What is your hope for the future of Coach?

[AstridRhapsody]

Honestly I don't see the appeal of a Birkin. They aren't my style and seem stiff. I looked at one at a luxury auction and I didn't think it seemed special. I think you can only get so much quality and then after that you are just paying for style and name. What I mean is that high end Coach isn't that far away from the quality of premium brands. Even without kids, I don't want a purse that would give me a heart attack if something happened to it. Someone on here had coffee spilled on their Gucci at a restaurant.

I completely agree! I think even after my kids are grown most of my bags will be in the Coach range. I will probably save buying the higher end bags for something special like finding something gorgeous while on vacations or anniversary presents.

 

[ltbag]

Honestly I don't see the appeal of a Birkin. They aren't my style and seem stiff. I looked at one at a luxury auction and I didn't think it seemed special. I think you can only get so much quality and then after that you are just paying for style and name. What I mean is that high end Coach isn't that far away from the quality of premium brands. Even without kids, I don't want a purse that would give me a heart attack if something happened to it. Someone on here had coffee spilled on their Gucci at a restaurant.

I never saw the appeal in the super premium bags either frankly. A bag is not an investment the same way a piece of real estate is and should not be priced the same as a cottage or car imo . When I moved away from nyc to Michigan at the height of the financial crisis, I saw first hand a lot of women trying to sell their so-called "investment" bags in order to liquidate them for much needed cash. They did not get anywhere near what they paid for them. I do think the big conglomerates that now own Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and other "mid-premium" brands will always try to create demand and status as that increases profit. I have owned Balenciagas, Chloe, Proenza, Gucci, Prada, Alexander Mcqueen and Coach and other brands and in all honestly, if the bags are not made in China, then the parts are, and they are pieced together in Europe to try to keep the price up. I have not paid full price for a Premier bag since the height of the "It bag" craze in the late 2000's lol.

The Coach 1941 line can hold its own against any of the low to mid tier "Premium" designers in my opinion. Coach already took its hit on price years ago and they have a long way to go before they start being able to charge $2500 and upwards a bag consistently. Coach needs to keep the 1941 stuff out of the outlets if they want to increase their brand perception. This is ironic for me to say since i just came back to Coach after a long hiatus by buying two 1941 bags on FOS lol .

 

[whateve]

I never saw the appeal in the super premium bags either frankly. A bag is not an investment the same way a piece of real estate is and should not be priced the same as a cottage or car imo . When I moved away from nyc to Michigan at the height of the financial crisis, I saw first hand a lot of women trying to sell their so-called "investment" bags in order to liquidate them for much needed cash. They did not get anywhere near what they paid for them. I do think the big conglomerates that now own Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and other "mid-premium" brands will always try to create demand and status as that increases profit. I have owned Balenciagas, Chloe, Proenza, Gucci, Prada, Alexander Mcqueen and Coach and other brands and in all honestly, if the bags are not made in China, then the parts are, and they are pieced together in Europe to try to keep the price up. I have not paid full price for a Premier bag since the height of the "It bag" craze in the late 2000's lol.

The Coach 1941 line can hold its own against any of the low to mid tier "Premium" designers in my opinion. Coach already took its hit on price years ago and they have a long way to go before they start being able to charge $2500 and upwards a bag consistently. Coach needs to keep the 1941 stuff out of the outlets if they want to increase their brand perception. This is ironic for me to say since i just came back to Coach after a long hiatus by buying two 1941 bags on FOS lol .

I have a Bal, a Bottega Veneta, a Reed Krakoff and a leather Longchamp. They are all great quality but some of my Coach is of similar quality.

My daughter told me I couldn't buy a purse that cost more than her car! At the time, her car was a junker that cost $900. Now she had one that cost $1500, still not in the range of most premium bags!

I'm really liking some of the stuff I'm seeing lately from Coach.

 

[ltbag]

Me too. I love the 1941 line, and the Haring line is fun but I made the mistake of doing the Gary Baseman line only to have them do an outlet version, so the only Haring item I am contemplating is a key fob or perhaps a small card case lol.

 

[Pagan]

Coach needs to keep the 1941 stuff out of the outlets if they want to increase their brand perception. This is ironic for me to say since i just came back to Coach after a long hiatus by buying two 1941 bags on FOS lol .

I agree with this, and also think they should consider making smaller quantities so they don't have to sell them at 50% during the SAS. Like you, I've also enjoyed buying 1941 bags at a steep discount (50% off plus e-bates cash back of 14%). I'm happy I had the opportunity, but it's also the reason I now won't pay full price for their bags. I know that patience is all that's required to get them at 30-50% off.

 

[whateve]

Me too. I love the 1941 line, and the Haring line is fun but I made the mistake of doing the Gary Baseman line only to have them do an outlet version, so the only Haring item I am contemplating is a key fob or perhaps a small card case lol.

