Made By Many
Review of Mulberry’s Rooted in Craft Spring 2026 Ad Campaign by Tim Walker
Mulberry’s Spring 2026 campaign, Rooted in Craft, closes its Back to the Mulberry Spirit trilogy with a return to home—both literally and philosophically. Shot by Tim Walker and styled by Kate Phelan, the campaign steps inside The Rookery in Somerset, shifting the focus from product mythology to the people who bring it to life. The hook is disarmingly simple: luxury, here, has a name, a face, and occasionally, a smudge of ink on an apron.
Walker’s imagery trades fantasy for clarity, though not without his signature sensitivity to composition. Craftspeople stand at their stations—cutting, stitching, assembling—framed with a quiet dignity that feels almost portrait-like in the classical sense. There is no rush in these images, no attempt to over-style the environment. Instead, the factory floor becomes its own kind of stage, where the tools, materials, and gestures of making are given equal billing with the finished product. A Bayswater bag resting on a workbench feels less like an object of desire and more like the conclusion of a human process.
What elevates the campaign is its extension into moving image. The accompanying videos—intimate, conversational, and at times reminiscent of overheard phone calls—create a layer of narrative that still photography alone cannot fully achieve. Hearing artisans speak about their roles, their memories, and their connection to the House transforms the campaign from observation into participation. It is not just that we see the craft; we begin to understand the emotional ecosystem that sustains it.
There is a refreshing honesty in Mulberry’s approach. In an industry often enamored with abstraction, the decision to foreground real craftspeople feels both grounded and quietly radical. It aligns seamlessly with the brand’s broader commitments—circularity, sustainability, and longevity—without feeling didactic. The message is clear: craftsmanship is not a marketing device, it is the business model.
If there is a point of tension, it lies in the campaign’s restraint. The portraits are beautifully composed, but occasionally verge on the overly polite, maintaining a consistent tone that, while elegant, leaves little room for surprise. One wonders what might have emerged had Walker pushed a touch further into his more whimsical instincts, allowing the narrative to oscillate between reality and reverie. The floral armchair moment hints at this, but never fully departs from the campaign’s measured cadence.
Still, there is something deeply reassuring in Mulberry’s choice to keep things human. In a landscape increasingly shaped by spectacle and scale, Rooted in Craft reminds us that luxury’s most enduring currency is care. And here, it is measured not in trends or seasons, but in hands, time, and the quiet pride of those who make.
Photographer | Tim Walker
Stylist | Kate Phelan