Mulberry’s Johnny Coca: ‘People on the street provide the best moments of creativity for me’

My personal style signifier is my collection of kilts. I started to wear them when I was 20 years old and I think I have 25 at home – I have checks, black, colours, tartan and I buy them from Comme des Garçons or Alexander McQueen. I love anything with a punk rock attitude so I wear them with leather biker jackets, which are cool and quite masculine. alexandermcqueen.com. shop.doverstreetmarket.com/comme-des-garcons

The last thing I bought and loved was a book of photography, Frame by Mark Cohen, that I found in the bookshop at Tate Modern. All his pictures are so in the moment, there is nothing fake and there are so many interesting details. £55; amazon.co.uk

And the thing I’m eyeing next is a painting by Cuban artist Carmen Herrera who is 101 years old. I love artists who use colour and she plays with it in totally unexpected ways. The compositions and contrasts are so beautiful. lissongallery.com

The last meal that truly impressed me was at Dinings – a Japanese tapas restaurant in Marylebone. It’s really small and intimate and there’s a bar by the entrance where you can sit with friends and they cook in front of you. It’s very simple but the carpaccio and fish dishes are excellent. 22 Harcourt Street, London W1 (020-7723 0666; dinings.co.uk)

The last items of clothing I bought were some oversized black trousers from Comme des Garçons and a long‑sleeved white Rick Owens T-shirt. I always buy clothes from stores as I prefer being able to try things on. shop.doverstreetmarket.com/comme-des-garcons. £92; rickowens.eu

The objects I would never part with are an original metal Platner chair and a Barcelona chair by Mies van der Rohe. I started collecting furniture as a student in Paris, when I didn’t even have enough space for it in my tiny apartment. When I look at the structure and proportions of furniture, it gives me a lot of inspiration for shoes, bags and accessories.

If I didn’t live in London, I would live in Seville. That’s where I come from and I rarely have the time any more to really enjoy it. I love the gardens at the Moorish palace, the Alcázar; in April you can smell the oranges. I especially like the Jardín de las Damas; it’s beautiful and very peaceful. And the city has wonderful terrace bars; the ones in Calle Betis are particularly cool and have good views, looking out over the river. At the Eme hotel there is a rooftop bar where you can sit and have a mojito and just chill out. The hotel also has great rooms, minimal and calming – perfect for a relaxing weekend. Alcázar of Seville, Patio de Banderas, 41004 (+34902-559 386; alcazarsevilla.org). Eme Catedral Hotel, Calle Alemanes 27, 41004 (+34954-560 000; emecatedralhotel.com)

The grooming staple I’m never without is Egoïste by Chanel. It’s a very specific scent, with cinnamon, but it’s more delicate than many fragrances, yet masculine too. I’ve worn it for at least 20 years. £48 for 50ml EDT; harrods.com

A recent “find” is Hauser & Wirth in Somerset. There is such a diversity of art there, from local pieces to something like the Louise Bourgeois spider outside. The last time I went I saw the horse sculptures by Berlinde de Bruyckere. Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0NL (01749-814 060; hauserwirthsomerset.com)

The best gift I have given is a gold christening bracelet for my nephew, who is 11 months old. It was hard to find the right style but in the end I found a simple 18ct yellow gold one in Arthus Bertrand, a classic jeweller in Paris. Réglisse bracelet, from €305; fr.arthusbertrand.com

My favourite website is a new one called Tagwalk. I’m not really one for social media but this is one of the few sites I use. It lets you see what is happening in fashion – a little bit like Pinterest but much more specific. tag-walk.com

My style icons are the great women in the music business, particularly Debbie Harry, Annie Lennox and FKA Twigs; they epitomise this outer-hard, inner-soft, good-girl, bad-girl contradiction that inspires me. But it’s people on the street that provide the best moments of creativity for me. You can sit at St Pancras with all these City guys and then all the students from Central Saint Martins and then all these punk guys and you have no idea where they have come from. I can sit there and have a coffee and not move for two hours; you see everything and nothing – it’s paradise.

