Coach FW24: Styling the Gen-Z New Yorker
Last season, we saw Stuart Vevers celebrate his tenth anniversary at the helm of Coach. The house presented their Spring/Summer ‘24 collection at the New York Public Library and in an epic juxtaposition of American history and youth counter-culture, 42 gritty looks walked the Celeste Bartos Forum. This season, Vevers turned his attention to how the next generation approaches classicism. Stuart Vevers has been referred to as Coach’s ‘In-House Youth Whisperer’ and his Fall ‘24 collection is the proof in the Gen-Z approved pudding.
Imagery via Coach
A landmark Upper East Side mansion designed by Horace Trumbauer in 1912 served as the venue for Stuart Vevers’ 39 Fall looks. The show opened with a ballet pink taffeta skirt sporting a bow so big it could outshine even Marie Antoinette’s grandeur - a notable shift for the brand. Sustainability however remained at the forefront of the design process, paired with the pink skirt was a slip dress cut into a camisole and scuffed biker boots made from upcycled leather. Recycled denim also played a crucial role, three pairs of jeans complimented the season's wide-legged silhouette. “Denim is a really exciting opportunity for repurposing post-consumer clothing – basically, pieces at the end of their life. There are people out there collecting and sorting post-consumer denim, so we now have the contacts to be able to work at scale. I don’t think it’s OK any more for me as a designer to leave sustainability as something for factories and suppliers to worry about. Fashion starts with design, so the change has to come from designers.” Vevers said before the show.
Imagery via Coach
TikTok said ‘Coquette’ and Coach answered. The ‘Youth Whisperer’ created a total of 10 bow-adorned pieces including skirts, camisoles, knitwear and a graphic set. Hair designed by Guido Palau was pulled back into loose wet looks and layered with as many as four bow clips to compliment vintage statement earrings. The show was so quintessentially New York that when an animal rights protestor burst inside holding a sign reading ‘LET COWS LIVE’ it sort of just made sense. Leather, of course, is Coach's bread and butter. The house introduced two new bags titled the ‘Empire Carryall’ and the ‘Brooklyn Bag’ as well as a new take on the iconic ‘Tabby Bag’, the ‘Times Square Tabby’ made from love-worn Nappa.
‘Empire Carryall’ via @coach
The show was stripped down to the essentials with accessories and lived-in leather taking centre stage. More dress-up than dressed up it was a celebration of diversity, sustainability and the city that never sleeps. Watch the full show on the Coach Instagram account here.
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