Designer Emma Hill is back with her own accessories line, Hill & Friends, which will launch during London Fashion Week in September, WWD has learned.
Hill, who left Mulberry as creative director in 2013, has cofounded the company with Georgia Fendley, the London-based creative consultant and former brand director at Mulberry.
The new brand is Hill’s first major creative project since she parted ways with Mulberry. Hill, a veteran of Gap, Marc Jacobs and Chloé’s accessories divisions, had worked at Mulberry since 2008, when she succeeded Stuart Vevers after he departed to go to Loewe. He now is at Coach.
Hill & Friends’ spring 2016 collection will be unveiled in London, together with a “see-now-buy-now” capsule collection that has been pre-sold to Net-a-porter.com.
The capsule collection will go on sale the day after the brand’s presentation on Net and on the brand’s site Hillandfriends.com.
All of the accessories are made in England, and the plan is to add ready-to-wear in the future. Hill and Fendley, who are majority owners of the company, are also looking for two retail sites, in New York and London.
During her six years at Mulberry, Hill brought a fresh energy to the brand, building up its rtw, outerwear, footwear, jewelry and accessories businesses, and channeling its British heritage – and inborn irreverence. She also helped to oversee its rapid growth and expansion into new markets. Shares in Mulberry fell nearly 9 percent on the London Stock Exchange the day Hill’s departure was announced.
Mulberry has been operating without a creative director until now. Last November, the company named Johnny Coca to the role, and he will officially join the company in July.