British heritage brand Mulberry confirmed today that their creative director of five years, Emma Hill, will step down in the coming months. WWD reports that her departure is not entirely copacetic, and supposedly owing to “disagreements with management over creative and operational strategy.”
During her tenure, which began in 2008, Hill raised Mulberry’s international profile by naming new handbags after celebrities like Alexa Chung and Lana Del Rey, who faithfully attended the label’s shows and parties, and toted their namesake purses for the paparazzi. The brand got even more attention from its splashy Target collaboration in 2010. Hill’s shows, held at London Fashion Week, were always elaborate, fun, and quintessentially British; she once put tartan-clad dogs on the runway, and Kate Moss was a front-row regular.
There’s no word on who might take Hill’s spot, but more interesting, where will Hill go next? As you may recall, Coach needs a new designer, and she’d be a sound candidate, especially since she helped expand Mulberry’s markets in Asia, where Coach has a strong foothold. What’s more, New Yorkers always love a British expatriate, and between Alexa Chung and Lana Del Rey, she’s got plenty of friends here already.