I used to own quite a few Mulberry bags about 10 years ago. I used have Bayswater, Ledbury, Lily and some others. The last Mulberry I owned was the Alexa in mini and regular size. Wish I kept the mini. I now mainly own Louis Vuitton, I also own one Gucci soho Disco, Chanel WOC and Loewe Puzzle bag. I do still like the Mulberry mini zipped Bayswater, the Darley bags and the Small Iris.
Where have all the Mulberry buyer's gone?
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In theory that is the case, but in fact there was a documentary about 10 years ago that exposed how Italian factories were using migrant workers and treating them as badly as they are treated in their home countries and in some cases even worse.I used to own a classic Alexa and a Bryn but sold / gifted away both because being all-leather bags they were just too heavy in my opinion. I very much prefer LV working with a combination of canvas and leather making the bags much lighter and more easy to maintain. I do not miss slathering my bags in Collonil every half year
Still, there have been Mulberry bags I kept eyeing for their beautiful designs in the last years (and even now) but what has put me off the brand is the fact that they moved production away from the UK (Europe in general). The bags still seem very well-made but I am not buying a bag for +1k not knowing about working conditions and harmful chemicals used when I can buy a bag made in France, Italy, Spain or the UK (other brands haven‘t „moved“) for the same price point. Working conditions and approved chemicals are way more regulated in EU states and I think buying luxury bags should not leave me thinking about these kinds of concerns. Also, rising prices and moving production offshore together seems just like such a bad move: everyone knows that labor is much cheaper outside of Europe so the higher (and rising!) prices are just way less justified in my opinion.
One of the worst culprits was an Italian factory that made items for Prada, for example.
Ensuring workers are treated well seems nigh on impossible for the consumer, wherever the goods are made and however high the mark-ups.
Yes so true! Kate Middleton has quite a few Mulberry bags so doubt she’d be a fan if they used harmful chemicals/bad labor practices.It would make her look like a hypocrite if they were guilty of that(Mulberry discloses their responsibly sourced/low impact materials etc on their website)
I love Mulberry! I have the Darley black leather quilted shoulder bag and a black Baywater tote.Quality is amazing and a bargain compared to other luxury brands. I almost bought LV tote and a YSL camera bag but my friends had quality/customer service issues so scared me off.I might eventually get the YSL Chartreuse mini lou though.I love that color!
It's really great to see many of the original posters for Mulberry here and a lovely recent Mulberry thread. Haven't been on for a while due to pandemic and life - doesn't time fly! I did move to LV from Mulberry during the Jonny Coco phase, but have recently come back - I love all the classics - have the NVT oak Bayswater, sold my Annie oak (still is a massive regret of mine), have purchased recently the Iris in Black high shine (what a bag), camera bag in oxblood and the Darley in oak (still undecided if I like the leather or not). I have purchased a couple of preloved gems - my fav being the classic bayswater tote in Midnight silky snake - she is gorgeous (I'm currently refurbing) - I absolutely adore the silky snake finish and the other was the new bayswater tote in oak - which for a 2019 bag, has the scuffed bottom corners - I wonder if Mulberry fix that, if not I may have a go at this repair. I am pleased with the current direction they appear to be now taking at Mulberry - far, far better - I always love it when they bring back some old favourites, so I do keeping checking back to see what they have x
Honestly - I don't buy half what I used to - I buy for quality and then tend to hang on to it. I learned my lesson buying too much and never using what I had. I also stopped buying for fashion - I tend to buy classic styles that I know are going to last. I have some bags and wallets in my collection that are 20+ years old. I've just treat myself to a new work handbag and honestly it's the first one I've bought for about 5 years (I've bought an odd one for evening wear). I don't buy and sell anymore, I buy something because I love it and want to keep it. And I still buy Mulberry but usually only when it's discounted, something in me will not spend £1k+ for a handbag.
This is me too - I made too many expensive mistakes the early days & still have a couple that I impulse bought and have never used :-/
am a bit more sensible now, tending toward classic bags & ones that I’ll actually use.
I'm still around, but the US market has always felt kindof quiet in regards to Mulberry. If anything, it's gotten quieter with stores having closed. I like buying secondhand now. I've always loved the classics, and while many fans turned their nose up on the Johnny Coca era, I actually hunt them down secondhand now. The new bags today just feel off to me. The classics are classic for a reason. The Coca bags were cool and edgy. I don't really understand what concept Mulberry is at right now. It feels like they're just throwing whatever against the wall in hopes it'd work. Mulberry of today just has no specific identity that stands out today. Maybe they need a muse. The last has been Cara, no?
Aside from secondhand Mulberry, I'd been more into Loewe and had also picked up an interest in vintage Coach. Vintage Coach is like the US version of old Mulberry in concept and quality. Loewe is like the step up with a bit of quirkiness.
Aside from secondhand Mulberry, I'd been more into Loewe and had also picked up an interest in vintage Coach. Vintage Coach is like the US version of old Mulberry in concept and quality. Loewe is like the step up with a bit of quirkiness.
Coach from 2016 is like vintage mulberry circa 2004 when Stuart vevers worked at mulberry - I loved the 1941 range but coach has gone down hill now these last couple of years
Honestly, I feel like the whole designer handbag scene is a bit off the mark from my tastes at the moment. Wandered around Harvey Nichols the other night and there was nothing that stood out to me. A lot of designs right now, across brands, are smaller and boxy which is not my thing. I think it was all a bit too “Monaco lady who lunches” for me.
Mulberry’s price point has increased too much. And they have done away with a lot of the nice leathers, NVT, glossy goat leathers are rare now. Most of the bags are heavy grain leathers which is heavier and chunkier and doesn’t patina as much.
That being said, I bought some things in the sale but mostly because of the colour. I don’t see myself buying anything else for the foreseeable.
That being said, I bought some things in the sale but mostly because of the colour. I don’t see myself buying anything else for the foreseeable.
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I really wish they’d go back to widely using the old leathers, it feels like everything now is in smooth, scratchable leather.
I'm a bit conflicted about this. I'm a younger millennial, who like much of my generation and the younger Gen Z, has become more conscious about fashion and the environment. I really appreciate whatever Mulberry is trying in terms of being more sustainable with their leather, but I do see the decrease in quality.
I think for this reason, personally I prefer to buy secondhand Mulberry now as it uses the older quality leather. I also think there are too many beautiful bags in circulation already that I don't need to consume these new ones. The vintage bags are just so beautiful, and there's a lot of charm in thinking about how it's been loved once upon a time. I've also been in love with restoration videos of vintage bags on social media. So much care and thought involved versus buying something shiny and new.
That said, surprised now that Mulberry has its own leather care products after years of supporting Collonil.