Rejina Pyo Unveils Her Latest Collaboration With Mulberry
After pitstops in Seoul and London, this week Rejina Pyo will touchdown in New York to celebrate her new Mulberry collaboration. It’s fitting that the launch has been a multi-stop, international affair; part of Pyo’s appeal is the way she draws from an eclectic pool of references, deftly weaving together contrasting references and cross-cultural codes.
At each stop Pyo has been joined by a diverse group of women whom she considers inspiring both personally and professionally (in London she dined with the artist Chantal Joffe, broadcaster Zezi Ifore, actor Anna Shaffer and more). Women with stories to tell from wildly different walks of life, have been part of Pyo’s story since the beginning; Pyo is known for designs that anticipate how women – complicated, clever, interesting women – really want to dress (clue: by emotion and instinct, not trend and algorithm). She picked the Argentinian artist Conie Vallese to star in the Mulberry collection campaign. Vallese walked in Pyo’s first ever runway show.
The latest chapter in Mulberry’s Editions series of creative collaborations (former partners include Richard Malone and Priya Ahluwalia), Pyo’s capsule takes pieces from the Somerset-born brand’s archives and reinterprets it in her own design language. Perfect for September’s crisp air and new term feel, the collection has a studious, autumnal mood.
Bags – including a stripped back top-handle tote, roomy tote and modern take on a satchel – come in glossy conker brown and wet grass green. They are joined by artsy organic jewellery and a very, very small edit (kind request to Mulberry: please do more!) of ready-to-wear, Pyo’s interpretation of British archetypes including the trench, heritage check trousers and a wrap sweater.
The chance to collaborate with Mulberry – and the freedom they gave her with the brief – made Pyo look at the essence of what her own brand is and the synergy between the two. One thing she noticed was the slowness at the heart of both, a thoughtfulness; another was the focus on sustainability. For her, ‘[It’s never been] about huge logos or trends or fast fashion. It’s kind of, slow and steady wins the race. I wanted to appreciate quiet beauty and quality’.
She continues: ‘When I collaborate with someone, it’s important for me to consider what they value, what they bring to the world, and how they treat people. The timeless design and Made to Last ethos really resonated with me’. Indeed, one of the things that she loves about Mulberry is that the brand creates ‘pieces you want to cherish and treasure for a long time, it's that essence that I always aim to imbue in my own brand.’ By that metric, it's very much job done.
Mulberry x Rejina Pyo, is available now.
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