American DREAM
All eyes are on Coach as the global accessories brand transitions into a well-rounded fashion and lifestyle house. By Jeffrey Yan.
Marc Jacobs. Nicolas Ghesquière. Emma Hill. These and a host of other illustrious fashion names were among the ones thrown about recently when it was announced that Reed Krakoff was leaving the top spot at Coach and a successor had yet to be announced. That designers of their calibre and reputation were speculated on for the position shows how far the brand has come in repositioning itself. It has always been a lucrative business since its beginnings in the 1940s but even five years ago, it would have been hard to imagine Coach being such a large part of fashion conversation.
The brand owes a lot of its success to Krakoff. Having been at the helm for 17 years, he had steered Coach from the logo-mania of the late ’90s and early 2000s to the mini renaissance it’s enjoying now. Last year saw the launch of the Legacy collection, which references its beloved duffle sacs and brings back a chic American sensibility from its 1970s archives.
This season, the company is pushing full steam ahead and looking to expand its empire by growing into other product categories. Shoes have made a comeback, now with a much wider selection. Menswear has been beefed up to better serve one of the fastest growing segments of its audience (men comprised three percent of total customers in 2008; in 2012 it was 30 percent). To be an all-inclusive lifestyle brand, it now churns out products at all levels from watches and jewellery to eyewear, perfumes and tech accessories, and even fun kitschy pieces like plush toys and board games.
But the most exciting development in this new chapter of Coach is its offering of ready-to-wear. On that end, they have roped in Sandra Hill as head of womenswear. Previously at Paul Smith, she has brought with her an easy-towear youthfulness to her new position. Coach’s first ready-to-wear collection will be a tightly edited capsule collection launched in November with a strong focus on outerwear. Customers can expect plenty of on-trend militaryinspired peacoats and capes. Trench coats come in buttery soft leather as well as in suede and shearling. Like most of its bags, colours are pop and bright; think yellow, hot pinks, and turquoise with lashings of graphic animal prints.