On Thursday, the luxury handbag and accessories brand Coach will unveil its Fall 2014 collection, which will be the first designs to feature the stamp of its new Executive Creative Director Stuart Vevers.
Vevers, who succeeded Reed Krakoff after a 16-year tenure, was tapped last June following a whirlwind of speculation (Marc Jacobs? Derek Lam? Philip Lim?) about who would fill the post. His name is relatively new to the American fashion circle, because he’s been in Spain for the past few years working for accessory brand Loewe. We expect to hear it much more from this point forward.
Coach’s new Rhyder bag with the brand’s signature turnlock, $350-$1300. Photo via WWD
Vevers is by no means a newcomer to the game, he’s just been behind the scenes. He has designed for Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Luella Bartley, Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton. In 2005 he was made Mulberry’s Creative Director and completely revitalized the brand, securing it a place among the “it” bags with his design, the “Emmy.” In 2006, he received the British Fashion Council’s Accessory Designer of the Year Award for his work at Mulberry.
In a 2013 interview with Dazed, Vevers talked about his start in the industry. He was 21, fresh out of school, and landed his first job at Calvin Klein. “I saw very quickly around me that people were doing bags as a second-best thing, whereas actually I liked them as a first-best thing – and I knew that that gave me an edge.”
Coach Fall 2014, Photo via WWD
Vevers’ collection for Coach is debuting at a pivotal moment in the company’s history. It reported sales slumps and falling stock prices in 2013, despite a new campaign that debuted in September. The new Executive Creative Director is taking the brand in a younger, edgier, more urban direction. His new line includes bags and shoes, as well as ready-to-wear, with an emphasis on outerwear.
Vevers may well be just what the 73-year-old company needs.
–Charlotte Bryant
