Stuart Vevers used everyday denim, leather, khaki and cotton T-shirts for his Spring 2025 Coach collection. But even when he used these raw materials – and sometimes they were literally raw, thanks to the frayed edges and torn seams of the clothing; other looks were deliciously creased and crumpled – reminding us that Vevers now has the Midas touch. I mean, come on, did you see those last quarter results for Coach?! The brand is on an upward trajectory, which is all the more impressive considering we’re in a moment where we’re worried about stagnant sales and declining interest in fashion. Yet leading this financial fact feels a little strange, a little rude, because the simple fact that the reason his coach connects is that Vevers has put his creative faith in the future: in youth, in sustainability, in idea that an honesty about authenticity and heritage goes hand in hand with a certain cheerfulness, playfulness and – this is perhaps the first time I have written this in a review –friendliness.
That’s the approach and that’s how it all went thanks to Vevers’ latest offering. Like other designers, he has spent the past few days looking at classic American archetypes, the things that have become big in the national – and global – psyche. He tore them down and reconstructed them, testing their strength and durability. As he put it a few days ago during a collection preview: “I am really intrigued by how the new generation is discovering those American classics and looking at them with new eyes.” So the preppiest look opened its show: a navy blazer and khaki pants with an I Heart NY T-shirt. The relative classicism of Vevers’ tailoring stood in sharp and cool contrast to the upcycled, patched together sloucherama beige cotton trousers; the look was weathered, worn and beautiful. (And like many of the looks here, it ended up on a girl first and a boy second, but the mentality at work here is definitely fashion first and gender second.)
Similarly, aviator and perfecto leathers were given a new lease of life as they were reworked into roomy multi-button vest coats or tiny motorcycle jackets. At that preview, Vevers said that the best way to reuse things is to take them and then chop them up with gleeful abandon, so that by using the smaller and best parts of whatever you’re upcycling, can give the pieces a meaningful new impulse. . Let the imperfection become, as it were, a perfection patinated over the centuries. He also noted that the amount of seams required “has become part of our design language, which is interesting; By putting things together we were able to create new silhouettes.” Elsewhere, he rode the Sixties wave, with sassy satin mini dresses – “I love the colours, I love the optimism they bring” – as if high-society debutantes had had one too many acid freaks and decided to renovate them. , giving up the Carlyle’s life for the Velvet Underground Exploding plastic inevitable in the process. (I mean, who wouldn’t?!)
Of course, Vevers wouldn’t be Vevers if he didn’t also give sly winks. Yes! Keep the bags coming! Larger-than-large clutch purses with buckle frames in vegetable-dyed leather, based on a 1969 Bonnie Cashin design, as well as other clutches shaped like cartoonishly large lips, hearts and bones. Smaller crossbody bags jingled with teddy bear and heart charms; Novelty cassette tapes and toy cars lay atop worn white sneakers. Many of the accessories also had pen graffiti scribbled on them, like you did when you were in 5th grade. (Well, maybe so: I was way too much of a good two-shoes.) All of this was a poignant reminder that Coach may be a major international corporate brand, but there’s no cynicism at work here. You can feel it, feel it, and best of all: you can wear it and wear it.