Coach is something of a fashion unicorn nowadays. Humble beginnings in mid-Nineteen Forties Latest York established the brand as a no-nonsense leather goods maker. That legacy continued throughout the twentieth century, and eventually, it was cemented as an American success story, one replete with pebbled leather and the signature “C” monogram print. More recently, nevertheless, under the forward-thinking creative direction of Stuart Vevers, Coach is way more than simply a tried-and-true bag brand; as a substitute, it’s a worldwide vision of youth, community, and Americana. His vision of modern-day style defies eras and genres, jumping swiftly from ’70s flowy mini dresses to leather bar-inspired grunge looks with none explanation (because really, none is required). Vevers’s most up-to-date tackle utility involves life in a group honoring artist Tom Wesselmann.
© 2022 Juergen Teller
Despite his misgivings about being related to the Pop Art movement, Wesselmann created imagery that aligned with similar aesthetics within the early ’60s. His work stands in direct contrast to American iconography with daring, sensual figures and colours that spoke to an increase in each sexual liberation and consumerism. His later work honed in on specific body parts, most notably a red-stained lip with a cigarette, proving provocation isn’t reliant on nudity. Vevers worked closely with Wesselmann’s family and estate to create a group of ready-to-wear and accessories that each honor his legacy and construct on it, to a scintillating effect. Living proof: The infamous cigarette lips are printed on trench coats and the Duffle 27 bag, and various other motifs play out on Charter backpacks, the Rogue 27 bag, T-shirts, and cheeky (er, lippy on this case) keychains.
Coach x Tom Wesselmann
© 2022 Juergen Teller
Vever’s success as creative director is most palpable through his devoted community—Coach Girlies, as I call them—that the brand wholly embraces. Enter Hari Nef, a muse to many and a doll to all. The actress/model/author/It-girl is a Coach Girlie through and thru, having collaborated with Vevers for several seasons now on lookbooks and campaigns. This go-around, Nef, joined by poet and activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal and model Manami Kinoshita, is lensed again by creative juggernaut Juergen Teller in a series of photos that mix her irrefutable charm, the silly seduction of Wesselmann, and irreverent glamour as envisioned by Vevers. In honor of the playful recent campaign, we caught up with the jack-of-all-trades remotely as she movies Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in London to debate the brand new collection, what she’s reading this summer, and what American beauty means to her.
Which oversized motif of Wesselmann’s speaks to you essentially the most?
The red lips smoking a cigarette. A Juul just wouldn’t cut it!
You’re famously well-read. What’s in your summer reading list?
Amor Cringe by K. Allado-McDowell, The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm, The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis, and 100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell.
What does it mean to you to further the uniquely American heritage of Coach?
American luxury, to me, is utility and straightforward glamour—it’s about living well, quite than some distant idea of “looking chic.” Bonnie Cashin, who began collaborating with Coach in 1962, embodied this spirit of playful utility through her craft; she devised the signature coin purse-style clasps featured on so many Coach designs to this present day—not only the luggage! I’ve all the time found that detail—I’ll say it again!—useful, and glamorous. I aspire to utility and glamour.
Hari Nef for Coach x Tom Wesselmann
© 2022 Juergen Teller
In the event you could only have one item from the gathering, which would it not be?
Ask Stuart: I collect trench coats! And what I want is a trench coat with a pair of huge red lips exhaling a plume of cigarette smoke. In organic cotton!
What’s an important thing you learned while working on this campaign?
You possibly can do absolutely anything in front of Juergen Teller’s lens, and he and his partner Dovile will discover a strategy to sculpt that gesture into something daring and glamorous. Looking cool beats looking pretty each time.
© 2022 Juergen Teller
Are we going to see Rabbi Jen return in season 2 of And Just Like That…?
I give up to Michael Patrick King, out of whose brain sprung Rabbi Jen! I’ll all the time be grateful to him for writing that part for me.
Fair enough. What are you able to tell us about Barbie?
Barbie was the stuff of my childhood dreams, which gave strategy to my newer dreams—and people are cinema dreams. Before stepping onto [Greta Gerwig’s] set, I dreamed with Greta for years—mostly within the back row of the IFC Center with a big popcorn in my lap. From Barbie: expect color and glamour and play. Sounds fun, right?
Coach x Tom Wesselmann is on the market online at coach.com, in pop-up shops, and via store takeovers globally. Shop a few of our favourite pieces here:
Coach X Tom Wesselmann Flight Bag
Coach X Tom Wesselmann Trench
Coach X Tom Wesselmann Rogue 25
Coach X Tom Wesselmann Denim Skirt
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