Mulberry x Axel Arigato: British heritage meets Swedish minimalism

Today marks the launch of Swedish lifestyle label Axel Arigato and British luxury brand Mulberry’s limited-edition collaboration of unisex ready-to-wear, bags, footwear, and accessories.

The capsule marries "Axel Arigato’s effortless Scandinavian minimalism and Mulberry’s timeless British aesthetic", in a collaboration that celebrates both brands’ shared values of community and contemporary culture.

Max Svärdh, Co-founder of Axel Arigato, commented: "It’s an exciting chapter in Axel Arigato’s story to forge a collaboration of this scale with a long-established brand such as Mulberry. Our aim is to bring the youthful, percussive energy which informs our design language by reinterpreting Mulberry’s heritage silhouettes through a unique Scandinavian lens."

Axel Arigato revamps Mulberrry archival designs by referencing "memorable pop culture moments from the past 50 years" in the 35-piece collection.

Three archival designs were selected to remake including Mulberry’s iconic Bayswater, which was rescaled into the largest version of the brand’s original bag. The Maddison and Westbourne styles are also revamped for the collection, available in bold colourways and classic neutrals.

Featured throughout is a badge that combines Mulberry’s tree emblem and Axel Arigato’s insignia as well as reinterpreted iconic hardware. The Postman’s Lock, for example, decorates ready-to-wear styles and footwear, such as Axel Arigato’s Area sneakers.

The collection adheres to both Mulberry’s made to last ethos and Axel Arigato’s responsible design approach. All bags were crafted in the UK at Mulberry’s carbon-neutral Somerset factories with environmentally accredited leather. All of the footwear was produced in Portugal from a combination of leather and polyester produced using recycled PET bottles. All of the cotton used has been Global Organic Textile (GOT)-certified.

Bringing the collection to life, the brands are co-hosting an event in London this week, celebrating their shared affinity with music and culture.

The capsule is now available on axelarigato.com and mulberry. com as well as brick-and-mortar stores worldwide, with prices ranging from £45 to £1950.

Thierry Andretta, CEO of Mulberry, added: "We’re delighted to reveal our collaboration with Axel Arigato, a brand which shares our values of community and creativity. Through Axel Arigato’s innovative and contemporary approach, iconic elements of our Mulberry DNA and archive have been reinterpreted on a collection with sustainability at its core, making this an exciting manifestation of the essence of both our brands."

This news follows Mulberry's recent collaboration with Paul Smith. The two British fashion greats collaborated on a unisex bag collection celebrating British creativity and craft and fusing the signature styles of the two houses.

Mulberry also recently collaborated with the animated character Miffy on a limited-edition capsule collection to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit for Lunar New Year.