Coach SS25 Looks Gen Z Right in the Eye
“We’re redesigning these clothes, keeping in mind the values of a new generation that is discovering these pieces for the first time,” said creative director Stuart Vevers.
Coach skipped across the street from its global headquarters to stage its Spring 2025 show atop New York City’s High Line on Monday afternoon. One thing Coach will always do is transform a quintessential NYC landmark into its catwalk (see the New York Public Library and Park Avenue Armory shows of seasons past); so this September, the youthful megabrand let its models loose around an enormous, red tree sculpture on the elevated park’s Spur.
“My vision for Spring was to show real clothes in a real, relevant, urban environment,” creative director Stuart Vevers explained. “But we’re redesigning these clothes, keeping in mind the values of a new generation that is discovering these pieces for the first time.” Vevers’ sartorial eye is sharply focused on Gen Z; it’s clear by the young, edgy models he casts, the charms dangling from his bags, the satin slip dresses ideal for a good downtown GNO and the casual styling of baggy pants, akin to those in the skate park.
“So many elements of this collection come down to personality,” Vevers. added. “We’ve taken very archetypal pieces and made them unique to the wearer, with the proportions, with the styling, and with very playful embellishments that call into question the idea of traditional ‘luxury.’ I think what’s more valuable today is something that’s personal.”
Across the line, graphic T-shirts toyed with New York pop and rock’n'roll motifs, while other tops referenced souvenir designs from the 1940s. Each of them appeared under Vevers’ updated takes on his upcycled cardigan jackets and tuxedo coats. Elsewhere, Coach’s (Re)Loved program, which restores and resells vintage Coach pieces with customization, went big this season, with a wider selection of denim trousers, moto skirts and aviator jackets made out of post-consumer garments.
Vevers went even bigger on his leather goods, designing massive backpacks and eccentric clutches shaped like hearts, stars, lips and dinosaurs — all finished with Coach Frame hardware. To top off the kookiness, Coach’s new Soho Sneakers were accessorized with all sorts of stickers and resin charms modeled after taxi cabs, cassette tapes, and more vintage-looking ephemera. There’s that Gen Z appeal again.
Explore Coach’s Spring/Summer 2025 show in the galleries above.