Mulberry launches The Mulberry Exchange

British heritage brand Mulberry used its London Fashion Week presentation to highlight its ‘Made to Last’ initiative inspired by the brand’s responsibility commitments to the “past, present and future” with an immersive installation that brought the brand’s craft and design ethos to life.

Set within the brand’s Bond Street store, the three-day programme featured live music, exclusive events, craft workshops, a pop-up café, as well as the brand’s new M Collection, a capsule of bags and outerwear crafted from a blend of Econyl regenerated nylon and sustainable cotton.

The sustainable collection its part of Mulberry’s new commitment to responsible design, and to further its commitment the heritage brand has ensured that the price for responsible sourcing and production is not passed on to the consumer by making sure that the M collection is launched with one global retail price.

“The M Collection takes an innovative approach to new materials and to British heritage,” explained Johnny Coca, Mulberry creative director in a statement. “The brand’s M Initial has been interlocked in a play on Brutalist architecture and heritage textiles such as houndstooth to create an urban, abstracted pattern that draws on our shared spaces and histories.”

In addition, Mulberry also transported its carbon-neutral Somerset factories craftspeople to the flagship to showcase the work that goes into creating its 100 percent sustainable leather Portobello Tote, and showcased its commitment to crafting responsible luxury with a mixed-media installation.

Mulberry puts on immersive sustainable installation during London Fashion Week

At the heart of its sustainable presentation was the launch of its new circular economy programme, ‘The Mulberry Exchange’. This new service invites customers to have their Mulberry bags authenticated and appraised, with the opportunity to put this value towards a new purchase.

The buy back scheme, including authentication and valuation, will be available at select stores in the UK and US, including Bond Street, Gee’s Court, Regent Street, Covent Garden and White City in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, York and Kilver Court in Somerset, as well as Spring Street, New York in the US.

Once a Mulberry Exchange expert has authenticated and appraised the bag, customers can then decide to hand in their bag and receive a gift card to put towards a new purchase, or even get the bag restored at Mulberry’s care and repair centre, as its Somerset factories old leather and component pieces from the past 35 years.

Pre-loved and archive pieces will be available for purchase at the Bond Street and Gees Court stores in London, as well as the Spring Street flagship in New York. There will be a focus on rare silhouettes and limited-edition pieces, with each bag carefully revived by Mulberry’s restoration artisans in Somerset.

Commenting on the launch, Thierry Andretta, Mulberry chief executive said: “I am delighted to oversee the launch of The Mulberry Exchange. This innovative set of services celebrates decades of artisan skills nurtured in our Somerset factories and embraces the principles of a circular economy. We’re proud to offer our customers the chance to give a pre-loved bag a second life and purchase timeless designs from Mulberry’s archive.”

The initiative is part of the Mulberry Green charter, which sets out the brand’s commitments to make a positive difference to its people, the environment and the community in which it works and is focused around materials, manufacturing, product and people. It also encompasses the brand’s lifetime restoration service which allows customers to revive, rather than replace, a well-loved bag.

Images: by Danielle Wightman-Stone