Kane ready to lift Mulberry’s new collection – Daily Business

Christopher Kane has been hired for a new Mulberry collection

Mulberry Group, the luxury accessories group which recently hired Scottish designer Christopher Kane, is expected to post a rise in sales amid ‘growing momentum ‘.

Kane was hired last month as the group’s creative director of a women’s ready-to-wear collection set to be unveiled in September. The line will become available in store and online from January next year.

Since closing his eponymous brand in 2023, Mr Kane has slowly been returning to the fashion world, namely serving as guest designer of Self-Portrait’s residency programme.

In a trading update today, Mulberry said total sales for the year to the end of March should come in 5.7% higher, driven by a strong second half with 13.6% sales growth on a constant currency basis.

All regions experienced positive like-for-like sales growth in the second half, with the EU (excluding UK) showing a notable 37.8% increase.

The company highlighted improved gross margins due to a focus on full-price sales and reduced discounting, alongside successful brand and product initiatives.

Since the appointment of Andrea Baldo as chief executive in 2024, the brand has enjoyed renewed momentum.

“This has been a year of decisive progress,” he said. “Despite a challenging economic and geopolitical environment, we have delivered growth across all channels and geographies, with clear momentum right across the business.

“This performance reflects the disciplined execution of our ‘Back to the Mulberry Spirit’ strategy, and demonstrates that our turnaround is firmly underway.

“We are simplifying the business, restoring full price discipline, strengthening our connection with customers, and reasserting Mulberry’s position as a distinctive British lifestyle brand. The early results are clear: improved sales quality, stronger margins and growing engagement from both existing and new customers.

“At the same time, we are reigniting creativity and since announcing the relaunch of Ready-to-Wear under Christopher Kane leadership, we have seen a remarkable engagement from the industry as a whole, including leading partners ranging from Selfridges in the UK and The Webster in the US to a growing numbers of other prestigious doors.”

“While we remain focused on the work ahead, we are building momentum at pace. We are confident in our strategy and in our ability to build a sustainable, profitable business for the long term.”.

#Kane #ready #lift #Mulberrys #collection #Daily #Business