Mulberry Will Not Hold London Fashion Week Runway Show, Still Searching For ...

(Photo : REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett)

The search for a new creative director has proven to be difficult for Mulberry, and now, the luxury label has announced that it will not hold a runway show in February as it continues to hunt for someone to fill the role.

According to a statement released by the British brand, it 'has not finalized its creative director search and will therefore exceptionally not stage a catwalk show this February.'

Emma Hill, Mulberry's former design head and the woman behind the hugely popular Alexa satchel, left the company in September after having held the position for six years, citing 'disagreements with management over creative and operational strategy.'

Hill's departure from Mulberry resulted in an immediate drop in the company's shares.

'It's clear that Emma did a very good job for the company. It's also clear that it's not uncommon for a creative designer, after six years, to take another challenge, decide to do something else. What is very important is the brand and the continuity of the brand,' Mulberry CEO Bruno Guillon told the Telegraph.

'Yes, obviously it was a shock, it's an important role in the company - it's always a shock. But then once Emma had notified her desire to leave, I think we need to be respectful.'

'She's still in house, she's working on a daily basis, she's working on the spring/summer catwalk collection, and we are discussing with her the best way to part together, because all this has to be done in the best possible way. Then we look at the future,' he added.

'It's a key moment, but what's important also is that we have a very strong design team on board. We have around 20 people between accessories and ready-to-wear, and some people have been here for around 10 years, so they have been designing a lot of bags for Mulberry - which is a good thing, but obviously we need to look at the future.'

While many are likely to be disappointed that Mulberry isn't hosting a runway show next season (the brand usually has one of the starriest shows of London Fashion Week), they'll still be able to interact with the brand in some way during fashion week. Mulberry said it will still participate in the London Fashion Week schedule in some way, and more specific 'details of this will be released in the near future.'

Erdem Moralioglu, Roland Mouret, Mary Katrantzou and Sophie Hulme have all been rumored to be Hill's successor, but Mulberry has yet to comment on any of this speculation.

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