Coach breathes new life into old classics at New York fashion week

The luxury fashion industry has earned a reputation for championing a polished and slick aesthetic. But according to Stuart Vevers, the British designer and creative director of the US brand Coach, the pursuit of perfectionism is over.

Before his show in New York on Monday, Vevers said he wanted to “propose an idea of luxury that is personal rather than perfect. Perfection doesn’t create desire. Something that is loved and worn has more appeal than something that is perfect and precise. The idea of strict perfection in luxury doesn’t interest me very much.”

The designer has tapped into a burgeoning mood in fashion, especially among gen Z, who want to capture their outfits for social media but also want to feel carefree in these clothes. They want to buy new pieces but they do not particularly want these items to look brand new. Instead they need to blend seamlessly with their secondhand finds.

Vevers is winning them over with bags that can be tossed on the floor of a dive bar, rather than placed on a tiny stool at a pretentious restaurant, and oversized leather jackets that come scuffed because they are crafted from upcycled leather.

Under his stewardship, Coach, a once staid and slightly tired accessories brand founded in 1941, has had a metamorphosis. It’s now a full-blown fashion house worn by cool It Girls including the model Bella Hadid and the singer Olivia Rodrigo. For those who missed the memo, its show on Monday served as a reminder.

The brand took over a section of the High Line, New York’s public park built on a former freight rail line. The catwalk wove around the Swiss artist Pamela Rosenkranz’s Old Tree, a 7.6-metre (25ft) sprawling sapling sculpture with scarlet branches, while glass skyscrapers shimmered in the background.

The packed front row included the actors Charles Melton and Storm Reid and the NBA player Jayson Tatum, while a pulsing soundtrack competed with taxi horns from the traffic below.

Vevers has lived in New York for more than a decade but still approaches the city with an outsider’s perspective. He loves people-watching, and it was his latest observations that inspired the collection.

He said: “I’m really fascinated with how the next generation is discovering American classics. They are looking at them through fresh eyes. I’ve really been studying that. What is it about [the aesthetic] that appeals?”

The show’s opening look featured preppy staples: a blazer, T-shirt and chinos. Vevers said he wanted to make “an outfit that isn’t a symbol for the American dream, but clothes that speak to today’s American reality”.

Sustainability has become a starting point rather than afterthought for the brand. “I’m not just relying on the back end of business to find solutions,” he said. “It happens at the start of a process and within the design process. It’s part of our creative language now.”

Vevers took pre-existing chinos and spliced them together to create a baggy silhouette inspired by skateboarders. The seams were left raw and exposed. Blazers were supersized and unlined. Meanwhile, T-shirts revamped the “I heart NY” design that has become a tourist staple. Coach’s versions feature beaded hearts and pen-scribbled text. Ella Emhoff, the 25-year-old artist and stepdaughter of Kamala Harris, modelled in the show and wore hers with a short leather miniskirt and baseball cap.

Vevers sources his fabrics from vintage stores and specialist used textile suppliers. Denim has proved especially successful, with the brand quickly able to work at scale. This season he also worked with old pyjamas, fusing different prints together and turning them into briefs.

Meanwhile, Coach’s bestselling Tabby bag, which at about £300 hits the so-called sweet spot in luxury pricing, was reimagined into a squashy crossbody variety.

Grubby trainers were adorned with charms, including model Mustang cars and cassette tapes, which are likely to inspire DIY tutorials on TikTok. “That’s the fun part of fashion,” Vevers said. “You can participate in it with us but you can also use us as a styling inspiration. There’s lots to play with.”