If you are looking for leather accessories to complement that new designer dress, whether a new clutch or fashionable evening gloves, few companies can beat Mulberry’s selection and quality. Although best known for their date books and handbags, Mulberry also offers designer menswear, women’s clothing, and shoes.

In 1971, Roger Saul decided to go into business using the £500 he had received as a 21st birthday present for capital. His father suggested he sell Christmas trees or donkeys but Roger and his mom founded a leather goods company instead. At first, the company was located in the family garage and their first product was leather belts.

There was an element of whimsy in Roger’s designs and philosophy, as well as an appreciation of quirkiness. “Mulberry whiffs of all sorts of things,” he explained during an interview published in 1993. “A certain integrity, a certain reserve, definitely a humorous eccentricity. Quality unquestionably, and perhaps even a little bit aristocratic. People expect that from an English-branded product, but you must not be afraid to laugh at yourself.”

Mulberry grew slowly but steadily, expanding from belts and accessories to ready-to-wear items. The company established itself in airports as duty-free shops. In the early 1990s, the company introduced interior designs, which evolved into its Home Division, and was earning over $100 million a year.

Although the company has weathered some financial and economic storms, its Bohemian twist on English country style has remained a consumer favorite and the company is enjoying worldwide growth. In 2004, Mulberry partnered with Bergdorf Goodman to debut its first store in the United States. A year later, Mulberry won the British Fashion Council award for accessory designer of the year, its first such honor.

Mulberry is a favorite brand of many celebrities including Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively and Leighton Meester, Julianne Moore, and singers Kelis and Florence Welch.