in Spain. I will check my Lily tomorrow. Interesting thread, I wonder where the majority are made?