The Blog

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Category Archives: Craft

FRANK HÜLSBÖMER

Posted on Thursday 2 May 2013

Frank Hülsbömer is a respected Berlin-based artist. To celebrate the opening of our new store in Berlin, Frank created a bespoke moving installation that can be seen in store until the end of June.

The moving installation uses shards of vintage glass that rotate to create patterns of light on the store’s walls. Frank used Berlin’s rich history, his own design interpretation and inspiration from Mulberry materials and textures to create the piece. Here, he explains the production behind the installation, his inspirations, and its place in the Mulberry store.

See the installation for Mulberry Berlin >

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THE MAKING OF A WILLOW

Posted on Tuesday 23 April 2013

Mulberry bags celebrate timeless leather craft with their shape, style and detailing. The Willow collection is exclusively made in England, at our flagship factory The Rookery. From first design to final product, Willow bags are prototyped, tested, developed and carefully crafted by a highly-skilled team.

We captured moments during the process of making a Willow Tote, from selecting the best leather to hand-stitching the finishing touches.

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Leather pieces are selected from top-quality hides

Checking the Classic Calf leather for any imperfections

Leather panels are cut to the Willow specifications

Shaping the edges of the tote

Hand-stitching the Willow Tote handles

Hand-finishing the Willow

Precision-stitching the Willow Tote

Hand-stitching the leather

Shaping the handles for the Willow Tote

Hand-finishing the Willow Clutch

The finishing touches, polishing the postman's lock

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THE BAYSWATER

Posted on Thursday 4 April 2013

The Bayswater is a much-loved style, with recognisable design signatures and an understated practicality. Outwardly simple, with no external pockets, inside the Bayswater has belted straps to adjust the compartment size, and can hold A4 documents and folders, and small laptops and technology accessories. The iconic postman’s lock secures a leather flap closure, and two top handles can be worn on the shoulder or carried in the crook of the arm. The Bayswater can be adapted to many situations and occasions, and we welcome customers into our stores every day to discuss how it can work for them.

It takes a team of people time, attention to detail and considerable skill to make a Bayswater. From checking the leather for minor imperfections, to creating each panel, stitching and compiling the bag’s parts into the finished product, at each stage quality and care is paramount.

Discover the Bayswater >

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The Bayswater

The Bayswater in Slate Blue

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FROM SOMERSET TO SINGAPORE

Posted on Thursday 14 March 2013

The Mulberry flagship at Mandarin Gallery in Singapore hosted a showcase in store, to launch the new Willow Tote and Clutch and demonstrate the traditional craftsmanship behind the collection.

The Willow collection is made in The Rookery, our British factory in Somerset, and guests were given a glimpse into the bag production as Gary Sheppard, a craftsman from The Rookery, marked up and cut leather pieces to simulate the beginning of the intricate processes involved.

The collection is now available in the Mandarin Gallery store, including limited edition versions in Alligator in White and Black, which are only available in three other stores worldwide.

Find Mulberry at Mandarin Gallery >

Discover the Willow collection >

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Mulberry craft demonstration in Mandarin Gallery

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CRAFTING THE CATWALK

Posted on Tuesday 19 February 2013

Inspired by a print from the Autumn Winter 2013 collection, our show set used English countryside ephemera to create a set of beautiful entwined flowers, interspersed with woodland creatures and butterflies. It took 420 bluebells, 100 sunflower petals, 26 Mulberry leaves, 1200 butterflies and 30 large-scale poppies, all hand-crafted, to transform the Claridge’s Ballroom into an Autumn Winter 2013 scene.

Thank you to Millington Associates for their hard work in bringing the design to life.

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GETTING BUTTERFLIES

Posted on Tuesday 12 February 2013

Our Autumn Winter 2013 show is fast-approaching and the Mulberry press team have started to send out the invitations.

The show invitation starts the story of what’s to come on show day. The inspiration is often taken from a tiny element of the upcoming collection, combined with signature Mulberry design touches.

For Autumn Winter 2013 a single special butterfly forms the invitation. The butterfly is made from a triplex of GF Smith Colourplan Card sheets, two azure and one ebony to create crafted side detailing. Between the layers are balancing weights, hidden in the wings to create the perfect balancing effect when laid on a flat surface edge.

Throughout the week we’ll be posting more exclusive stories from the build-up to the show including the preparation, news from backstage and detailed insights into next season’s collection from Sunday 17 February.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @Mulberry_Editor and like us on Facebook for more from behind the scenes at London Fashion Week.

#GettingButterflies #LFW

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London Fashion Week archive >

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PAWS FOR THOUGHT

Posted on Friday 16 November 2012

The Mulberry Pudsey was auctioned at Christie’s last night to raise money for Children in Need, we’re so pleased to see him go to a good home.

the Mulberry Pudsey was made in The Rookery, our British factory in Somerset.

Watch the film >

Children in Need >

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FROM SOMERSET TO HARBOUR CITY

Posted on Wednesday 7 November 2012

To launch Brilliant Britain in Asia, a craftsman from The Rookery, our factory in Somerset, England, left the production line to join an exhibition in Hong Kong. The showcase in our Harbour City store celebrates craftsmanship and creativity and features British craftsmen and women from a variety of art and design disciplines.

Our Mulberry craftsman, Geoff, demonstrated how the leather is checked for quality, and how pieces are worked and plaited to make handles and detailing for the bags.

More about The Rookery >

See the exhibition >

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Celebrating Mulberry craftsmanship in Hong Kong

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MULBERRY PUDSEY

Posted on Monday 5 November 2012

Designer Pudsey is a campaign to raise money for UK-based charity Children in Need. Last year it raised over £50,000 through auctioning the exclusively designed Pudseys.

This year even more brands have participated, and our creative director Emma Hill jumped at the chance to create another Mulberry Pudsey.

Emma said: “The 2012 Mulberry’s Pudsey was inspired by our English luxury heritage and history of leather craftsmanship. He was lovingly made at our UK factory, The Rookery in Somerset, out of the softest Suede! His super-cute features were hand-stitched by our careful craftsmen and women, with a love heart nose and smile. He also wears a Small Bryn as a classic satchel, with a specially modified strap to fit him just so. Inside the bag is a longer strap so Pudsey’s owner can share!”

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NATIONAL KNITTING WEEK

Posted on Tuesday 16 October 2012

From the 15 – 21 October it is National Knitting Week in the UK. What perfect timing to showcase the Eribe knitters, as featured in our Brilliant Britain guide.

The Eribe knitwear design house was responsible for finding the talented women who hand-knit the thick, sheep’s wool pieces from our Autumn Winter 2012 Catwalk Collection. The knit pattern is a combination of Intarsia and Fairisle, with six unique yarns making up the final design. Each zigzag alone can take several hours to knit. ‘Certainly not something a beginner could tackle’ is how Margaret describes it in our exclusive video interview meeting two of the knitters.

We are proud supporters of British craft and the unsung heroes who keep traditional crafts alive. Eribé have approximately 100 knitters working from their own homes, keeping the centuries-old practice of hand-knitting thriving in an age of technology and machine-production.