Mulberry Appoints Johnny Coca

MULBERRY has appointed former Céline accessories design director Johnny Coca as its new creative director. He will be responsible for all of Mulberry's collections, including ready-to-wear, reporting to Godfrey Davis, chairman and CEO.
"I very much look forward to joining Mulberry as its new creative director and to leading a new design direction at one of the very best British brands," the designer said today.
    Johnny will ensure that Mulberry continues its tradition of encouraging new young talent as he helps to build the next generation at Mulberry
So what do we know about Mulberry's new man? He hails from Seville and studied art, architecture and design at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and Ecole Boulle in Paris. Roles at Bally and Louis Vuitton honed his skills as an accessories specialist and led to his role at Céline. Fluent in four languages, Coca brings an international flair to the British brand - but also has a strong foundation in London. He has tutored students at Central Saint Martins and intends, the brand says, "to ensure that Mulberry continues its tradition of encouraging new young talent as he helps to build the next generation at Mulberry".
"We are delighted that Johnny is joining us," Godfrey Davis added. "He has a wealth of international luxury and fashion experience that will help us bring new energy and innovation to Mulberry."
Coca was just one of the talents linked with the job in recent months, and comes to the role more than a year after the previous creative director Emma Hill's departure. His tenure at Mulberry will begin on July 8, 2015.

Exclusive: Olivia Jean Steps Out of Jack White's Shadow

Photo: Courtesy of Fresh and Clean Media

Alternative. Unconventional. Different. These are the words Olivia Jean uses to describe herself. "I hope I inspire other female artists who have similar tastes to not be afraid to be themselves. Not everyone fits the cookie cutter mold of what popular music has become these days," says Jack White's protégé whose debut album, Bathtub Love Killings, was released last month.
Having cut her teeth playing in bands for White, Karen Elson, and Wanda Jackson, the no-frills brunette has finally struck out on her own. Her debut LP is dashed with bluesy licks, spooky organs, and girl-group harmonies. "It’s helped me in a lot of ways," the multi-instrumentalist says of touring and recording with such acclaimed talents. "They’ve given me advice when it comes to songwriting, live performance, basically everything that it takes to be in the public eye." While Jean (whose new music video for "Merry Widow" premieres exclusively below) is decidedly in control of her image ("I don't have a wardrobe stylist or anything like that. I do all my own hair and makeup") and draws inspiration from vintage design and '60s makeup," she’s the first to admit her onstage persona is still a work in progress.
"I’m still kind of getting the hang of it even though I’ve been doing it for a long time," Jean, who is diagnosed with social phobia, explains of performing. "I’m very shy so it’s difficult for me to perform. But I really enjoy doing it. Having social anxiety makes it a lot different than for the majority of musicians out there. So every show is an accomplishment."
Signed to White’s Third Man Records label, Jean, who previously played in the girl group Black Belles, received particular motivation and support from her label boss. "Jack really allowed me to take the reins and have full creative control of how everything turned out," she says. "He’s very encouraging to whoever is working in his studio to just create how they would create anywhere else."