In Pictures: Christopher Kane unveils his vision for Mulberry

Amid a resurgence of distinctly British names on the London Fashion Week schedule, Mulberry made its return to the event with a refreshed identity. The heritage label is now under the creative direction of Christopher Kane, who debuted a vision that combined his fervour for experimentation with Mulberry’s playful take on British tropes.

Collectively, ‘Mulberry by Christopher Kane’ serves as a relaunch of the brand’s ready-to-wear line, which it paused in 2020 in favour of more lucrative leather and accessories categories. Kane similarly put a halt to his own namesake brand in 2023 after filing for administration, meaning the show was very much a revival on all fronts. It is therefore apt that the collection that emerged was an amalgamation of the respective codes of all parties.

The inaugural collection, spanning ready-to-wear to accessories to footwear, intends to exist as a standalone line, introducing what is said to be a “new chapter for Mulberry” that “explores the contrasts and characters of British life, establishment and subculture”. This didn’t stop Kane from looking deep into the brand’s archives to inform his direction, with the designer intentionally referencing Mulberry’s Somerset beginnings under founder Roger Saul.

The Mulberry tree logo, for example, informed bag and footwear shapes, while the appearance of white broderie anglaise paid homage to Le Style Anglais of 1975, a collection that was said to have established the brand’s British fashion identity. The 1990’s Mulberry sweatshirt in a rugby silhouette with distinct branding also reappeared largely untouched, conjuring “a lasting memory of what Mulberry meant to Kane growing up”.

Elsewhere, retro-inspired silhouettes previously seen on Mulberry’s runways were reintroduced in cut-out, graphic shapes that defined everything from knitted sweaters to long-line trench coats, pointing to Kane’s tongue-in-cheek design sensibilities. Check prints, once a classic staple of the brand’s past collections, reemerged in familiar palettes across oversized button ups and outwear, including an entirely see-through mac.

Leather, a core category for Mulberry, remained prominent on the runway, and in fact was described as the foundation of the collection. In the show notes, it was revealed that the house’s Bayswater style acted as the design starting point, with the bag’s signature angles depicted through cut-out dresses, layered mini skirts, leather panels and graphic co-ords.

Its prevalence underlined leather’s influential place in Mulberry’s portfolio, where it has retained resilience despite a fluctuating luxury market. In its latest annual report, Mulberry forecast leather goods to grow at a CAGR of 8 percent between 2023 and 2030, compared with a softer 6 percent increase for personal luxury goods.

It was therefore no surprise that the influx of fully leather outfits were complemented by the extensive presence of leather accessories. Harnesses appeared layered over knitwear, while belts holding the Bayswater lock tied certain looks together. Bags, meanwhile, were slung over the shoulder and ranged in silhouettes, from oversized weekend bags to chain-bearing clutches.

All in all, for Kane, the inclusion of signature pillars were “evoked not as an act of reverence, but as tools through which the language of Mulberry is reimagined”. His collection marked a next step, albeit a significant step, in Mulberry’s broader repositioning strategy, focused on returning the label to its former British identity. Kane’s take on ready-to-wear points to a sleek, modern Mulberry, which refuses to discredit its past yet still makes way for a sturdy future.