Why Are Mulberry Bags So Expensive?
So you’re looking at Mulberry bags, and you may be wondering, why are Mulberry bags so expensive?
This is what we help you understand below.
7 Reasons Why Mulberry Bags are So Expensive
Although Mulberry bags are simple, lacking fancy decorations, they ooze much elegance and class. But what makes them expensive?
1. Production Materials
If you’ve used Mulberry bags, you know they’re made from durable materials that hardly wear out. The bags are made from leather sourced from various skins, including cowhide, goatskin, alligator skin, and ostrich leather, which are expensive.
Most of the leather is sourced locally, but accessories such as brass zippers come from Italian tanneries. The accessories are crafted, finished, and cut when they’re shipped to Mulberry factories in the UK. Importing the accessories also increases the bag’s final price.
2. Lengthy Production Process
Mulberry bags are partly handmade and partly made from man-operated machines. Although Mulberry combines the latest technology and traditional techniques to optimize material use and minimize waste, the process is lengthy. Once designers decipher a new design, they use 2D to illustrate it and make a prototype in 3D to determine if it reaches the shop floor.
Production begins with cutting leather which is then trimmed to the bag’s design and specifications. Next, the material is skived to reduce the thickness at each leather piece’s edge. Then the panels are sealed and stitched.
Up to 15 stitchers are required to stitch backpacks, and eight for other bags. Typically, a craftsperson takes eight or more minutes to stitch one bag. The hardest part and final stage of the process of making a Mulberry bag is inking before finishing and installing hardware components and cleaning the product.
A quality control team checks the bags before sending them to the warehouse. If the inspector finds flaws in any bag, it’s returned to the factory. They’re then rechecked before being packaged and sent to the distribution center in Somerset and Shepton Mallet.
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3. Great Craftsmanship
On average, a Mulberry bag needs 30 pairs or more hands to construct, depending on the design. Mulberry artisans are experienced as they’ve spent many years learning how to make Mulberry bags. Mulberry invests significantly in training its craftsmen and women, partly through apprenticeship programs, and the beauty of it all is that machines can never take over their skills.
They spend up to six weeks training and six or more months mastering the craft. A master craftsperson needs ten years of training to complete a Mulberry bag from scratch.
4. Marketing
While Mulberry bags are already highly popular, that’s only because they’ve spent years putting together costly marketing campaigns to raise awareness of their business. Without marketing, other brands would start to get more brand awareness and increase their market share, so this isn’t something Mulberry could stop doing.
Of course, this marketing costs money, and this cost is priced into their bags.
5. Outsourcing Production and Materials Abroad
Mulberry has two factories in Britain—The Willows in Bridgewater and The Rookery in Chilcompton. Most Mulberry bags (50%) are crafted in these factories, and the other half are shipped overseas, increasing the final price.
Mulberry has made partnerships with manufacturers in Portugal, Turkey, China, and Spain to help the company attain its production targets. Outsourcing production to companies abroad presents challenges involving the logistics and infrastructure required to set up factories abroad.
That’s why it’s common to see Mulberry bags with tags labeled in Turkey or China. However, customers willing to pay for that ‘made in England’ assurance don’t mind buying Mulberry bags made in the UK at a premium. More recently, Rookery extended its production capacity in a bid to bring the company’s production process in-house.
6. Mulberry Bags are Timeless
Another reason Mulberry bags are so expensive is their timeless design. Timeless bags retain their luster ten or more years after purchase and Mulberry bags are an excellent example of such bags. The leather ages well over time, so your bag hardly looks worn out after years of use. Timeless colors like black and oak look even better.
7. Functional Design
Designing a Mulberry bag is hardly a copy-cut affair; the designers put a lot of thought into the process. The idea is to create a functional piece that’s still stylish. The designer may obtain an idea by looking at passersby. Questions like:
- How are they carrying the handbag-by hand or shoulder?
- Is the bag stylish?
- What are the perfect proportions?
- Does the customer need a suitcase, shopping bag, or simple handbag?
Such questions mark the beginning of the creation process as they give the designer an idea of the next design of a Mulberry bag. The designer then proceeds to invent the construction that fulfills that need. Sometimes, the designer improves an existing design to enhance functionality.
The Zipped Bayswater, for example, was born from this line of thought. The designer then wanted to improve the bag’s function for women on the go by adding a zipper at the top and an over-flap.
How to Find Cheap Mulberry Bags
With Mulberry bags costing more than $1,000, you may wonder if you can find a cheap one. The answer is yes. There are three ways you can buy a Mulberry bag at a lower cost:
Buy a Secondhand Mulberry Bag
Many companies are on sustainability and waste management nowadays and buying second hand supports this course, not to mention the significant price reduction. Mulberry has made it easy by setting up a section on its site called Mulberry Preloved.
It allows customers to buy and sell authentic, second hand Mulberry handbags for a lower price. The Mulberry Exchange program will enable customers to trade existing bags on credit and purchase new ones.
The craftspeople at Mulberry rejuvenate the old bags and sell them to new owners at a lower price. The Mulberry Preloved section has a vast collection of bags, including vintage and the latest collections allowing customers to purchase pieces they love.
The beauty of buying from the Mulberry Preloved section is that you don’t have to worry about getting ripped off. You’re confident that you’re purchasing an authentic Mulberry bag for the price. What’s more, you can liaise with Mulberry’s customer service in case of any problem.
