Having spent the past 15 years working with fashion, lifestyle and corporate companies, helping them to craft brand strategies and content, Henrietta Gallina knows a thing or two about cultural positioning.
As Global Director of Image & Content for the iconic British luxury lifestyle brand, Mulberry, and Co-Editor In Chief & Creative Director of Citizen Magazine, an independent magazine documenting culture through the lens of Blackness, Henrietta’s expertise is authentic content creation. A key part of making authentic content a reality is knowing how to evolve creatively so you can tell culturally relevant stories. In a special edition event in partnership with Mulberry, this month’s AllBright MEETS explored how pivotal creative evolution is both personally and to global brands like Mulberry.
What does it mean?
First things first, what exactly is ‘creative evolution’? For Henrietta it means growing with, and expanding, culture. She says “the only constant in life is change and that’s the truest statement for brands and individuals. It’s imperative for survival and success to evolve with the world we live in.” Henrietta acknowledges this isn’t always an easy task when things never stay the same and only wins are recognised, but she emphasises that experimentation, especially when there are little to no proof points, allows us to know what’s possible. “Failure is a natural part of any process, and we need to normalise it, so we feel more comfortable to accept, learn, and move forward - personally and professionally.”
Everything from trends, technological advancements and economic shifts impact creative evolution. Henrietta notes that all these influences inform our behaviours and so are integral to creative evolution, regardless of whether that's to embrace it, reject it or something in between. And if there’s anyone out there who wants to grow creatively, Henrietta suggests paying attention, leading with culture, leaning in to what makes you different, learning from those who are stronger than you and embracing collaboration to make you better.
Creative evolution of a legacy brand
The Mulberry brand started as a family business in 1971 and has grown into the largest manufacturer of luxury leather goods in the UK. Henrietta believes that their ability to evolve creatively is how Mulberry has built its legacy and what has cemented it as a national treasure. She shares that during each era of the brand’s 50+ year history, the creative teams have had to manifest ‘what’s next’. “It’s exciting to see how each person at the helm has been able to interpret and push forward our core values - which are very big ideas: Britishness, sustainability, luxury, and innovation.”
“I think with most legacy brands, there’s often a push-pull dynamic between heritage and evolution. I’ve found in my time at Mulberry that the sweet spot lies in the tension between the two ideals. We can never forget our heritage otherwise we wouldn’t be Mulberry, but equally, the task is to interpret how our heritage maps against the world we live in today.” Henrietta adds that success isn’t always one thing, because the goal is also to lay solid groundwork for future evolution.
And how does this work in practice? Some examples include Henritetta’s first campaign, which celebrated 20 years of the Bayswater, the original Mulberry icon, and the Festive campaign last year starring Alek Wek. Henrietta explains that “the mandate was creative evolution for this era of the brand, reimagining how our core values are conveyed through our creative. I really loved the challenge of interpreting what key themes like Britishness mean to a brand as iconic as Mulberry. To me this was a great and timely opportunity to expand on the faces and voices, in front of and behind the camera, included in our storytelling. To celebrate our collective heritages and reflect what the best of Britain is today.” In order to do that, the campaign focused on video for more nuanced messaging and stories, including digging into more complicated themes that cannot be conveyed in photography alone. The team experimented with humour and Henrietta feels that these campaigns, and what’s followed, have been important in evolving the brand to feel more human, while still maintaining their luxury positioning.
Henrietta’s insights into the pivotal role creative evolution plays in her personal growth and Mulberry’s brand success proves just how integral it is to every businesses ability to thrive. As we try to navigate the ever-evolving landscape, Henrietta’s emphasis on experimentation and collaboration provides a blueprint for cultivating creativity.
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