Is every woman about to want Alexa Chung's bag again?
When Mulberry named a bag after Alexa Chung back in 2009, it was a sensation. The slouchy satchel-style design, inspired by an image of Chung in which she was snapped carrying a mens Mulberry briefcase (the Elkington, as it happens), featured a braided top handle as well as a crossbody strap, two buckles at the front, and that familiar Mulberry postmans lock front and centre. At 695, it was a luxury piece (though its a relative bargain compared with todays designer bags, which can sell for upwards of 2,000) but that didnt deter shoppers whose enthusiasm for what became known at the anti It bag was so great, there was a 9,000-person waiting list. Mulberry enjoyed an 80 percent sales boost that year and over 100 million in sales. Its success far exceeded that of the Bayswater, Mulberrys previous bestseller which was a favourite of Kate Moss at the time. Those Alexa sales were thanks in part to Chung herself, then 26 and a familiar face on television. She carried the bag everywhere - to work, to parties, to fashion shows - showing just how versatile it could be. The term influencer didnt exist back then, but she was influential - if not essential - in convincing thousands of women that they too needed an Alexa on their arm. So you may be surprised to learn that Chung reportedly received little more than a few free bags for her contribution to the labels success. It wasn't a collaboration [with Chung]; she didn't contribute to the design process, then-creative director Emma Hill said at the time. It turns out that the Alexa was an homage to the star, rather than a collaboration, though it appeared to be the latter in every way.