Founded just a year apart – in 1970 and 1971 respectively – few brands are so synonymous with British style as Paul Smith and Mulberry, whose first collaborative collection is released on 4 September 2023 and combines Smith’s colourful joie de vivre with Mulberry’s classic silhouettes and dedication to craft.
First previewed at Smith’s show during Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2023 – in a collection the designer said was inspired by the modernist movement, particularly in the fields of architecture and design – the limited-edition ten-piece capsule collection riffs on Mulberry’s classic ‘Antony’ bag, a compact messenger style that features the brand’s signature ‘Postman’s Lock’ fastening.
First look: Mulberry x Paul Smith
Here, in a variety of vivid colours that draw inspiration from Smith’s ’Signature Stripe’ motif – a 40-colour stripe used across his collections – the ‘Antony’ bag is introduced in two new iterations, the ‘Antony Clip’, a miniature crossbody bag, and the ’Antony Tote’, alongside versions of the original style. Smith says that the collection is divided into two ‘stories’ – the first, heavy-grain leather in classic black with ‘Signature Stripe’ webbing straps, the second in smooth colour-blocked calf’s leather. The latter features the new ‘Shadow Stripe’ motif, here created by embossing the leather.
‘You could say our brands grew up and came of age together. I think that’s at least partly why we share such a similar approach to creativity and craft – that and our Britishness,’ says Smith of the collaboration. ‘Working together to ensure the collection was created in the UK was something we knew we wanted to do from the beginning, and the results speak for themselves.’
There is a sustainable element to the collection, too, in line with both Mulberry’s ‘Made to Last’ ethos and Smith’s ‘Path to Sustainability’ manifesto. Each piece from the collection was created in Mulberry’s Somerset factories, which have been carbon-neutral since 2019, using carbon-neutral leather that has been a requirement for all Mulberry bags since 2022. All leather in the collaboration is sourced from Gold-standard tanneries, certified by the Leather Working Group.
‘We’re delighted to be collaborating with Paul Smith on a collection that celebrates our shared values of creativity, craft and British heritage,’ adds Thierry Andretta, Mulberry’s CEO. ‘Reflecting our “Made to Last” ethos and longstanding commitment to manufacturing in the UK, we are proud that every piece in the collection will be made at one of our two carbon-neutral Somerset factories.’
Mulberry x Paul Smith launches 4 September 2023 in selected stores and online.
