Mulberry’s advertising campaigns are always a treat we look forward to when the new season’s first magazines hit in September and February. The reason we love them so much (apart from our appreciation of the handbags of course) is their fabulous, fairytale themes.
The man responsible is of course, Tim Walker, fashion photographer extraordinaire and subject of a new exhibition starting at London’s Somerset House tomorrow.
We spoke exclusively to Emma Hill, creative director of Mulberry for the insider scoop on the man himself.
Why is Tim the perfect fit for Mulberry’s recent campaigns and how does he mirror Mulberry’s brand values?
I've been in love with Tim’s work for years! It always plays a huge part in the inspiration and mood boards for our collections and campaigns. His images are like visual fairy tales – you want to step in and go on an adventure, and I'm thrilled that our campaigns are shot by him, they're a Mulberry fairytale! His images are always so rich and you can instantly see or imagine the story behind it – that’s what I love. The fact that he also ‘gets’ Mulberry as a brand and how I work is complete serendipity, neither of us have had to compromise to work together and I love seeing our ideas develop.
The campaigns seem like a fairytale, do you ever think ‘this can’t be done’?
Tim’s work is like a series of fairytales, with just the right mix of charm, romance and darkness, working with him is like being part of one of his stories! He has this amazing ability to bring to life a thought, a dream or an idea, he brings Mulberry’s seasons to life through the campaigns – the joy of working with him is that you end up thinking anything is possible.
How long does the set take to put together?
It can take up to a day to get it all together, depending on the set up, we've shot in the woods before which was a natural background for us so needed no set up apart from lighting etc, other times we've filled rooms with hundreds of fresh flowers that all needed arranging beautifully. But everything to prepare a shoot takes time, especially some of the amazing props and set design created, that starts months in advance.
What are the ‘Wild Things’ in the current campaign? Are they giant toys or is it CGI?
They are real props, made exclusively for us for the Autumn Winter 2012 campaign. They are gigantic and really quite wonderful in the flesh…or should I say fur!
What can we expect from the next campaign?
Now that really would be telling!
The exhibition runs from 18 October 2012 - 27 January 2013 at Somerset House in London
For more information visit the website somersethouse.org.uk
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