Monday 16 November 2009

Mulberry + Apple = Chemistry 101

Mix three measures of Apple with two measures of Mulberry. Stir gently – mixture is highly explosive.

“Designed by Mulberry, Made for Apple” - a new collaboration between one of Britain’s longest established brands and arguably the largest grossing, most innovative electronics mega brand. If there was ever a ker-ching moment...
Recently I’m loving the new Mulberry, under the direction of their new creative director Emma Hill, who was appointed in Dec 2007. At LFW this September, her third fashion week, they definitely opened with a bang. The theme was funfair and the carousel rides and pastel coloured balloons definitely gave The Claridges Hotel a carnival feel. Mulberry have always been known for its classics; the Mitzy, the Shimmy, and of course, the Bayswater, but their RTW S/S 2010 took a step outwards, it was fun, playful and full of youth. And this season, more than with any of their other collections, I found myself wanting quite a few of the pieces; especially the berry Bayswater clutch with the oversized bow and the deep V back print dress because of its unexpected naughtiness.
It felt like Emma, I say it like we’re on first name basis, was going in a new direction and appealing to a wider market, the younger generations. I mean yes, we love the Bayswater, and we all own, or hope to own, one in our bag closet; but it’s great to have other things to get excited about as well. In the present economic blah blah we found a lot of designers played it safe with their designs showing more wearable pieces. Some designers however, took risks instead; catering to their customers and proving perseverance despite seemingly difficult times.

This recent collaboration with Apple is another example of ways in which Mulberry is thinking outside the box and pulling in another target audience: the nerds (and I say that with no disrespect. After-all a geek with a Mulberry for Apple is quite the fashion-geek-sta). Apple is one of the largest electronic producers with a range of products. Macs are très easy to use and quickly taking over the computer market, the iPhone vs. Blackberry competition shows no sign of declaring a winner anytime soon and iPods are probably the most superior MP3 players. Of course all these users need cases for their precious babies. Enter stage left, Mulberry comes in. By combining the classic looks of the Bayswater and Brynmore, with versatility and usability, they’ve created a product with the same coveted exteriors but enhanced interiors.
Again, ker-ching.
The only sad element about this whole sha-bang is that some idiot stole my MacBook and now I have no Apple to get that Bayswater sleeve for :( Maybe I could buy one anyway and the MacBook will just appear in it. Do you believe in magic?
Pictures are courtesy of My MANy Bags Blog

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