Repair Your Mulberry Handbag
Sometimes problems like a broken zip may be why you want to buy a new Mulberry bag. You don’t have to. You can always have your bag repaired via Mulberry’s bag repair service. Mulberry provides repair services to all its customers if anything happens within a year of use. And it doesn’t matter if you bought the bag at the factory shop or a sale. This saves you hundreds of dollars depending on the kind of repair.
Purchase From Third-party Sellers
Alternatively, purchase from a third-party known for selling authentic Mulberry bags (new or secondhand bags). The sellers may trade at a lower price than Mulberry, but you must check the handbag to ensure it’s not a counterfeit. Some features to look at to distinguish between authentic and fake Mulberry bags include:
The Leather
Most Mulberry bags are made from thick, grained calf leather, giving them a sturdy and structured look. Fake Mulberry bags tend to have thinner and softer leather which might last less time than original Mulberry bags. Remember, leather doesn’t wear out; it looks better with age.
Lining
Although not all Mulberry bags have a lining, it’s a critical indicator of a fake bag. An original Mulberry bag with lining has durable stitching that hardly comes off. It may also have a mulberry tree logo printed on the fabric lining.
Hardware
Check the hardware used on Mulberry bags too. Fakes are likely to have light, shiny hardware that’s not hardwearing. Conversely, the hardware used on an authentic Mulberry handbag is heavy, hardwearing, and engraved with a tree emblem (the Mulberry tree logo). The hardware is often made from brass.
Check if the buckles have been stamped with a thick, straight font consistent with Mulberry’s branding. Most fakes have a thin font that appears slightly skewed.
If the bag has rivets or other small, round hardware, check if they have the Mulberry tree logo and if it’s consistent with the logo on the inner metal disc. Check the zippers too. Mulberry has two zip brands—those with the Mulberry logo and RiRi zippers—and should be engraved underneath the zipper.
Brass Disc and Heat Stamping
The metal disc is another indicator that a Mulberry bag is fake. An original Mulberry bag will have a metal disc with a tree stamped delicately, leaving space between the leaves. Also, it’ll have a serial number engraved under the disc.
Most fake Mulberry bags hardly feature a serial number. Some old Mulberry bag models may not feature a serial number, but all modern offerings have it engraved underneath the brass disk.
Serial Number
The serial number is another indicator that a Mulberry bag is fake. Mulberry uses unique serial numbers for each bag, which counterfeit manufacturers haven’t had a grip of. As such, they’re likely to use standard numbers like 565321, 254571, 262541, and 026904, to mention a few. Also, the fonts may be deeply engraved instead of being slightly etched on the surface.
How to Prolong the Life of a Mulberry Bag
Buying a Mulberry bag is costly, and you’d like it to last as long as possible. Although the bags age well owing to the durable leather construction, there are a few things you can do to prolong their life:
- Keep the bag away from damp, humid, and dry environments
- Dust or vacuum it occasionally to remove any dirt
- Pad it with a dry cloth or tissue paper and store it in a dust bag
- Store it at room temperature (not too cold or too hot)
- If the bag gets wet, wipe it with a clean cloth and let it dry
- Avoid carrying the bag during a heavy downpour
- Avoid storing the bag near a radiator or drying it off with a hair dryer
Give it a good polish using leather cleaner every year to keep the leather clean, strong, and nourished. Older bags are prone to cracks and scratches, hence the need to do a patch test before cleaning the whole bag.
About Mulberry
Mulberry was established in 1971 by Roger Saul at his kitchen table in Somerset. What started as an idea to make buckled leather belts using £500 backing from his mother snowballed into the Mulberry bag brand known today.
His sister designed the logo, which originated from the Mulberry trees Roger passed on his way to school. Later, Roger opened a factory in Chilcompton, Somerset, marking the beginning of building the Mulberry brand.
The town was known for producing leather products, and Mulberry joined the many already established UK brands, including Clarks. At first, Mulberry focused on making leather poacher bags before establishing itself as a luxury bag brand.
Today, Mulberry is one the largest manufacturers of leather products in the UK, with over 120 stores across 25 countries.
FAQs
Here are the commonly asked questions about Mulberry bags.
Are Mulberry bags worth the money?
Mulberry bags are worth every dime. The high-quality leather construction, firm hardware, and overall quality make them last longer. By comparison, most other luxury designer bags don’t have the same quality as Mulberry bags.
How do you identify a fake Mulberry bag?
An original Mulberry bag is made from high-quality leather, has brass hardware, and has thick and straight logo engravings.
Do Mulberry bags have a resale value?
Yes, you can resell a Mulberry bag at a fair price. Mulberry’s commitment to producing high-quality bags makes them have a high resale value.
Is Mulberry a luxury brand?
Mulberry is one of the British luxury brands in the UK. Its focus has been growing a luxurious lifestyle brand worldwide through product innovation and excellent customer service.
Why Are Mulberry Bags So Expensive? Closing Thoughts
You no longer have to wonder why are Mulberry bags so expensive. The simple answer is that much work is put into producing Mulberry bags. From the high-quality leather used to the number of hours required to make a bag, and the luxurious aura of owning a Mulberry bag makes them expensive.
