Undoubtedly, Coach plays a major role in the handbag market. Loyal customers of this brand are still standing, and it sells well in stores and on websites.
To understand the beauty of the handbag, you need to know the complete history of this brand.
This brand has been around for decades and continues to be popular due to its superior craftsmanship and classic style.
Here are some interesting facts about the company that you may not know:
1: This company started working in Manhattan
The coach was originally called Manhattan Leather Bags and was founded by a group of New York City craftsmen in 1941.
2: The coach originally belonged to a couple
The coach belonged to Lillian and Miles Kahn. They produced a collection of 12 handbags in collaboration with six artists.
3: The old coach designs were inspired by baseball
The founders of this company were influenced by the design of baseball gloves, which led them to create a handbag with similar features.
Coach bags were famous for their neutral tan and brown colors. Like a baseball glove, these bags are made of high-quality, flexible tan leather and have excellent stitching and craftsmanship.
4: Women’s handbags came later
Koch began making wallets for men, and it was Lillian Kahn who encouraged her husband, Miles, to start making women’s handbags.
5: coach logo
The Coach logo is probably the most memorable logo in the leather industry. The model was designed in 1962 by Bonnie Cashin, a legendary American artist and fashion designer who also created many influential bracelet designs for the company, including the famous silver-brass clasp.
The classic logo of coach, horse, and carriage (also known as a stagecoach) is a symbol of luxury, elegance, social status, and royal dignity.
The color of the coach logo: the black color in this logo represents the credibility, strength, and elegance of the brand. The Coach brand uses a custom typeface designed specifically for the company.
6: Bonnie Cashin has changed and developed this brand
In 1962, Koch hired Bonnie Cashin. Kashin gave new life to the company. He was a pioneer of American sportswear due to the use of organic materials such as leather, wool, and knitted fabric.
Cashin is credited with using brass to make the hard part of the bag, which was the clasp or latch on the Coach bag and Coach duffle bag (wiki source).
Keshin’s motto was to “make everything as light as possible, simple, strong, and as cheap as possible.” This means that his first collection appeared in classic and simple designs, but colors were popular.
Handbags were often produced in bright and colorful colors such as brick red, pastel pink, mustard yellow, and grass green. The interior was made of madaris-striped cotton, which soon became his trademark.
7: Production of luxury and affordable coach bags
In 1979, Lou Frankfurt, who today serves as Coach’s CEO, joined the company. Frankfurt transformed Coach from a well-known leather goods manufacturer into a world-renowned brand.
This brand was known as an affordable luxury brand in the 1990s. This affordable luxury concept was a big deal in the industry.
Shortly after Frankfort joined the company, Coach published its first catalog and opened its first flagship store at 754 Madison Street in New York.
The catalog and store were the necessary steps to turn Coach into a fashion brand and not just a leather manufacturer, and suddenly, Coach became something bigger than a company that just made bags like baseball gloves.
8: Selling Coach to Sara Lee in 1985
In 1985, the Kahns decided to sell Coach Leatherware as they wanted to “dedicate more time” to their goat and cheese farm, Coach Farm in Gallatinville, New York, which they had started in 1983.
It was sold to the Sara Lee Company for $30 million, and Kahn was succeeded by Lou Frankfort as chairman.
Sarah Leigh enrolled in coaching through the Hanes Business Groups branch. In early 1986, the company opened new boutiques in Macy’s stores in New York City and San Francisco.
Coach stores were under construction, and similar boutiques were slated to open in other department stores that same year. By November 1986, the company operated 12 stores along with nearly 50 department store boutiques.
However, in 2000, the company was spun off in a public offering on Wall Street.
9: Reed Krakoff is behind the success of this company
In 1996, Lou Frankfurt was named president and CEO of Coach. The following year, under Frankfort’s management, Coach hired Reed Krakow, whose creative and business instincts shine through in the functional, stylish, and purposeful design of Coach products.
Kraków Design transformed Coach from a relatively small company in 1985 to the world-renowned brand it is today.
Reid Krakoff, the creative director, led Coach’s meteoric rise in the 1990s. He expanded the company’s product lines and introduced this brand to everyone.
10: Coach Signature Collection
The beginning of the century brought more interest to coaching. In 2001, the company introduced a collection called Coach Signature.
The collection features a bold double-C design. The collection was timed to capitalize on the logo unveiling that was sweeping the fashion industry. The Signature Collection was launched in a wide variety of styles and colors.
In 2006, in honor of the company’s 65th anniversary, Krakow introduced the first Legacy collection. The Legacy collection includes suede and canvas.
In a bold move, Krakow added bright new colors like pink, green, and orange. Instead of brass clasps, the bags are closed with magnets.
line extension
Beginning in the late 1980s, Coach began a series of expansions and innovations that kept the brand strong, fresh, and relevant.
In 1988, the company launched a collection of women’s and men’s watches. The company also expanded to Tokyo.
Today, Japanese sales make up a large percentage of the company’s revenues. Just a few years later, in 1992, the company entered the apparel business by producing classic raincoats.
Then, in 1993, the company hired Reed Krakow, a sportswear designer who worked at Tommy Hilfiger. Like Kashin before him, Krakow brought a unique perspective to the collection.
He believes that he has changed the image of Coach from a solid and ordinary collection of tan, burgundy, black, and navy bags to a more stylish collection with new colors and styles every season. Kraków added interesting new accessories, including watch bands, wallets, bracelets, and mobile phone cases.
today’s perspective
As of 2017, Coach has more than 900 directly operated stores worldwide, as well as additional boutiques in select specialty stores and malls. This company is considered a leader in the field of luxury handbags and accessories.
In addition, their online store is distributed in more than 20 countries around the world, which means that Coach handbags are accessible on five different continents.
The most popular Coach handbag models
Some of Coach’s most iconic vintage designs are still known and loved. Let’s see what some of the most popular styles of all time include:
- Duffle bags
This duffle bag is the most iconic Coach design of all time, produced in 1971 and appearing in American Vogue that same year. Its soft, loose shape was welcomed by fashion editors and consumers alike—and still is, decades later.
- Saddlebags
In the 1980s, after its initial design in 1972, it became the official United flight attendant bag. This model has inspired many handbag brands over the years, including Coach itself, and it was the best-selling bag of 2016.
- Dinky bags
This small collection was the result of Bonnie Cashin’s idea. He designed the original design in 1964. Dinky has been described as “the little bag that could” and is popular around the world.
- Slim Satchel bags
This handbag originated in 1974 and is known for its distinctive structured handles as well as curved side straps. The slim handbag was one of the first styles designed for both men and women, and it was ahead of the brand’s famous bags.
lasting style
Coach continues to innovate every season and shows new colors, styles, and designs. Every winter, coach bags are on many women’s Christmas wish lists.
A complete history of the Coach handbag will make fashion lovers appreciate the quality and craftsmanship of this company.
It shows how the company has survived and is stable in the fickle world of fashion through innovation, marketing, and design.
