Picking up a Bag For Life at the grocery store always carries with it a certain optimism: this, you promise to yourself, is the last one I’ll ever buy. The good intentions are there; but it’s hard not to feel just a little guilty when you leave it at home for the ninth time that month, culminating in a closet hosting more lifelong bags than cats have lives.
Handbags, in all their allure, can tell a similar story. Considering their impact on both planet and purse, it’s always wise to think twice about whether one on your radar will really last a lifetime or soon be replaced by a new one in your online shopping bag. It’s why we sincerely love what Mulberry do with their Made to Last strap-line, vowing to make accessories that truly withstand the test of time.
Further proving their commitment to the cause, the brand’s latest bag the Lily Zero has made their Lily family totally neutral. Since launching 2010, the Lily has bloomed in Mulberry’s family of bags, a trusty, chic chain bag signed, sealed and delivered with the brand’s signature Postman’s Lock hardware. Now, it’s been rendered entirely impact-free with zero net carbon emissions from field to shop floor and brought to life via a futuristic, kaleidoscopic AR Filter.
Crafted in the brand’s carbon neutral Somerset factories using sustainably-produced and offset leather from Germany, it’s backed by a Life Cycle Assessment that proves that emissions caused by details, shipping and packaging has been mitigated. It’s also accompanied by a Made to Last podcast celebrating the sustainable quality of timelessness, seeing fashion journalist Susie Lau host discussions with members of the Mulberry family including Miquita Oliver, Nicholas Daley, Judith Watt and Rob Percival.
Mulberry has also produced its first sustainability report, sharing its impressive progress so far, including increasing its environmentally-accredited leather to 88%, refurbishing 10,000 products and being carbon neutral in the UK for a third year running. “I’m very proud to launch Lily Zero, Mulberry’s first carbon neutral range, which represents another step on our sustainability journey, towards increased transparency and our goal of Net Zero by 2035,” the brand’s CEO Thierry Andretta says in a statement.
Most of the Lily Zeros aren’t just neutral in impact, but colour too; think classic shades of oak, and pair-with-anything jet black. For those who like something a louder, though, there’s also a version in very hot pink that gives us Valentino AW22 or, to be a shade narcissistic, not too far off the More or Less colourway.
See the campaign for yourself, and pick your fresh Mulberry: available now via their website, prices starting at £950.
