All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
The last few years have not been easy on women in the upper echelons of the fashion industry. In October last year, Vogue Business reported that, of the top 30 luxury brands in the Vogue Business Index, only eight of the 33 creative directors were women, while Jimmy Choo’s Sandra Choi was the only woman of colour in a creative director role.
It’s why when Korean-born, London-based designer Rejina Pyo was approached by British accessories giant Mulberry about a potential collaboration, it was important to her that the key players involved were women. The resulting collection – which drops on 4 September – is a sumptuous autumnal line-up that centres around the notion of female community and womanhood, with a campaign shot by Gwen Trannoy, featuring the Argentinian artist and designer Conie Vallese.
“Women bring a deeply personal and authentic perspective to design that resonates with the realities of living. Although the fashion industry has long been dominated by male voices, the clothes we wear as modern women are intimately connected to our moods, experiences and identities,” Pyo reflects. “For me, designing has always been about creating pieces that I, and the women around me, want to wear, inspired by our own stories. After having my second child, I became even more committed to exploring what it means to be a working woman today, balancing roles as a mother, daughter, wife and professional. Women deserve to feel confident, comfortable and powerful in what they wear, and who better to craft that experience than those who live it every day?”
The limited-edition collection – which is made up of 15 pieces, covering bags, jewellery and, more surprisingly for Mulberry, ready-to-wear pieces – is the latest in a line of buzzy brand collaborations for the brand (others in the Mulberry Editions series have included Richard Malone, Ahluwalia and Stefan Cooke). Pyo’s contribution is perfectly timed for those looking to inject a little “back-to-school” polish into their new-season wardrobes: from a laptop-ready leather tote and a cargo shoulder bag (a Vogue editor highlight), to a pair of wear-with-everything beaded earrings and Pyo’s signature scarf-detail knit, all rendered in a deliciously earthy palette of brown, khaki green and grey.
“I thought about the woman we were creating these pieces for. A woman who values quality and timelessness, who appreciates a quiet but lasting beauty,” Pyo says. “I was so inspired looking through the Mulberry archive, finding these old treasures that I could add a Rejina Pyo twist to became the starting point for the collection. From there I wanted to create a world that was effortless, with colours, materials and details that were subtle but confident.”
The collection is imbued with a “your fashion basics but better” sensibility that has remained a consistent thread throughout Pyo’s career: from her MA at Central Saint Martins in 2011 and the launch of her eponymous label in 2013, up to her award for British Emerging Talent in Womenswear at the British Fashion Awards in 2019 and high-street collaboration with Other Stories in 2021.
“When I first launched my brand, I found it incredibly confusing listening to advice from so many different people. There were times I ended up doing what others had suggested, even when my gut instinct was telling me otherwise,” she explains. “It quickly became clear that it was not working, so I took a step back and started to filter the advice, listening to it and trying to learn from it, but not feel beholden to it. Following my own instincts was the beginning of the brand’s success.”
Pyo’s instincts have not failed her thus far, and her partnership with Mulberry proves that her finger remains firmly on the fashion pulse. As a new cohort of young design talent enters the increasingly volatile fashion market, what does Pyo consider the best career advice she’s ever been given? “I learned a lot from my tutor Louise Wilson at Central Saint Martins. She was extremely difficult to please, but Louise helped me to discover what my real strengths were as a designer, and then pushed me to become the best I could be with them. Her advice was, ‘Do what you do, and do it well! If you do that, then there will always be a place for it.’”
Mulberry X Rejina Pyo will be available to shop from mulberry.com from 4 September.
