The Mulberry Bayswater is back: The Noughties staple is this summer’s It Bag according to influencers – and this is why, reveals LAURA CRAIK
Fashion is about the thrill of the new. But, increasingly, it’s also about the thrill of the old.
In the world of handbags, the most covetable arm candy you can carry this season isn’t the latest design from the latest hot designer.
Instead, it’s of a somewhat more mature vintage. Rather than being straight off the catwalk, spring’s most popular It bag is, in fact, a geriatric 22 years old. Its name? The Bayswater, the iconic top-handle leather bag launched by Mulberry in 2003.
Sleek, elegant and in a multitude of colours (there are 14 currently listed on Mulberry’s website), the Bayswater is one of those rarities that has stood the test of time. Like the fabled Hermes Birkin (whose lines and proportions aren’t dissimilar), it’s a true design classic.
It’s no accident that Bridget Jones is still pictured with hers in Mad About The Boy, just as she was in Bridget Jones’s Baby nine years ago. ‘Our Bridge’ is simply one of many fiftysomethings who have found their Bayswaters to be far more reliable and enduring than their relationships.
But it’s not just fashionable middle-aged women digging out their original Bayswaters bought, back in the day, from Bond Street or Bicester Village. The style has found favour with another generation of women.
On TikTok, videos abound of Gen Z fans doing ceremonial ‘unboxings’ of the £1,095 bag. More budget-conscious fans, meanwhile, are scouring second-hand shops and resale sites for vintage Bayswaters, delighted at the bargains they’ve unearthed.
‘I bought mine for £50!’ one influencer crows, accompanied by a video of her lovingly restoring its well-worn leather.
Kate Moss strolls around London’s Notting Hill earlier this month, her black Mulberry tote at home on her arm
It’s hard to overstate the Bayswater’s popularity when it was launched. Roomy, practical and chic, it was a winning mix of form and function that rapidly garnered a slew of high-profile fans.
Kate Moss wore her black one with a Bella Freud jumper and skinny jeans. Alexa Chung wore her chestnut brown one with shorts and a tailored jacket. Other British fans included Sienna Miller, Emma Watson, Lily Allen and Zoe Ball. It was equally coveted by US celebrities, such as Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Blake Lively.
While the Bayswater was aspirational, it was also relatively affordable in 2003. At £495, it certainly wasn’t cheap, but buyers got a lot of bag for their buck.
It was proudly made at Mulberry’s Somerset factory and showcased the craftsmanship and attention to detail for which the brand is so revered. Thirty-five pairs of hands are involved in each bag’s making, ensuring a quality that’s built to last.
Its balance of design and price led to the Bayswater being a ‘first pay cheque’ purchase for many women in the early 2000s
It was this clever balance of design and price that led to the Bayswater being a ‘first pay cheque’ purchase for many women in the early 2000s. For those with well-off parents, it also became a ‘rite of passage’ bag gifted on milestone birthdays.
Twenty-two years later, the Bayswater is still a Mulberry bestseller. And while there have been various iterations over the years, its form remains essentially unchanged, with the same single flap, top handles and ‘postman’s’ lock.
Its resurging popularity is likely down to three key factors. Firstly, early 2000 (or ‘Y2K’ as it’s called by Gen Z) fashion is enjoying a revival, including the ‘indie sleaze’ style with which the bag is sometimes associated.
Secondly, its perceived longevity makes it sustainable, and that is a cause close to younger customers’ hearts.
To capitalise on this, the brand launched the Mulberry Exchange in 2020, a service where customers trade in their old bags for credit towards a new one or another pre-loved style. Resale platform Vestiaire Collective claims Mulberry is among the top three bestselling brands in the UK, with Bayswaters in particular demand.
Thirdly, there’s been a move away from smaller cross-body bags towards more capacious totes.
The younger generation prize the versatility of carrying bags in myriad ways. In recognition of this, for 2025 Mulberry has introduced the Soft Bayswater, a rework of the original that’s more of a ‘tweakment’ than a radical change.
The straps have been lengthened so the bag can be worn over the shoulder, yet the softer structure allows it to be tucked into the arm.
It’s also been elongated slightly, in homage to popular styles such as Alaia’s Le Teckel and The Row’s EW Margaux.
However, fans may complain, with some justification, about its price tag. Certainly, the Bayswater isn’t the most affordable leather handbag. But nor is it the most expensive. Similar-sized designs by Gucci or Louis Vuitton cost more than three times as much. A medium-sized classic Chanel quilt costs £8,850.
Whether you can afford a new one, have time to trawl through secondhand shops or are in the fortunate position of being able to borrow your mum’s or dig out the one you bought in the early Noughties, now is the ideal time to bag a Bayswater – a timeless tote whose time has come (again).
