Luxury lifestyle creator Lydia Millen selling all of her designer handbags isn’t something to be glossed over. It’s part of a wider cultural shift that will champion British heritage brands and revamp the countryside aesthetic.
Mid-March, Millen announced her plans to sell her bag collection. She owned 75 luxury purses, including Hermès Birkin and Kelly styles, Chanel purses and a Dior Saddle bag. She cited safety concerns as a key factor in her decision and purchased a vintage Mulberry Bayswater handbag as her hero piece, which she nicknamed the “British Birkin”.
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Millen’s video isn’t just about clearing out her wardrobe – it’s part of a wider marketing ploy and arguably a recession indicator. She hinted at a handbag collaboration with one of her favourite brands (presumed to be Mulberry) and then partnered with vintage retailer Sellier Knightsbridge to sell her goods, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity.
Still, she is prioritising British goods, which fits into her narrative of adhering to a quintessential, heritage-driven country lifestyle where she makes sourdough and gardens, spends time with her Dachshunds and rides horses. At the same time as her bag sale, she announced she is co-designing a cross-category collection with Holland Cooper. A picture-perfect partnership.
This lifestyle is making waves on social and is enticing consumers. According to Pinterest, searches for “English countryside fashion” are up 200% year-on-year (YOY) while the number of Pinners looking for the “English countryside aesthetic” is up 30% YOY.
The past two years have seen the “old money” trend surge and this has evolved into the British countryside aesthetic gaining prominence. Think tweed blazers, Hunter wellies, Barbour jackets and natural palettes. Creators such as Christina Kay are learning equestrian, while L’Oréal Paris invited Alex Collins and Katie Daisy to go horse riding at Soho Farmhouse.
@katiedaisyd To the stables we go 🌾🏇🐴 @lorealparisuk #makeup #skin #hair #equestrian #horseriding #equestriangirl #equestrianvibes #hollandandcooper #hermespicotin #hermes #audemarspiguet #ootd #grwm #horsegirl #ridingoutfits
The countryside aesthetic is a reflection of how the rise of conservatism is impacting fashion, as seen with PrettyLittleThing’s old money-inspired rebrand and the popularity of tradwives such as Nara Smith. This has relevance far beyond fashion’s luxury sector.
Take Sisters and Seekers, which unveiled its British Living collection featuring classic knitwear, rugby polo tops and trousers that were styled with wellies and knit bonnets. To drive the theme home, fashion creators Kezia Rose Cook and Lydia Bulter were tapped to create countryside content and the brand also shared a scone recipe. More recently, stylist Lucy Williams launched a re-loved collection with Barbour called A Very British Summer, which embraced a similar aesthetic.
@balialdn My thoughts on the plt rebrand #pltrebrand
With Millen now sporting Mulberry instead of Hermès and creators wearing countryside chic clothes, expect a renewed emphasis on British craftsmanship and heritage brands, which are already beloved by comfort creators such as Hannah Adkins. Brands should remember this trend communicates British everything to global audiences in a covetable way. In fact US audiences are already bought in as American TikToker Olivia Maher’s Reel about romanticising the Cotswolds in the winter shows.
In times of global turmoil, fashion which is marketed through a state of being rather than a result of buying is infinitely more accessible and offers escapism, aspiration and purposeful narratives. None of this is about price and all of it is about taste – a strong narrative for 2025, no matter where a brand sits in the market.
By Caroline Edwards, news and features writer for CORQ. Picture credits: Lydia Millen via YouTube.
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