Roger Saul
Roger Saul founded Mulberry with his mother Joan in 1971 and began manufacturing belts and handbags from their Somerset base. He grew it into one of the most successful British fashion brands in the world, with collections for fashion labels such as Burberry, Kenzo and Ralph Lauren, and fans including Alexa Chung, Kate Moss and Elizabeth Moss, before moving on in 2004. So how did he do it – and what advice can the entrepreneur’s entrepreneur pass on?
“Loving what I do has been the dominant force in everything I’ve done” says Mulberry founder Roger Saul, whose fingers have been in so many pies over the years it’s a wonder he doesn’t leave a trail of crumbs everywhere he goes. From his origins as a trainee buyer, cutting his fashion teeth with menswear maven John Michael, to being voted British Classic Designer of the year in 1992, and winning the Queens Award for Export not once but twice, the former accessory king’s unstoppable path has taken him to the very heights of his profession. And some lows too: in 2002, he was infamously ousted as chairman from his own company in a vicious boardroom coup, selling his shares over the next couple of years. Evidently, it just freed this tireless soul up to do other things.
“I think I was born entrepreneurial” laughs the man who launched his international power house with a 21st birthday gift of £500. And even with his glamorous, iconic brand behind him, Saul remains a serial entrepreneur – turning his hand to organic farming, amateur motor racing and eco projects, such as curating a spectacular electric car rally. If he really was, as he says, “a very lazy schoolboy”, he’s certainly been making up for it ever since.
Among other ventures there’s that aforementioned organic farm, Sharpham Park, formerly a 1000-year-old deer park, which he bought in 2003 and produces spelt products from – you might have spotted its flour and cereals on the shelves at Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. While he and his ex-Dior model wife Monty continue to develop the beautiful open gardens at Kilver Court in Shepton Mallet, Mulberry’s former HQ, which he retained ownership of. He’s always had green fingers: his famous brand was even named after a tree in the grounds of his old school in Bath.
Saul believes that rising up through three spectacularly evolving decades, from the austere 1950s through to the Swinging Sixties and the 1970s, shaped his attitude and drive. “Change gives you an open mind because you are constantly presented with different predicaments, and it was such frantic change in creativity. If you survived it, then you were well versed to be an entrepreneur.”
Of his leadership style, he favours “regular updates with individual small teams” and counts “being on the shop floor” as contributing to his success. That, and “hard graft. That’s a given. Tenacity, planning, detail and vision are all key.” For would-be entrepreneurs he stresses, “A positive attitude is vital. If you are always looking at the problems then that’s going to restrict how your mind can be creative. It doesn't mean to say you shouldn't worry, because I do – just probably not as much as others.”
The man with the eyecatching eyewear adds, “Try to think sideways too, and look for new options; whenever I am presented with an opportunity my mind races at the possibilities and logs the restrictions. Imagining the end result and mentally plotting the route is a key facet.”
There’s clearly no stopping the man, whose many and varied ventures also include setting up charities and opening boutique hotels, such as the luxurious Charlton House Hotel in Shepton Mallet in 1996, which won a Michelin star within its first year, and has been voted one of the 25 best designer boutique hotels in the world by Hip Hotels. And his own favourite hotel? The answer comes with a smile: “Home. Always home.”