The fashion industry news cycle has been dominated by the coronavirus for the past few months, with the CFDA and BFC recommending a radical ‘reset’ in light of the pandemic. But today, one French maison made a different sort of announcement. Louis Vuitton has hired Johnny Coca.
The Spanish designer’s last posting was five years as Mulberry’s creative director. His job at Louis Vuitton, however, will see him returned to his first love: accessories. From the beginning of next month, Coca will take up the position of women’s leather goods director, alongside the brand’s artistic director of women’s collections Nicolas Ghesquière. Not only does it mark a return to accessories - Coca worked in Celine’s accessories department under Phoebe Philo before joining Mulberry - but Coca is coming back to the house where he first honed his craft for leather goods.
In a press release, Coca described how returning to Louis Vuitton, where he started his career as a leather goods designer, feels like he’s come full circle. ‘It’s with great pride that I join Nicolas Ghesquière and the Louis Vuitton teams to further develop the women’s handbag collections,’ said Coca. ‘For me, the journey now has come full circle, to the place where I was lucky enough to hone my passion first-hand and learn the fundamentals of leather craftsmanship in the ateliers at Asnières. It opens a new chapter in my own creative adventure, in an extraordinary laboratory that blends heritage and modernity.’
The handbags he designed at Mulberry, including the Amberley and Iris families, both catered to the British brand’s classic-with-a-twist customer. What will he do with the most famous monogram in French fashion? We’ll have to wait and see.
READ MORE: The New Luxury: Quarantine Through The Eyes And Lens Of Britain's Designers