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Mulberry has announced that Johnny Coca will be leaving the brand after five years as its creative director with effect from 31 March 2020.
His last collection for Mulberry will be spring/summer 2021.
Coca, 44, came to Mulberry from Celine in 2015, where he had been head design director for leather goods, accessories, shoes and jewellery. Born in Seville, Coca had studied art in Paris and worked at Louis Vuitton before joining Celine.
Appointed following the abrupt departure of Emma Hill and five profit warnings, Coca was tasked with tackling falling sales and breathing life back into one of Britain’s best-loved accessories brands.
In addition to reworking the Mulberry logo, and shifting towards a more affordable range, he oversaw the launch of a number of new bag families including the Amberley and Iris, the introduction of eyewear and sneaker categories and the re-launch of the men’s accessories and jewellery ranges.
His first show for Mulberry took place during London Fashion Week in 2016. Talking to the Standard soon after, Coca said, “I’m not here to destroy the brand, I’m here to make it a success.”
Coca, who oversaw a successful international expansion programme, that extended Mulberry’s global presence across the UK, Japan, South Korea, North America, Europe and Australia, was also committed to Mulberry’s longstanding commitment to sustainability and the circular economy.
Earlier this year, he launched Mulberry’s 100 per cent sustainable leather Portobello Tote and the M Collection, a capsule of bags and outerwear crafted from a blend of Econyl-branded regenerated nylon and sustainable cotton.
Under Coca, the brand has also long urged its customers to send back bags to its Somerset factories to be repaired, and has a dedicated division that stockpiles hardware, leather and other materials so that even the oldest models can get a new life.
Thierry Andretta, Mulberry’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Johnny’s creative vision has been a key element in delivering our strategy to develop Mulberry as an international luxury lifestyle brand.
“As we head towards our 50th anniversary in 2021 we continue to focus on our strategy to build Mulberry as a global luxury brand. We remain committed to developing responsible, innovative products, underpinned by a strong in-house creative team and our international direct-to-customer omni-channel business model.”
The Spanish designer said he was proud of what he had achieved during his tenure. “The passion and dedication I have seen at Mulberry has been incredible and I am honored to have been part of the brand’s history.”
Mulberry says it has begun the process of finding a successor.
