See the Coach Spring 2021 Collection
Technically, New York Fashion Week ended last Friday. But given the pandemic, some brands are making the decision to forgo the traditional fashion calendar and rethink the way they present collections — as well as what those collections mean. Today, Coach debuted its spring 2021 presentation. By creative director Stuart Vevers, it’s the product of months of thought about the brand’s values of optimism, craft, environmental responsibility, and the importance of community and inclusivity.
The virtual presentation, called “Coach Forever,” included images and a short film “shot remotely from around the world” by Juergen Teller. Bringing the clothing to life is a widely diverse cast of musicians, artists, models, and actors, including Megan Thee Stallion, Kaia Gerber, Kate Moss, Cole Sprouse, Debbie Harry, Paloma Elsesser, Kiko Mizuhara, Hari Nef, Rickey Thompson, Xiao Wen Ju, Bob the Drag Queen, Jeremy Lin, Lexi Boling, Jon Batiste, Binx Walton, and Kelsey Lu.
Vevers told the Cut that he’s always admired Juergen Teller’s ability to “capture personality in a special way,” and that talent is on full display here. It helps that the looks really reflect each celebrity’s taste. For example, model Hari Nef wears a lacy slip dress over a colorful blouse and fuzzy slippers. “Stuart started doing slip dresses for Coach because of me!” she told the Cut. “I wore a sheer prairie dress to one of his earlier shows; it was fab but full coverage, so I peeled it off at the after-party to dance in just the plain slip. I was touched to be back in the slip!” In a deeply personal touch, other models had their names stitched onto bags, trench coats, and sweaters.
The Coach family was mainly shot outdoors — wherever people happened to be in the middle of the pandemic. Basketball player Jeremy Lin’s photos against the smoky wildfire skies in the West are perhaps the most jarring and a reminder of the brand’s newly invigorated dedication to sustainability. The collection features naturally dyed leathers, bags made with recycled materials, and a mix of new, archival, and vintage items. It also includes a sort of “love letter to New York” — local New York City artisans were enlisted to create a special collection of pieces.
See all the photos from the spring 2020 look book below.
