More than 40 years later, he is still searching for treasures to sell in his legendary shop in Ibiza Town. His shop is easily recognisable by the dazzling array of brightly coloured dresses at the entrance and the cheeky smile of the owner who sits at its entrance. From It girls such as Gala Gonzalez to supermodels including Naomi Campbell, all have popped into Vicente’s for a spot of shopping.

I read that you started buying and selling the furniture that was left behind after dismantling aristocrat’s houses in Paris …

I made the most of what I found in cellars, where people left stuff that they didn’t want anymore. I helped a friend empty these spaces and that’s how I started selling vintage bits and bobs at a flea market, I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning but I got to grips with it very quickly. The trick is to know what you have and to whom you are selling it to and you have to be a great salesperson.

I’m sure there’s been a lot of times when you have found something and thought: “why the hell are you throwing this out?”
Blimey! So many stories! I love everything to do with decoration and 70s aesthetics, but I can’t stand reeditions. I visited a market one day and I bought a table and 2 garden chairs for 100 euros from a German couple. Well, those 2 chairs were by Mathieu Mathègot, a marvellous Hungarian designer. This has happened to me so many times, ignorance is bliss (for me!

After your Parisian adventure, your next stop was 70s London. How did you end up in Ibiza?

I went to London for a Rolling Stones concert and on the way there I was stopped by the police because they thought I had marijuana. Patchouli was fashionable in those days and you could smell me a mile off. I fell in love with the city and I started working in a belt shop on Portobello Road.