The English heritage brand Mulberry has an affinity for European birds and wildlife.
Several times in recent memory Mulberry has run campaigns featuring live birds or exaggerated images of birds and wildlife grouped among the models and clothes and bags; romanticized photos where woman and beast appear together peacefully and no dander or guano mars the perfect surface of product or skin. But the photos have an edge.
A dark undercurrent of modest decay keeps the images from getting too treacly. You can practically smell the mildew of the old house setting, along with the nutty aroma of the Scottish wool worn by the models. The birds are not entirely props for product, either, but add to the mystery and heritage of the English country look in these pictures. They are representative of what is actually outside that window where the model is standing.
I love these campaigns because they remind me of winter birding in the Skagit Valley of my state, where mud and pastures and diurnal owls come together under gray skies. This is the season of warm layers and birds, and while the look of Mulberry isn't entirely practical for wearing in the field, it's a wonderful springboard for bringing birds and style together, two things that are seldom associated with each other when considering either from the birding (bird-watching) perspective.
Here's the story behind the owl photo shoot with Cara Delevingne. I could not find a single piece of information online about the species of owls in these photos, nor where they came from.
Thank you to Laurel Anne Mundy, Rebecca Vaux and Alex Warnick for the owl identification help!
Mulberry F/W 2011. Barn Owl behind them. Image: Tim Walker
Mulberry F/W 2011. House finch and Great-horned owl in background. Image Tim Walker
Mulberry F/W 2011. That's a giant European Goldfinch in the background. Image: Tim Walker
More Mulberry F/W 2013. Among the owls: Barn Owl, Ashy-faced Owl, Tawny Owl, White-faced Scops Owl, and Little Owl, . Image: Tim Walker
A behind the scenes shot of the F/W 2013 campaign.
Image: Tim Walker
Cara Delevingne with some of the owls (L to R Tawny, White-faced Scops and Little) from the shoot. No gloves, impressive! Image: @caradelevingne