Manbags and Mulberry Designs
Modern, Traditional and Vintage Men's Bags For 2008
With the current trend for manbags, design houses have been sending their male models strutting down the runways flashing men's bags in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Designers the world over are currently competing to meet the increasing demands for men's bags and British leather-goods manufacturer, Mulberry is one of the first to fully exploit the trend, reporting a 64% increase in sales of men's accessories in 2006 compared with the previous year.
Mulberry Manbags
Mulberry, a leading designer of leather-goods has managed to crack the men’s market in bags that are modern and cool. “Mulberry was definitely at the forefront of men wearing bags” says Mulberry’s design director, Stuart Ververs, in the article "Bye-Bye Predictable Bags" from GQ Magazine, January 2008. Ververs goes on to talk about the moderninity of carrying a long-strapped sporty bag, and “taking all those techniques that were in luggage and making them relevant for a modern function.”
Mulberry bags are known for their amazing detailing, their ability to be both classic and vintage and yet modern at the same time. Mulberry’s £395 buffalo leather and canvas strapped manbag "Alfie", is masculine enough to please even the most alpha male and the Mulberry classic "Justin Maxi Messenger", made from denim is right on-trend to team with casual jeans. Mulberry owes much of its success to a look inspired by the English countryside. "It's things from the countryside, like hunting, shooting and fishing. You can play with those things very naturally. The bags don't look like they've been designed half of the time," says Ververs.
Men's bags already have the celebrity seal of approval from sporting giants David Beckham and Chris Eubank and hip hop and rock artists P Diddy and Bob Geldof. Geldof even designed a bag for Mulberry.
Mulberry - A Family Affair
Yet, despite its international place in the fashion world of leather goods there is still something charming about Mulberry, with its family appeal. It is nestled in the hills of Somerset, England and employs the bulk of its workforce from a 5-mile radius, and is an advocate of life-time employment for its workers. The bag repair lady has been with Mulberry for 27 years and began working at the factory at the tender age of 15.
Mulberry’s approach to its manbags has been to develop the traditional styles of the Messenger and tote and made them fresh and young. This synergy of young energy and tradition has inspired bags such as the new “Warren”, a light-weight, long-strapped biker bag with silver-zipper pockets, inspired by bikers.
Mulberry - The Future
The company already has in plans for 2009, with its continued expansion into the areas of other men’s accessories such as belts and scarves It has also just opened a new store "Mulberry Men" at Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge.
Buying a Mulberry bag “shows appreciation of beautiful quality, not ostentation. It’s not about shouting about the brand,” says Ververs.
