The British brand’s muse has now designed her own capsule for the house.
Words by Amy De Klerk
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Over 10 years ago, in 2010, Mulberry launched the Alexa, a handbag inspired by and dedicated to Alexa Chung, and a design that became a huge success. Now, as part of the British brand’s 50th anniversary celebrations, Mulberry and the fashionista-turned-designer have collaborated on a new handbag design.
“Mulberry has always been a brand that’s very close to my heart,” Chung said. “The Alexa represents a moment in my life that I’m extraordinarily proud of and feel really lucky to have experienced. It’s nostalgic and sentimental and sweet and joyful.”
Chung with the Alexa in 2014
DAVID M. BENETTGETTY IMAGES
The bag – which was wildly popular in the 2010s and is considered so iconic that it features in the V&A’s current fashion exhibition ‘Bags: Inside Out’ – was relaunched last year in sustainable materials, giving it a new lease of life and appealing to the many customers who are still coming into store asking for it.
The ongoing success of the partnership between Chung and Mulberry ultimately led to the two working together again on this new project, a relationship which Chung described as having gone on “quite a romantic journey”.
“This time, I wanted to create something that straddled what the bag means to me personally, but could become that for someone else’s wardrobe. I wanted to make sure that it would endure, become a future classic. I welcome this extension of a relationship that’s been unfolding over decades. We do all like an origin story and something authentic, and I suppose it doesn’t get more authentic than this. In my mind it’s been quite a romantic journey.”
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Chung has designed two styles of the same handbag for the capsule, which features a roomy shoulder bag, called the Big Guy, and a compact clutch, the Little Guy. Partly inspired by the satchel-style of the Alexa, they have been designed with versatility in mind and both bags tap into 1970s nostalgia as well as into Chung’s personal style, and can be styled with pretty much anything.
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For Chung, who holds the Alexa close to her heart, this is another career-defining moment.
“I never expected to be invited to actually design my own Mulberry bag, which is really a dream come true.”
This collaboration is part of Mulberry Editions, a series of partnerships the brand has worked on in celebration of its 50th anniversary, which also includes collections with Priya Ahluwalia, Richard Malone and Nicholas Daley.
The Alexa Chung x Mulberry collaboration is available to shop now, right here.
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This article originally appeared on harpersbazaar.com/uk/
