Aged 17, there was nothing more important in my life than a Mulberry Bayswater handbag. I dreamt about the British brand’s most popular bag more regularly than I dreamt about The Notebook’s Noah Calhoun. I lost track of time in my lessons thinking about the Baywater, and I truly believed it had transformative powers. I convinced myself that my life was going to change when I was the girl with the Bayswater bag.

After countless evenings begging and pleading with my parents, I finally struck a deal for my 18th birthday present and they conceded to pay half and I would make up the rest doing chores and babysitting (tough crowd, I know). 

On 31 March, I finally had the Mulberry Bayswater in my hands (it was the oak colourway, obviously) and, just like I had imagined it would, the bag’s power changed me. I was suddenly an adult – because nothing says grown-up like a designer bag on one arm and an inability to budget for the rest of your life, weighing down the other. 

That morning I strutted into the sixth form common room with my Mulberry Bayswater bag dangling from the crook of my arm, and the knowledge that life would never be the same again. 

A few years later (and two more Mulberry bags bought with every penny I could scrape together), a new obsession was on the horizon with the same transformative powers: Acne Studios’ Pistol Boots. 

Thanks to extraordinarily wide feet and a natural clumsiness, heels have never been my forte. But a heeled ankle boot? That I could get on board with. With an ever-growing celebrity roster sporting the boots and the brand’s cooler-than-cool aesthetic, I knew they were the ones for me. Elongated round toe with side zips and the perfect heel height, you could see how they were going to change my life, right? 

Let’s put it this way, no night out was ever the same again. 

And the point of this trip down memory lane?

Turns it out I’m not the only one who held flames for these two fashion powerhouses; turns out they have a bit of a thing for each other, and have joined forces for a collection of bags and small leather goods. 

The limited-edition pieces, which cohesively marries Swedish design with English charm, focusses on the brands’ best-selling bags: the Mulberry Bayswater and the Acne Studios Musubi bag.  

“This is a collection about friendship and our freedom as brands to do what we want to do. It is like a conversation between Acne Studios and Mulberry, one that is founded in mutual respect and a desire to make great product,” says Jonny Johansson, creative director of Acne Studios.

“The Acne Studios and Mulberry collaboration is a perfect manifestation of the spirit of both our brands. It showcases Acne Studios’ wonderful Swedish design ethos and celebrates both the British heritage and modernity of Mulberry,” says Thierry Andretta, CEO of Mulberry.

In true collaborative fashion, Mulberry’s famed Scotchgrain bags have been reimagined by the Acne Studios team – adding in Scandi-style functional buckles and hardware to the classic designs. 

Mulberry have combined the signature origami knot with its classic Bayswater bag and even combined the logos of the two houses. For lovers of design and for those who, like me, have an attachment to both brands, these are pieces to invest in now and treasure forever. 

The 17-piece collection is available to buy in store and online with prices starting from £90. 

Images: Getty / H&M