The Fall of Mulberry

The Purse Blog recently done a very good article looking at the fall in favour of Mulberry bags. Once a handbag staple from everything from the everyday woman to the celebrity and fashion editors galore, it seemed to have fallen into obscurity since the Del Rey was released. That’s not to say that Lana Del Rey’s association with the brand had a negative effect on it; rather the opposite. It was the last time I heard any sort of noise being made about this beloved British designer brand.

I was never a fan of the Bayswater or the Alexa; they were always too casual for my liking but the Daria hobo in a nice oak colour is a bag I’ve been keeping an eye on for quite a while. They were seen on every woman in London; and I do mean every woman. It was a bag carried by students, business-women, mothers and the fashion set. It was universal, it was made of great leather, and it was a great design.

So where did it all go wrong? Market saturation is one, but like Purse Blog presumes, I’m going to go with the price hike. The reason every woman owned a Mulberry was because of the price, expensive enough to warrant great design and leave you safe in the knowledge that you had a great quality product, yet cheap enough that you could still afford it. I remember spotting a lovely Daria at the Mulberry store at Heathrow airport for £650 a few years ago. A Quick glance at the Mulberry website now will tell you the price has gone up by over £150. That may not be much for the Daria, but when you look at their latest offering, the Willow and see it costs you £1,600 you see the difference.

Mulberry were never the unattainable designer brand, and in hiking up their prices they are trying to be. That would work if they had a loyal enough client base that went along with the new prices, or their designs were show-stopping enough to get away with it and create the new ‘It’ bag. Unfortunately Mulberry has neither and you can see that clear as day on the streets of London. There are still a lot of Mulberrys around, but they are old and well-worn.

If Mulberry doesn’t turn itself around soon, it might cause irreparable damage and never return to the days of old.

Franzi