Pudsey's fashion makeover: Mulberry, Louis Vuitton, Erdem, Jonathan Saunders and Henry Holland design bears for Children in Need

By Lauren Paxman

Last updated at 11:23 AM on 8th November 2011


Pudsey is one of the most beloved bears in the UK after Winnie the Poo, but many will struggle to recognise him in his trendy new guises.

The yellow teddy with an eye patch who is the mascot of the Children in Need telethon has been given a makeover by some of the biggest names in fashion.

Erdem, Mulberry, Louis Vuitton and Giles Deacon, are just a few of the coveted designers who created a new identity for Pudsey, and the designs range from leather, through florals and checks to on-trend metallic material.

Fashion conscious: Pudsey bears designed by, from left Jonathan Saunders, PPQ, Mulberry, Giles Deacon, Kate Hillier, Liberty, Henry Holland, Patrick Grant and Erdem

Charity cases: Henry Holland (left) and Erdem show off their Pudsey designs

All the bears are on display at Liberty in London. They are also being auctioned online, with a reserve price of £200, to add the the pot of money going towards the Children in Need telethon on November 18.

Giles Deacon used his Spring/Summer 2012 collection as inspiration, turning Pudsey into a silver leather vision; Patrick Grant and Henry Holland have all gone for varying shades of tartan; while Erdem's flowery 2012 spring collection was a huge influence on his creation.


Pringle went for luxury pure cashmere, with one carat diamonds to finish off Pudsey’s cardigan, and Mulberry's creative director Emma Hill explained that their design: 'comes in the same Soft Buffalo leather we use for our Alexa bag and his colour is classic Oak with Chocolate paws and mouth - two of the most iconic Mulberry colours!'

Are the designers also giving us a unique insight into what their inspirations are for next year's trends?

Celebrity style: Giles Deacon with his metallic bear which reflects the designer's latest show

Paws for thought: Mulberry (left), Liberty (centre) and Jonathan Saunders' designs are all being auctioned on eBay. They have a reserve price of £200 but are expected to fetch much more

Katie Hillier said: 'I absolutely love children, almost all of the influences for my own label Hillier come from either children's books, childhood memories of mine or from a playful childlike point of view.

'When I started to think about the design of Pudsey, I wanted to make sure that children would understand it and would be drawn to it.'

Erdem added: 'It is a cause I believe in and it was fun to work with Pudsey. He was very pleasant!'

Henry Holland agreed saying: 'Pudsey was great to work with and not as much of a diva as I had thought!'

'Not a diva': The designers including PPQ (left), Kate Hillier (centre) and Patrick Grant had fun working with the bear

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2058899/Mulberry-Louis-Vuitton-Erdem-design-Pudsey-bears-Children-Need.html#ixzz1d8J9eMDl