Coach started in 1941 as a family-owned business New York. Six leather workers in a Manhattan loft made wallets, billfolds, and other small leather goods, primarily by hand. Miles Cahn joined the company in 1946, and by 1950 he ran the small factory for the owners.
In the 1950s, Cahn was fascinated by the properties of leather baseball gloves. The leather only became softer and more supple with wear, and its appearance became more distinctive as well. Once he understood exactly how the leather for baseball gloves was produced, Cahn developed a way to process leather that made it soft, strong, and flexible. It also absorbed dye well, so items could have deep, rich colors.
Lillian Cahn, Miles’s wife, suggested making a few handbags from this beautiful, luxurious leather. Shortly after the first line of a dozen simple bags was developed in 1960, the Cahns bought out the previous owners. Once the business was theirs, they were ready to make history.
Those first twelve handbags were highly unusual. Most mid-range women’s handbags of the time were made of very thin leather pasted over cardboard. The new handbags, given the name Coach, were made of sturdy cowhide. The grain of the leather could still be seen in the finished bag. The difference marked the kind of classic, long-lasting, luxury handbags that would make Coach famous.
The Cahns knew exactly who they wanted to design their innovative totes and handbags: Bonnie Cashin. She was heavily committed to other design projects when they approached her in 1960, but began to design for them in 1962. Over the next decade, her Coach designs became legendary.
When the Cahns left the business in 1985, Coach became a subsidiary of the Sara Lee Corporation. In an unusual move, the Cahns split one million dollars of the sale proceeds with longtime Coach employees.
The new Coach president was Lew Frankfort, who had joined the company in 1979 as vice-president of business development. He planned to increase sales by 45 per cent in 1986 — and he did it.
Part of the increase was due to the introduction of the Coach Lightweights line. These bags featured lighter weight leather, smaller sizes, lighter spring colors like taupe, light brown, and navy, and some new shapes. It broadened the Coach appeal, and the line soon accounted for fifteen percent of the company’s overall sales.
A decade later, Frankfort hired Reed Krakoff as creative director, in late 1996. Coach needed a makeover, without losing its reputation for quality. “Coach was an American icon, but something was missing,” said Krakoff in one interview. “I had to take these ideas and make them fun — young in spirit.” Under his direction, Coach began to make edgier styles, and to use fabric and nylon as well as leather. He also introduced new styles once a month, instead of once a year.
Coach’s success has brought its own problems, as other manufacturers began to imitate its trademark shapes and styles. Coach has sued a number of manufacturers to prevent infringement of its own trademark style. In 1990, Coach won a suit in federal court against several companies, including Laura Leather Goods and Ann Taylor.
Coach profits have continued to increase even in periods when most luxury goods makers had difficulties. Its reputation for quality has never faltered. Coach totes and handbags are beautiful, durable, and luxurious, as they have always been.
Leave a Reply