Brand to Know | Mehry Mu

Handbags that Günes Mutlu designs for her brand Mehry Mu are timeless, statement making with an air of nostalgia. I caught up with the Istanbul-based designer to hear how she is handling the pandemic, what inspired her to start her brand and where she draws her inspiration from.

Photography and Interview by Alison Engstrom

It’s great to meet you Gunës, how have you been navigating this time period both on a personal level and a professional level?

As most will agree, 2020 has been a turning point for accepting some tough realities that have been begging for our attention for many, many years. This year made us hold the mirror to our faces and face our truths, in a very harsh and steep way. Not only did we communally face many global issues through the unprecedented arrival of the pandemic, this period has also impacted us on a personal and professional level. I, like many, tried to see what the lesson in it was, and is for me. I managed to face issues that I have been running away from, in my personal realm. Professionally, I tried to see how we can turn this crisis around so that our business would not be hurt. Luckily, Mehry Mu is a brand with a point of view. We have always been completely against making bags just for the shallow sake of making bags. Having this approach, and the principle of producing locally helped us immensely with continuing the conversation with our customers. In a nutshell, I personally and professionally tried to focus on the good and the lessons during this difficult time, and have come out with some valuable outcomes. Adaptability and empathy have also been key words for me.

I absolutely adore your bags. Can you share more about your decision to launch your own line?

Oh thank you! Well, I created Mehry Mu as a result of some serendipitous events. Back in 2008, I had launched Turkey’s first e-commerce site where we were offering a curation of fashion and home products. We had over 100 brands where we would be selling jewelry, home accessories, and some ready to wear items. It was all local brands that had a bright future and a lot of unique DNA. One thing was missing—I could not find any handbag brands at a good price point to sell. I decided to have some bags produced and sell them on the website. The bags had to have their own identity though- which means they had to be a separate brand. So that is how Mehry Mu was born. At first it was a predominantly East meets West look. In time, as the bags claimed their own life, and I closed the website to continue just with Mehry Mu, they became more travel and vintage inspired and the brand DNA was completed.

“ I personally and professionally tried to focus on the good and the lessons during this difficult time, and have come out with some valuable outcomes. Adaptability and empathy have also been key words for me”

What were you doing prior and when did you launch?

I worked in media ad sales and In Style and Madame Figaro Turkey right after college in the US. I then founded my e-commerce website, which led me to founding Mehry Mu in 2010.

What is the meaning behind the name of the brand?

My name Günes literally means the sun in Turkish; my last name Mutlu means happy. I always had an interest in Persian culture. So l looked up the sun in Persian and came across mehry. People who speak Persian say it is not used in the modern day but that in the ancient times it meant sunshine. So that is how I came up with Mehr and ‘Mu’ is the first two letters of my last name. So the brand was set out to be like a fragment of me, personally and that really is what happened, in the end. I feel like it is an extension of my dreams and inspirations; through the lens of people who like to travel and are interested in beautiful, historical things in general.

When looking at the new season, especially, there is such a worldly/vintage feeling, especially in silhouette and pattern. Can you talk about where you derive the majority of your inspiration?

Yes, it is all part of my design formula actually. Mehry Mu bags will always have a vintage vibe, but I make sure they are not actual copies of our grandmother’s 1950s bags. The first layer is the vintage feeling and every season I build on that notion with that season’s points of inspiration. Then I top it off with the special fabric that I feel is relevant for that season.

For many years my inspiration for summer collections was drawn from beautiful resort places like the Amalfi coast or the Greek islands. Whereas my winter collections were inspired by love stories in places with very rich cultures such as Vietnam or Scotland. One Fall/Winter collection, I used a lot of burgundy, red patent leather, and long, black silk tassels, reminiscent of the Indochine fashion atmosphere of the 1920s. The movie The Lover was my starting point. I then meshed those with the other design elements that belong to Mehry Mu. Last Fall/Winter, I dreamt of a love story in a castle in Scotland—hence the rich velvets and the plaid fabrics.

This winter (FW20/21) was partially about going back to my Turkish roots. I used a rug print for all of the dust bags and some of the bags. I also used agate stones, which are known to have healing properties. I had no idea when designing this collection that we would, as the whole world be needing lots of healing! The agate stones, the rugs, the color hues all take us back to my Turkish roots. I don’t like the bags to be too eclectic; I like them to be sleek, chic and feminine. Those little eclectic touches are always the cherry on top of a culturally inspired, modern collection with a vintage flair. At the end of the day, it is all about creating unique and contemporary collectables with a story.

“I feel like it is an extension of my dreams and inspirations; through the lens of people who like to travel and are interested in beautiful, historical thing...”

The line is accessibly priced, why was it so important for you to create a collection that women across the board can incorporate into their handbag collecitons?

This is an extremely important aspect of Mehry Mu for me. I was lucky enough to collect some amazing bags during my college years and during my 20s. When Carrie Bradshaw would rock those Fendi baguettes, I would spend all my college allowance for those bags. I have a cashmere baguette, a sequined baguette, a raffia baguette. I have the Galliano for Dior newspaper saddle bag, because my dad was in media, I wanted to buy it as a memento. I have the bamboo Gucci bag from the Tom Ford era. I have a Birkin, a Kelly, and the list goes on. The reason I am listing my bags is because these are extremely expensive bags for.. a bag! They were also expensive for a girl my age to own, during those years. But I bought them all and used them to pieces because they were like jewelry to me. I knew the value behind them, and formed a bond with them and I resonated with them. I did not own them to show off. That is why, except for the Baguette, I did not buy the same thing in multiple colors. What I am getting to is this—the world has changed. The world has changed so much that everybody is a designer now. There is Etsy now and you can find some amazing handmade bags there. There’s also The Real Real. You can buy beautiful designer bags in pristine condition on there. You can also rent bags. We all have so many options. Our money is better off being spent on our favorite charities, on wellness, on travel retreats. This is why it is important to have accessibly priced brands, that are still very much about the values, the story and the beauty. I am very much committed to maintaing Mehry Mu’s spot in that category.

Since you started your brand, what has been one of the most valuable lessons you have learned about running a business?

The end user is our most important treasure.

“We all have so many options. Our money is better off being spent on our favorite charities, on wellness, on travel retreats. This is why it is important to have accessibly priced brands, that are still very much about the values, the story and the beauty.”