September 2014|Harper’s BAZAAR| 97COURTESY MULBERRY
adapt to its usage. As the tag line says, ‘three styles, three ways,
three sizes’, the bags can be worn as a handbag, over the shoulder
or, as per Cara’s wont, as a rucksack. A beautiful riff on Mulberry’s
heritage and Cara’s quirkiness, the collection is practical, elegant
and understated. When asked who would like her collection,
she laughs: “My granny will like it, she’s 102 years old. My fi ve-
year-old cousin will probably like it. He’s a boy.”
The bags, with a little help from Mulberry, are all Cara’s own
work; she sketched ideas, studied the archives, chose fabrics, and
discussed the practical needs of Mulberry’s customers. “Since
I was little, I’ve loved making things and putting things together,
so I wanted to be as hands on as possible. I didn’t want to do
something that I’m not completely involved in.”
In honour of Cara’s contribution, and perhaps in a bid to
make each creation as lucrative as possible, the bags have little
Delevingne idiosyncrasies stamped all over them: a ‘Made in
England’ badge on the bottom of each bag, a heart-shaped patch
on the inside and lion rivets on a limited edition beige leather
piece, all in homage of the tattoos etched on her own body.
“I love all my tattoos and I wanted the bags to have a story –
to represent me but also to be full of surprises.”
It’s the ‘Made in England’ inking on the sole of her foot that
indelibly blends brand Cara and brand Mulberry. “Mulberry
comes from England, it’s British, and that kind of heritage is so
rare. I have my tattoos and I’m defi nitely an advocate for
Britishness in every shape and form,” she laughs. “I just love
being British. The countryside, the sense of humour and
mischievousness, and that never being scared to push
boundaries... And Horlicks!”
Of the bags, available in a variety of shades and materials,
such as Delevingne Green nappa and khaki camoufl age haircalf,
it is the latter (that launches in the region in November) that is
most befi tting of Mulberry’s muse. “I always feel like I’m on the
run and moving around with work, so the largest bag is perfect.
I love the camo one as I always feel like an animal when I’m
working!” You can just imagine, as Cara jets off to New York
Fashion Week this month, the supermodel toting her camo
backpack down Fifth Avenue, skipping from catwalk to post-
show celebration.
Mulberry’s onto a clever thing here. If Cara gets snapped with
that backpack, as she inevitably will be, the picture will go global
in seconds, the bag instantly becoming the new ‘It’ accessory for
Cara’s fashion hungry followers. That’s the beauty of having
a model with over 6.4 million Instagram followers collaborateon a campaign. One of the most entertaining and prolifi c
posters to date, Cara’s account is inundated with shots of her
cavorting around the world – comedy videos here, clambering
off a private jet there. What she does, what she wears, what she
buys... Her fans all want a little slice of that pie.
However, for all her lifestyle luxuries and the supermodel
hopefuls who hang on her every word, Cara candidly admits
that she knew nothing about the industry when she started out.
She owes her success, she says, to big sister Poppy, already
a veteran of the modelling industry at 27. “[Poppy] was so
helpful because I really wasn’t model material in any way. I didn’t
know what I was wearing, where I was walking or anything
I was meant to be doing,” she explains. “But Poppy helped me
to walk, lent me clothes, taught me to stay confi dent and true to
who I am, and to never let anyone affect me too much.”
Having spent the last fi ve years carving out her own career, and
being named 2012’s Model of the Year at the British Fashion
Awards along the way, Cara is now top of the ‘most wanted’
models list. Along with those unforgettable brows, she believes
her extrovert personality has worked in her favour. “I think it
defi nitely helps,” she says. “Everyone has their own personality
but at the beginning it can be daunting to be so fresh and young.
Models are scared to let their personalities out. Confi dence can
be a big help.”
Lucky then, that confi dence is Cara’s trump card. As is her
own inimitable sense of style. A long way from her school days
carting around a “book bag fi lled with holes”, her style credentials
are an easy mix of cool, quirky and clever choices – skinny jeans,
statement tees and high-tops by day, pencil skirts, skin-tight
leather leggings and crop tops by night. “I defi nitely grew into
fashion,” she explains. “I love to be comfy and practical but also
to be elegant and to dress up, too. It’s about not trying too hard.”Her beauty aesthetic is equally uncomplicated. But when you
have the best brows in the business, what else do you need?
“I don’t really wear a lot of make-up; if anything, it’s an eyebrow
gel, tinted moisturiser and some YSL mascara and gloss.” Does
it help having the ‘brows’ to defi ne her look? “Yes and no. I’ve
always hated my eyebrows, so it’s kind of nice that people like
them so much. I was always teased about them because kids can
be cruel, but my mum was adamant that I shouldn’t touch
them. All I wanted was to shave them off or wear a hat. Anything.”
Aside from Cara’s niche as a model and aspirant designer, she’s
carving out a career in Hollywood (see her star in The Face of an
Angel later this year), travelling the world and, most crucial to
Cara, living life to the full. Travelling, she says, is one of the best
perks of the job (a sightseeing segue tour around Paris, anyone?
“It’s literally the coolest thing in the world!”) and, after fi ve years
of modelling, Cara’s racked up her fair share of travel tips. So, as
the S/S15 show season kicks off, she leaves me with her essential
pre-Fashion Week packing tips. “Simple wet wipes, sunglasses,
coconut water, Rose oil face spray, PJs, an eye mask and mints- all packed into a mini Cara bag.” Just the one bag then? “No,
you’re right! I’m usually the bag lady on the fl ight with three
Cara bags in my seat and one huge suitcase!”
It seems that if, like Mulberry, you’re going to choose someone
to design and front a collection you couldn’t ask for a better
walking, talking brand ambassador than this bushy-browed bag
lady. The British invasion is here.
“I WANTED THE BAGS TO
HAVE A STORY TO
R EPR ESENT ME BUT ALSO
TO BE FULL OF SUR PR ISES”
Cara Delevingne
BAZAAR
LOVESLimited edition taupe
silky classic calf with
lion rivets, Dhs9,650Khaki camoufl age
goat skin, Dhs7,404Delevingne Green
quilted nappa, Dhs8,440Monochrome camoufl age
haircalf, Dhs15,070■
Cara Delevingne’s
collection for
Mulberry boasts
12 ‘three-in-one’
style bags in a mix
of hues, leathers
and haircalf,
all stamped
with little Cara
idiosyncrasies