4 posts tagged "Emma Hill"
Emma Hill to Depart Mulberry
Emma Hill, the British designer responsible for the ever-popular Alexa bag, will be parting ways with Mulberry. According to WWD, Hill, who had served as the label’s creative director since 2008, reportedly made the break because of creative and operational differences with management. Having formerly designed handbags for the likes of Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein, Hill did a great deal to build up the Mulberry label, focusing on accessories, English heritage, and clothes that catered to a sophisticated brand of whimsy. (And, of course, who could forget those little dogs she’s become so fond of using in her runway shows?) Due to the fact that her departure comes while Coach is on the prowl for Reed Krakoff’s replacement, the rumor mill suggests that Hill might be up for the job—there’s also speculation that the likes of Clare Waight Keller, 2013 CFDA Accessories Designer of the Year Phillip Lim, and the already very busy Marc Jacobs, among others, are being considered for the position. Hill’s official Mulberry end date is still undetermined, but she has already wrapped up the Spring ’14 collection, which will show in London on September 15.
Mulberry’s English Garden Sprouts in L.A.
Taking the dense florals and dizzying gardens from her Fall collection on the road, Mulberry’s Emma Hill and gang made their requisite trip to the Chateau Marmont last night to celebrate with the left-coast set. In addition to bona fide L.A. girls like Mena Suvari, Marisa Tomei, and Liz Goldwyn, there were plenty of Brits in attendance, including Alice Eve and Revenge‘s Ashley Madekwe. And the table talk revolved around all things Anglo. “Aren’t Americans secretly really kind of Anglophiles a little bit?” Brit Marling asked. “We’re all just longing for the mother country,” mused the star of The East before discussing directors with Emily Mortimer, who’s in the middle of filming the second season of The Newsroom. Looking demure in the label’s emerald School shirt, Mortimer offered that she likes to do her shopping on the fly—literally. “I can’t really walk past the Mulberry shop at terminal three at Heathrow without going crazy.”
Mulberry’s Splashy Bash
Though L.A.’s consistently warm weather didn’t turn out for Mulberry’s party at the Chateau Marmont last night, a host of Hollywood starlets dedicated to the Brit brand, including Kate Bosworth, Gia Coppola, and Nathalie Love, more than did their part to set the scene for the poolside bash.
In between chatting with Bosworth, Mulberry’s Emma Hill observed that city’s importance to the brand. “We always really build the collection when we’re here,” she explained of the many trips she takes out West each year, which are soon to increase when they open a store in L.A. some time next year. “It’s always a film that kicks off every season, so I screen a film with my team and then we come here and go digging for vintage at the Rose Bowl [Flea Market].”
Nearby, Harley Viera-Newton discussed her current music project with the line. “Their collections are so music-driven, so I’m working with them on this whole music channel on their Web site that they’re developing to go along with their collections,” Viera-Newton said. And as if on cue—and in signature Mulberry fashion—the night capped off with an outdoor set by Lana del Rey.
With 40th Birthday Celebrations And A
New Book, Mulberry Hits Middle Age In Style
Forty isn’t exactly a grand old age for a British heritage brand like Mulberry (by comparison, Burberry is 155), but in the words of creative director Emma Hill, “We have a lot to say!” Kicking off the 40th birthday celebrations is Mulberry ($90, available at Mulberry boutiques), a 480-page coffee-table book three years in the making. The tome features fly-on-the-wall photography by regular brand collaborator Venetia Dearden, shot everywhere from a campaign shoot with Tim Walker to an after-party with Alexa Chung. Looks inside the Somerset, England, factory jostle next to images of brand execs trying to fit a giant helium balloon in the shape of a Bayswater bag into a London cab. “We’re warts and all,” Hill explains, “and we don’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s nice that we could have pictures of our front-row celebrities but also silly ones of us having snowball fights.” The birthday celebrations will continue through the year, and the infamous helium Bayswater will make appearances at parties in London and New York, where a new Spring Street store is set to open. Hill hints that the new space will feature a special new piece exclusive to New York.
A packed schedule like hers requires the occasional break, like Hill’s recent trip to Cornwall for the Royal Wedding weekend. “We had a lawn party with lots of Union Jack bunting and cucumber sandwiches and scones and Victoria sponge cake and flag waving,” she said. As for the new Duchess, “She looked amazing, I thought she handled herself incredibly and was so poised.” First the Alexa; next, perhaps, the Catherine?