Mulberry, British Pasture Leather and Bristol’s Moment in Global Fashion
- May 16
- 3 min read
By Paul Watts-Barnes, Founder & Director, No.20 Berkeley Square
Bristol and the South West have just been handed a reminder of something we should say more confidently:
We are not on the edge of the UK economy.
We are one of the places shaping what the next generation of British luxury can look like.
Mulberry’s new collection with British Pasture Leather is more than a beautiful product launch. It is a signal. A global British fashion house has connected Somerset craftsmanship, South West regenerative farming, Bristol tanning,
Northamptonshire finishing and British manufacturing into one traceable luxury supply chain.
As Wallpaper put it, the collection is “tracing a line from field to factory through a fully British leather supply chain.” That line runs straight through our region.
Why this matters for Bristol
For Bristol, the standout detail is not simply that the leather is British. It is that the tanning was undertaken here in Bristol, at one of the last remaining UK tanneries, before being finished in Northamptonshire and crafted by Mulberry in Somerset. That is a serious point of pride.
In a global fashion industry often dominated by distant supply chains, Bristol is being recognised as part of a premium, localised, traceable production story. Not as a footnote. As a working part of the chain.
That matters because global brands are now looking for more than product. They are looking for provenance, sustainability, authenticity and evidence. Bristol can offer all four.
Why this matters for the South West
The South West has always had the ingredients: land, craft, food, farming, makers, engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs.
What this Mulberry partnership does is join those ingredients together in a way the world can understand.
The hides come from 100% pasture-fed British cattle raised on Pasture For Life certified farms, with the leather originating on farms across the South West guided by regenerative agricultural principles.
That is not a marketing gimmick. It is a genuine regional value chain. Farmers, tanners, finishers, craftspeople, designers and retailers all have a role. This is what modern British industry should look like: connected, responsible, high-quality and exportable.
The South West is not trying to be London, Milan or Paris. It has its own advantage: deep craft, landscape, integrity, and a powerful story of place.
Why this matters for the UK
Mulberry is already one of the UK’s most important luxury names. The brand was born in Somerset in 1971 and describes itself as a globally recognised brand and the largest manufacturer of luxury leather goods in the UK.
So when Mulberry chooses to celebrate 55 years of the brand with a collection rooted in British regenerative farming and domestic production, it sends a message beyond fashion.
It says the UK can still make things of global value.
It says we can compete on quality, transparency and craftsmanship rather than volume.
It says sustainability does not have to mean vague promises. It can mean a farm, a tannery, a factory, a craftsperson and a product that lasts.
Mulberry’s Made To Last Manifesto commits the business to transforming towards a circular and regenerative model, and the company has said it is partnering with British Pasture Leather to establish an end-to-end UK supply chain.
That is the kind of ambition British industry needs more of.
This is the opportunity
The opportunity here is not just for fashion.
It is for Bristol’s business community.
It is for the South West’s farmers and manufacturers.
It is for investors, designers, property owners, hospitality leaders, professional advisers and exporters who understand that modern luxury is increasingly built around trust.
People want to know where things come from.
They want to know who made them.
They want to know whether the story behind the product is real.
This is where our region can win.
Where No.20 Berkeley Square fits in
At No.20 Berkeley Square, we believe Bristol’s next phase of growth will come from exactly these kinds of connections.
Not just transactions. Relationships.
Not just sectors working in isolation. Cross-sector collaboration.
Fashion needs farming. Farming needs brands. Brands need designers. Designers need capital. Capital needs credible local networks. And all of it needs places where the right conversations can happen early.
That is why we are building No.20 as a home for Bristol’s business community: a place for founders, directors, investors, makers, advisers and civic leaders to meet, collaborate and raise the ambition of the city.
Because this Mulberry story proves something important. Bristol and the South West are not just part of Britain’s heritage.
We are part of Britain’s future.
And if global fashion is now looking for provenance, craft, sustainability and authenticity, then we should be very clear:
Bristol belongs in that conversation.
The South West belongs in that conversation.
And the UK has every reason to lead it.
— Paul Watts-Barnes
Founder & Director, No.20 Berkeley Square
Comments