Mulberry x Nicholas Daley collab mixes music inspiration with signature Daley touches

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 13, 2022

Mulberry has unveiled its latest designer collaboration under the Editions banner with the launch of its Mulberry x Nicholas Daley collection.

And it’s one that’s likely to make an impact as it mixes a musical theme (seen particularly in the campaign film) alongside some music-linked accessories.

The collaboration is “a proud celebration of both musical history and the creative communities to which both brands belong”, the company said. Daley has evoked key music trends of the 1960s and 1970s, “the heydays of jazz, reggae and rock ’n’ roll”. 

The star piece of the capsule sees him reinterpreting Mulberry’s Antony unisex satchel, with influences from his dual Jamaican and Scottish heritage and his own brand’s music inspiration. 

The Antony has been interpreted in five size options — including a brand-new oversized iteration that’s exclusive to the capsule. 

Whipstitch, fringe and braided motifs “nod to the outfits and accessories worn by Miles Davis, Roy Ayers and Jimi Hendrix on stage, as does the capsule’s tonal palette of navy, ochre and oak”.

The company also said the “collaboration breaks new ground through a series of luxury musical accessories — a first for Mulberry — created specifically with Daley’s close community of stage-performing musicians in mind”. 

These include fringed guitar and saxophone straps in complementary suede tones, while a plectrum case and hats feature embroidery techniques that “echo artisanal leather goods found across North Africa and the Caribbean”.

The capsule is also said to echo the “rich textural plays of Daley’s ready-to-wear collections” and there’s extra interest as Mulberry’s Postman’s Lock hardware “has been discreetly inverted, turned to a north-south orientation, and framed by fine embroidery”.

The Regular and Oversized Antony models have been made at Mulberry’s carbon-neutral factories in Somerset, and all leathers and suedes used are accredited by the Leather Working Group. 

The accompanying campaign film includes a live jazz session and features a performance of a specially written composition by Sons of Kemet frontman Shabaka Hutchings, accompanied by Grammy-nominated recording artist Lianne La Havas.