Mulberry Celebrated Campaign Star Alek Wek And The New Lana & Pimlico Bags With A Festive West Village Dinner

It was a thoroughly British takeover of the West Village’s famed Waverly Inn on Monday evening—between the roaring fire, traditional ribbon-tied Christmas crackers on the tables, and classic leather handbags from heritage brand Mulberry spotted around the cozy room.

Mulberry and South Sudanese-British supermodel and industry legend Alek Wek, who’s currently starring in the latest brand campaign, had gathered editors and tastemakers for an intimate dinner at the eatery to raise a glass to the Holiday season. It wouldn’t be a nod to a British Christmas either without the aforementioned crackers, which proved a big hit. Inside, there were token ‘dad jokes’ and trivia referencing the 52-year-old company, as well as crowd-pleasing paper party hats. Now that’s how to do a dinner party ice-breaker!

Alek Wek

Just like the recent campaign, the evening fed into the themes of joy, togetherness, and unpredictability of the holidays. Case in point: an adorable pooch popped his head up at the end of the meal much to the delight of everyone, having been sleeping peacefully and quietly unbeknownst to them under the table throughout the evening.

As well as the locally-sourced and seasonal menu of mouthwateringly-good dishes the restaurant is known for, the major highlight of the night came in the form of the two new bag styles, the Lana top handle handbag and the Pimlico satchel. Guests were treated to take home their selection, with some opting for the Lana thanks to its Foundry Lock hardware (reminiscent of Mulberry’s iconic Postman’s Lock) while others opted for the structured Pimlico cross-body with its take on the brand’s classic Rider Lock. Indeed, others decided to give a new lease of life to pre-loved vintage items that helped put Mulberry on the map originally, like the Alexa (named for Alexa Chung) and the Bayswater, which are actively refurbished and spruced up by a team at the Mulberry factory in Somerset before going out to their next homes.

The evening brought together a chic crowd, including gallerist Hannah Traore, influencers Brianna Lance, Natalie Suarez, and Dylana Suarez, chef Romilly Newman, the WIE Suite founder Dee Poku, Snap’s global head of fashion partnerships Rajni Jacques, Fern Mallis, and editors Lauren McCarthy, Irina Grechko, Kathy Lee, Claire Stern, Joshua Glass, Kevin Ponce, Jessica Testa, and Nikki Ogunnaike, amongst others.

Images: BFA

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest fashion news and juicy industry gossip.