Monday, June 20, 2011

Mulberry’s Profits Multiply



In 1971, Roger Saul and his mother Joan started the British lifestyle company Mulberry. The luxury brand has seen much success and growth over its 40 years, but this has to be one of their largest year's yet, reporting their sales have quadrupled over the last 12-months.

The company's fame started with their handcrafted leather goods - handbags expressly - but now includes womenswear, menswear and most recently women’s shoes. They now have stores in the UK, all over Europe, America, Australia and Asia - where a lot of demand for the brand is being seen as of late.


In 2009, Emma Hill debuted her first collection with Mulberry as Creative Director. She was living in New York working with big design houses such as Calvin Klein, Gap, Chloe, Marc Jacobs, and Marc by Marc Jacobs. She told the Sunday Times in February of 2009, “ I can tell when a bag has been designed by a man, because it’s usually too heavy. Women design lighter bags because we know what it’s like to carry them.”


This year, after their 40th anniversary, Mulberry announced that their profits have quadrupled over the past year. The increase in sales came from opening 9 stores around the world, and just an accelerated growth internationally and online. Many credit the rapid growth with the company's new "It" bag, the "Alexa" satchel, seen above with the design house's inspiration for the bag and name, Alexa Chung. Another bag deserving much credit for the company's boost in sales is the Bayswater handbag, seen carried by many a starlets and socialites.


Godfrey Davis, the Chairman and Chief Executive of the company told Women’s Wear Daily “Strong demand in all markets has continued into the new financial year and the outlook for the Mulberry brand is positive. While we remain cautious about the global economic environment, we are focused on accelerating our international expansion."

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