After six years as the creative director of Mulberry, Emma Hill has left the London leather-goods company due to a difference of opinion over creative and operational strategy. In the past six years, Hill has launched Mulberry from a respected (but, let's be honest, kind of stale) heritage brand and made it a cult label, launching the now-iconic Alexa, Del Rey, and Willow bags. Of course, she was also responsible for building out Mulberry's ready-to-wear apparel line, its footwear, jewelry, and accessories collections, and — we'd like to think — all those gold party balloons and runway pups.
As Coach scrambles to find a replacement for Reed Krakoff, executive creative and president who will leave his role next year, Hill's departure comes at a pretty serendipitous time. Her ability to mix tradition and trends is a definite asset and an obvious one for Coach to pursue. However, Grazia reports that other candidates could be up for the position as well, including Marc Jacobs and Nicolas Ghesquière. Best of luck to you, Emma — sending a million #mulberrygnome-shaped well wishes your way! (WWD)
Photo: Courtesy of WWD