Founded in 1941, Coach recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. Heritage is important to the brand, and Coach's current headquarters are located on the very same street where the business started - 34th Street, Manhattan.
Coach began it's life under another name (Gail Leather Products) with 6 leather workers. Today, Coach has over 17,000 employees and their products are available to purchase across 5 continents in over 1,000 directly operated stores.
However, rather unusually, Coach's recent focus has been on reducing its store count, with a global reduction of 7% since 2013.
In 2013, Coach hired Stuart Vevers as the brand's new creative director. Vevers had previously worked for Mulberry and Loewe, and Coach hoped that under Vevers guidance the brand could improve its fashion credibility.
Under his leadership, there has been a concerted effort to reduce Coach's presence in luxury discount outlets. Vevers wanted to avoid the 'discounting trap', where seasonal sales and outlets erode the luxury values of a brand. This is one reason why Coach pulled its bags out of several large American department stores, in order to try and maintain price points and improve the brand's luxury status. This is especially important to Coach, as handbags currently make up approximately 53% of their sales.
In September 2014, Coach also launched its first ready-to-wear line for both men and women. What can be clearly seen from Vevers designs is that the brand is embracing a new understanding of what "luxury" means. In both its ready-to-wear and its luxury leather goods, Coach seems to be embracing an informal and type of luxury, one that's suitable for everyday wear.
Vintage Coach bags (like the one pictured above) are still easy to recognise thanks to the brand's distinctive design details. However, the brand is evolving quickly and is really working hard to firmly reposition itself in the middle-market, back alongside Kate Spade and Michael Kors. Soon it will become much more difficult to buy brand-new Coach bags at a discount, so the pre loved market is becoming an even better place to shop for their handbags.
You can find authentic pre loved Coach bags in Stored and Adored's online store, as well as other designer brands including Loewe, Anya Hindmarch, Delvaux, Gucci and many more!
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