Interview: Johnny Coca, Mulberry Creative Director

Johnny Coca at The Elle Style Awards 2016 Picture: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images

Johnny Coca joined Mulberry in 2015 as creative director to oversee the ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories collections, as well as the image and the evolution of Mulberry’s legacy.

Born in Seville and educated in Paris, 42-year-old Coca has an international perspective on Britishness and British culture. Working with the design teams in London, his collections reference the diversity, history, drama and creativity of the city and its people while also embracing Mulberry’s heritage spirit and Somerset roots.

A student of both architecture and design, Coca’s fascination with maths and engineering is as much a part of his design ethos as his passion for colour and drawing. His philosophy, shaped by more than a decade at Louis Vuitton and Celine, is to create beautiful objects for the everyday lives of men and women – bags, garments, shoes and accessories that are made to be worn and made to last.

Coca’s Spanish upbringing and close-knit family have made him a strong believer in community, which chimes with the Mulberry’s ethos – the company has nurtured a successful apprenticeship programme at its two Somerset factories to train the next generation of craftsmen and craftswomen.

Where are you based?

London, Somerset and Paris.

What do you do in a typical day?

To begin with, I like to check my diary, then in the shower I think about new designs or how I can improve existing designs. After this, I make my way to either the Mulberry HQ in Kensington, my new atelier in Paris, or one of our two factories in Somerset. I check in with my PA and studio director first, then it’s back-to-back meetings. Because I design everything at Mulberry, down to the stores, windows and packaging, you can imagine how hectic it is. My favourite meetings are creative ones, I also really enjoy working with the different design heads to cook up a collection, a look and colour palette for the season. I normally head out for dinner round 8pm and go to bed around midnight.

What is your training/background?

I grew up in Seville, Spain, and moved to Paris to study art, architecture and design when I was 18. I went to the Ecole National des Beaux-Arts and Ecole Boulle. I’ve always been fascinated by maths, physics and engineering. I really wanted to design cars and planes, but got sucked into designing handbags and accessories when I held a part-time job for a design agency. I was asked to draw a mock-up of the window designs for Louis Vuitton and I became fascinated with the design process of a handbag. This was mainly because I found it similar to designing a house, making it multifunctional, not too heavy, the compartments, detachable straps and pockets and where they should be.

I created a collection of sketches and very boldly called Yves Carcelle [former CEO and chairman of Louis Vuitton]. I think his PA must have been on holiday and I was put through. He was very gracious and agreed to have a look. I was offered a job and in two years I was head of small accessories at Louis Vuitton with a team of ten. Working there was fantastic, like being part of a family and one of my favourite aspects was my time with the craftsmen and women, learning how to design with leather. After five years, I was asked to work with Michael Kors at Celine, where I stayed for a further five. After that, I had a role as creative director at Bally, followed by Phoebe Philo’s head of accessory design when she joined Celine.

What are your inspirations?

I like to sit in cafés and drink in the looks you see worn out. I like to see strong looking women and I love the style of tribes and of Britishness: school kids and their uniforms, punks, teddy boys, mods and of course tartan. I own about 20 kilts and even more leather jackets.

Who has influenced your style?

People with British sensibility: Vivienne Westwood, Nick Knight, Tim Walker and Alexander McQueen.

What has been your career highlight so far?

Joining Mulberry as creative director and the importance of representing a brand that some journalists describe as a national treasure. And to be responsible for all touch points of the brand; jewellery, shoes, bags, luggage, clothes, packaging, store design – it’s endless.

What is your aim with Mulberry?

To gain more international appeal and exposure for the brand by extolling the virtues of its British roots and heritage.

What attracted you to Mulberry and them to you?

They knew I had strong accessory design credentials from the popular bags I was responsible for at LV and Celine, and for me it was the opportunity to work with a brand that had two factories. It gives you an immense sense of design freedom and opportunity.

Where are your products made?

Half of the bags are made in one of our two factories in Somerset. We also run an apprentice scheme to ensure fresh talent is nurtured.

The remainder are made in Spain, Portugal and Turkey. All of our hardware is made in Switzerland. A lot of our knitwear and all our tartan fabrics are made in Scotland. I also like to source traditional fabrics from the UK for the clothing collections where I can.

What is the fun part of your business?

Seeing someone wearing one of my looks or carrying a Mulberry bag when I’m out and about.

What have you learned?

24 hours are never enough.

What is your most popular design?

I like the new Amberley bag family. They feature a new lock called The Riders Lock – its all very influenced by British equestrianism.

I’m also proud of my update on the iconic Bayswater bag. I’ve made it lighter and inverted the stitching to give it a fresh, modern look.

Who are your customers?

I’d like to think that Mulberry appeals to all demographics, ages and nationalities.

Which Mulberry items do you have at home?

I love Mulberry home fabrics and actually used them in my Winter ’17 collections. I also have a leather backpack, a Piccadilly Bag and a few leather jackets.

What’s your style philosophy?

To create beautiful products at an accessible price.