The site that inspires me is Guildhall, where I held my first show. I love the classic but I also love modernity, and this is a combination of the two: the Guildhall building from the 15th century and then an almost brutalist concrete structure next to it, which forms the contemporary administrative buildings. Inside the original building you see these incredible details you would never expect. Gresham Street, London EC2 (020-7332 1313; guildhall.cityoflondon.gov.uk).

In my fridge you will always find Coca-Cola and fresh lemon juice – I drink the juice pure every morning. No sugar; no water. There’s not much else in there as I don’t cook a lot.

The best book I’ve read in the past year is London Burning: Portraits from a Creative City. It’s filled with designers, artists and creatives all sharing their own favourite places, and the portraits are very well done. £58; thamesandhudson.com

If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city, I’d choose the Marais in Paris. It’s small but there is so much happening: new boutiques, new restaurants, new bars. There are interesting little shops but also luxury brands too. I love the Comme des Garçons store and the small boutiques around there that are willing to take risks and propose something different, like Tom Greyhound. And I really love Le Comptoir de l’Image, which is a tiny store with this mountain of books and magazines. Everyone goes there – Azzedine Alaïa, Marc Jacobs, Alber Elbaz – because you can find books that you can’t find anywhere else. Comme des Garçons, 7 Rue du Perche, 75003 (+331-4278 0267; comme-des-garcons.com). Le Comptoir de l’Image, 44 Rue de Sévigné, 75003 (+331-4272 0917; comptoirimage.com). Tom Greyhound, 19 Rue de Saintonge, 75003 (+331-4461 3659; tomgreyhound.com)

The last music I downloaded was Habits by Tove Lo. I first heard it when I was in a taxi and it was playing on the radio. She is Swedish and it’s quite sad, but the lyrics are real, about relationships and the people you love.

The people I rely on for personal grooming and wellbeing are the girls at Des Garçons on Rue Saint-Honoré, which is a friendly and relaxing place to get my hair done, and I de-stress at the gym – we have one downstairs from our offices. I used to go five or six days a week, but since I came to Mulberry it’s once or twice. Des Garçons, 217 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris (+336-5238 8449)

The best gift I have received is a necklace from a friend, Miles Chapman. He reworks pieces of silver that he finds in markets and antiques shops to make original necklaces. Mine has a champagne bubble diffuser hanging from it as a charm.

An indulgence I would never forgo is my summer holiday in August – I spend time at home in Seville but I also like going to Ibiza and Formentera to see friends. Ses Illetes, at the north of the island, is idyllic early in the morning and one of my favourite spots.

The one artist I would collect if I could – other than Carmen Herrera – would be Nick Knight. All the work he has done – from Björk to his work with McQueen – is quite romantic but there’s this strong sense of rebellion and it’s also so British. I’d love to do something with him one day. newarteditions.com. nickknight.com

An unforgettable place I’ve travelled to in the past year is Kew Gardens. I travel so much but it’s amazing to have this space in London – it’s like walking into the Great Exhibition. When you are outside you can’t even imagine what is inside – all those tropical glasshouses, those really humid environments. For a designer it is very inspiring. kew.org

The best souvenir I have brought home is a jumper from my first trip to Scotland a long time ago. I went to Glasgow and Dundee and bought a traditional cabled wool knit. I wanted something classic after seeing all those castles and the lambs. I’ve never worn it but every time I move apartment the jumper comes with me.

My favourite room in my house is my shower room. It’s the place I feel most relaxed; I play music, think about the day and reboot. The shower has lighting that changes colour and I choose a colour to suit my mood.

If I weren’t doing what I do, I would be a surgeon. When I was small I was sick a lot with heart problems and I thought when I was older I would love to be a heart surgeon, especially for children. Now I support a foundation, the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque Enfants du Monde, for children who have cardiac problems, and I have such respect for the doctors. mecenat-cardiaque.org