After almost 18 months without a creative director — 18 months in which it issued numerous profit warnings — Mulberry finally named a new designer on Thursday: Johnny Coca, Céline’s former design director for accessories. Will he be able to turn around the brand’s fortunes?
Investors certainly saw it as good news: Mulberry shares rose on the announcement. And in some ways, the appointment makes a lot of sense. But in others, it raises some meaningful questions.
On the upside:
1. Mr. Coca is a leather goods guy. And Mulberry is a leather goods house, though it does have ready-to-wear. Céline has, under his accessories direction, had numerous megahits, like the ubiquitous wing bag, which still influences handbag design, and the understated boxy shoulder bag and fur-lined Birkenstocks that set off the frumpy footwear trend. You can see why a brand like Mulberry might want some of that.
2. Mulberry has been so beleaguered for so long that its image has become blurred. A new creative director will find it easier to give the brand a fresh direction than he would have coming after a hugely popular and successful design figure. There is a lot more room to go up.
3. There is something laudable about Mulberry’s having found something of a behind-the-scenes talent, as opposed to a star, thus enlarging fashion’s marquee name talent pool. It is encouraging to think more fashion brands would do the same.
But here is what I am still wondering:
1. The flip side of appointing one of the deputies to a big name creative director is that his own ability to articulate a vision is unproven. Mr. Coca has been working under the overall creative direction of Phoebe Philo, and it is unclear how much of Céline’s accessories were driven by her vision. That is not to say he did not do most of it on his own, just that it is an unknown. Plus, he has not done ready-to-wear. This is not atypical in fashion — neither had Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli of Valentino, who also came from the accessory world — but it will be interesting to see how much emphasis Mulberry places on clothes versus bags.
2. The Céline aesthetic, which Mr. Coca translated so well into accessories, is famously minimal. The Mulberry aesthetic — at least when it was working — was famously quirky British. The weird Birkenstocks suggest this may not be a giant leap for Mr. Coca, but humor in general has not been a big part of his work in the past. Maybe he has been raring to get it in there? We will see.
3. Mr. Coca is Spanish, not British, and has spent most of his career working in Paris. Mulberry pointed out in its announcement that he has taught at Central St. Martins, implying he understands the British character. But at the very least, his background may necessitate giving the brand’s identity a different spin. The designer himself cannot be trotted out as the British face of the brand. That is not necessarily bad — Burberry really does have “British brand” locked up, and it is about time a competitor had another idea — but it could seem jarring to consumers.
4. Then there is the pricing issue. Mulberry got into trouble when Bruno Guillon, its former chief executive, declared his intention to take what had been an “accessible luxury” name upmarket and priced the brand accordingly. Customers rebelled. Mr. Coca has, in Céline and his former employer, Louis Vuitton, worked largely on the luxury level. How will he adjust to a lower price point (and the associated materials)? Are they actually intending for him to adjust?
5. And finally, there is still no chief executive. Historically, great brands have been built by great creative directors and great chief executives working in tandem. But at the moment, only one-half of that equation exists. So it is hard to realistically assess the picture.
Of course, Mr. Coca is not even starting until July. His first collection probably will not appear until September, and between now and then, a lot could change, especially when it comes to point No. 5. Presumably, that will be the next big announcement from Godfrey Davis, the Mulberry chairman. Can’t wait.