Depop girlie Bella Hadid knew that Coach bags were due a comeback way before eBay searches for the all-American brand’s Ergo and Soho styles started peaking (eBay reports a 114 per cent surge since January). But, since graduating from her “recherché Y2K hype-girl” look to an urban cowgirl, adaptogenics entrepreneur and aspiring olfactor (Orabella’s Window2Soul scent is begging for your verdict), she needs more from a bag than the likes of @TimelessWear and @princesspeach310 can offer.
In a savvy marketing move from Coach–which has already capitalized on interest in its vintage styles through its (Re)Loved program allowing customers to trade in, repair or upcycle accessories–has launched a new bag that looks vintage. Creative director Stuart Vevers–the man who revived the label from sleepy house to sleeper fashion hit–then gifted his Brooklyn bag to Bella. Pictures of the super with the sleek “hobo” model slung over the shoulder of her vintage tanks and Miaou polos hard-launched it as the style of summer.
At first glance, the capacious, pliable silhouette has all the hallmarks of the fit-your-life-in slouchy styles of the Noughties, when bags were bequeathed rugged names, such as “Silverado” (Chloé) and “Gaucho” (Dior). Crafted from natural grain leather to emulate the “love-worn texture” of legacy Coach styles, Hadid’s inky black companion simultaneously looks old and has all the glossy newness that customers still want when faced with the prospect of shelling out $400 (a snip in the luxury market), or endless hours of scrolling on Vinted for that unicorn buy.
On the fall 2024 runway, Vevers leaned into the appetite for forever fashion by presenting additional leather goods–including the Empire Carryall and Times Square Tabby–with distressed outers that suggest they have seen more adventures than Mary-Kate and Ashley’s beloved scratched and scuffed Balenciaga City totes. Proof they had, in fact, been round the block? The classic NYC souvenir keyrings–like Big Apples and mini Statue of Liberties–clipped onto the handles and clinking down the catwalk. For a 10th anniversary collection looking back as well as forecasting the brand’s future in a tough retail climate, there was something for everyone. Hadid, in her Tom Ford-era Gucci leather trousers, mules and stacked brassy gold jewelry, seems happy to go along for the ride. For a hot New York minute, Bella is back on a nostalgia trip and all is right in the world.