The brand familiar with the logo of a horse and carriage and the monogram of “C” is COACH. I would like to talk in detail about the history of Coach, which has become a familiar brand to us.
The birth of Coach
Coach was born in a warehouse in Manhattan, New York in 1941. At that time, the company was called “Gale” and was founded by Miles and Lillian Kahn and six craftsmen.
The main business was the manufacture of leather goods for men. The company’s main business was the manufacture of leather goods for men, mainly small items such as wallets and belts, and was highly regarded for its enthusiasm for leather and the careful workmanship of its craftsmen. In this way, the company steadily spread its presence in New York.
Then, in 1958, “gravure butane leather,” which can be said to be synonymous with Coach, was born. This leather was created based on a baseball glove. The craftsman said, “The leather is shiny and supple, yet beautiful and durable. The craftsman wanted to create a leather that was shiny and supple, yet beautiful and durable.
It was then that Miles took notice of the baseball glove. The baseball glove had all the requirements that Miles was looking for.
He changed the company name to “COACH” and introduced products under the Coach brand name in the 1960s. The company sold a limited number of 12 bags made of gravure leather. These bags quickly became popular because of their durability and high quality.
These products became the source of the current “Classic Collection”, which is still known for its high quality and durability.
Development of designs for women
In 1962, Bonnie Cashin took charge of design and introduced a series of new designs based on the concept of “bags for women.
In 1962, Bonnie Cashin took charge of design and introduced a series of new designs based on the concept of “bags for women.” Items such as the Cashin Carry and Bucket Bag, inspired by the shopping bags of the time, were developed and categorized as shopping collections.
New Brand Image
In the 60s and 70s, the U.S. was in the midst of jeans culture. Young people’s fashion was diversifying, and casual fashion was gradually becoming popular.
This is when the “Duffel Sack” was introduced. This item, which was designed to fit the lifestyle of young people, exploded in popularity and became Coach’s signature product.
The duffel sack has a simple basket-like shape. The functionality of the bag, which can also be used as a shoulder bag, and its leather yet sporty design won the hearts of young people. The structure of the bag is suitable for daily use, and it goes well with the leather, which gets better with use.
Even today, its popularity has not waned, and it is still in the lineup with almost no change in shape.
Cashin has also incorporated the “dog leash” and “turn lock” into his design.
The dog leash was originally a clasp for dog collars, and Cashin adopted it as a clasp for bags and as an accent on the front. It has become a familiar tool in Coach bags even today.
The turnlock is a clasp used on convertible cars. Cashin used it as a clasp for the lid and side pockets of his bags.
The combination of fashionable and practical design was innovative at the time, and the unique idea would lead to the development of Coach.
From the countryside to the United States
With the introduction of Cashin, Coach became a popular brand. However, in the 1970s, the brand was only sold in department stores in the northwestern United States. It was still a small, regional company.
However, the situation changed dramatically when Lou Frankfort joined the company in 1979 as Vice President of New Business Development.
His goal was to diversify sales channels. The goal was to get more people to buy our products.
The first thing he did was to create a catalog. This increased awareness and led to increased sales. When Coach bags were featured in a book that was popular at the time, the company’s name recognition soared. It was a huge hit among young people.
The next step was to open a directly managed store in New York City in 1981. In 1981, the company opened a directly managed store in New York City, creating a synergistic effect in which the popularity of the store led to the popularity of the department store, and Coach continued to grow.
Coach’s Stagnant Period
Thanks to Cashin’s idea and Frankfort’s strategy, Coach steadily expanded its scale, but sales were sluggish in the 1990s.
The 1990s was a time when women’s lifestyles were diversifying and casual fashion was beginning to take off. Coach was selling classic style items, which did not match the times. There was a demand for bags that could be used casually.
Coach’s turning point
In 1996, Reid Krakoff was appointed as Executive Creative Director. In 1996, Reid Krakoff took over as Executive Creative Director and changed the course of the company from the classic leather designs to more modern designs using nylon.
In 2001, he introduced the Signature Collection, featuring a monogram with a series of COACH “C “s.
This new and casual design became popular and caused a boom.
This monogram is simple, with the “C” placed horizontally and vertically. However, it was accepted by a wide range of generations because it could be used in a variety of designs by simply changing the color and size.
The monogram can be said to be the face of Coach.
In 2013, Krakoff stepped down and was replaced by Stuart Vivas, who has worked as a designer for Louis Vuitton and other companies. His designs are also innovative and unconventional, and have gained high popularity.
Expansion to Japan
The company’s first foray into Japan was in 1983, at Mitsukoshi in Yokohama. At the time, Japan was in the midst of a bubble economy. At the time, Japan was in the midst of a bubble economy, and owning a luxury brand was considered a status symbol. Items with a large brand logo were popular, but Coach’s products had a rather modest brand logo. Coach’s products had a rather modest brand logo and were not very popular because they gave only a modest impression when compared to high brands.
It wasn’t until 2001 that the brand became popular in Japan. This was when the Signature Collection was introduced. Coach had been quietly increasing the number of its stores, but this popularity provided a tailwind.
In 2002, a flagship store opened in Ginza, and in 2003, a flagship store opened in Shibuya. This was the start of a series of store openings in major cities in Japan.
In addition, Coach began opening stores in regional cities, and currently has about 200 stores throughout Japan (as of the end of June 2015).
Hermes has 40 stores in Japan and Louis Vuitton has 56 stores, so you can understand the scale of Coach’s store openings.
Coach’s Brand Concept
Coach’s concept is “Accessible Luxury”.
Accessible has two meanings.
“Accessible in price and accessible in location.
As mentioned earlier, there are 200 stores, so you don’t have to go all the way to the big cities to buy Coach items. The accessibility of the stores in various cities is probably due to the awareness of the Coach brand concept.
In addition, Coach’s price range is about half that of European high brands. The quality of the products is good despite the affordable price, thus establishing the position of “brand products that you can buy with a little effort.