I bought the Baseman hangtags from the FP line, and I really like how detailed they are even though they are small. I haven't used them but I like looking at them. I bought the leather Baseman fobs from the outlet and I like them better than the leather FP versions because the FP versions are too big!

They did outlet Haring before FP this time. The only design I really wanted was the robot, but there wasn't an item I really wanted except the pencil case and that was never available at my store or online. They didn't do the robot for FP. I think most of the FP Haring stuff is much, much nicer than the outlet stuff.

I got two card cases from the outlet somewhat recently, the men's Pacman one, which is really nice and cute, and a floral one that has leather lining, which seems to be an upgrade for outlet.

 

[ltbag]

I bought the Baseman hangtags from the FP line, and I really like how detailed they are even though they are small. I haven't used them but I like looking at them. I bought the leather Baseman fobs from the outlet and I like them better than the leather FP versions because the FP versions are too big!

They did outlet Haring before FP this time. The only design I really wanted was the robot, but there wasn't an item I really wanted except the pencil case and that was never available at my store or online. They didn't do the robot for FP. I think most of the FP Haring stuff is much, much nicer than the outlet stuff.

I got two card cases from the outlet somewhat recently, the men's Pacman one, which is really nice and cute, and a floral one that has leather lining, which seems to be an upgrade for outlet.

I must have missed the whole outlet Haring thing. I just started paying attention to Coach again very recently. I work in the tech field and the robot reminds me of the symbol for Android phone operating system lol so I was not tempted on that one although I saw a bunch of items on ebay. I sold all my Baseman stuff. Although I liked the totes, I never used them because the colors and size were impractical. I always was one to get caught up in the hype of a purse release lol. I am working on that....

 

[highrider9o9]

Honestly I don't see the appeal of a Birkin. They aren't my style and seem stiff. I looked at one at a luxury auction and I didn't think it seemed special. I think you can only get so much quality and then after that you are just paying for style and name. What I mean is that high end Coach isn't that far away from the quality of premium brands. Even without kids, I don't want a purse that would give me a heart attack if something happened to it. Someone on here had coffee spilled on their Gucci at a restaurant.

Im glad you've had great experience with coach, but i think its a little ridiculous to compare the quality of coach to a Birkin. One's made in a factory in china, the other by hand in paris by artisans who have trained a good portion of their life. Nonetheless when it comes down to it, a Birkin is a status symbol, but you won't find better quality anywhere else.

The 1941 line is a lot better quality than the normal coach, but from experience where I've worked, I never saw as many damages/repairs come through the doors as I did when I worked at COACH.

 

[highrider9o9]

I get what you guys are saying about outlets destroying the higher end of the brand. But what about those of us who like Coach, and can't afford/don't want prices to become like Gucci or Louis Vuitton? How does Coach keep it's quality without becoming ridiculously expensive and losing customers that can't afford/don't want to pay upwards of $800 for leather goods?

I'm enjoying how this forum is unfolding!

That's a great question. Some people can't afford it and a lot refuse to spend that much, but at the end of the day thats part of what makes it a luxury good. It's not supposed to be easily attainable.

 

[vink]

I love their vintage glove tan leather so I hope for an all-leather line with tons of cute key fob.

 

[whateve]

Im glad you've had great experience with coach, but i think its a little ridiculous to compare the quality of coach to a Birkin. One's made in a factory in china, the other by hand in paris by artisans who have trained a good portion of their life. Nonetheless when it comes down to it, a Birkin is a status symbol, but you won't find better quality anywhere else.

The 1941 line is a lot better quality than the normal coach, but from experience where I've worked, I never saw as many damages/repairs come through the doors as I did when I worked at COACH.

I never said a Coach was as good as a Birkin. I said Birkins don't appeal to me. I guess part of extra cost of Birkins is attributable to where they are made and the quality of the materials, but the majority of the cost is for the cachet of the name.

I have Coaches, made in New York City, that are 40-50 years old and are still in very good condition. I don't think made in China means something can't be good quality. I had a 1999 made in China Coach that was identical in quality to another that was made in the US. For me the most important factor in quality is the leather, not where it was sewn together. The leather quality of Coach didn't start to drop until 2003 or so. I've heard it has gotten better. I don't know if it has ever gotten back to the quality of the 90s.

 

[AManIntoFashion]

That's a great question. Some people can't afford it and a lot refuse to spend that much, but at the end of the day thats part of what makes it a luxury good. It's not supposed to be easily attainable.

I totally get that, and you're right. Gucci and LV are not to be easily attainable. Coach was never in the same price range as those stores, and they are luxury brands, while Coach is a contemporary brand. It would seem like Coach is alienating many customers if it decided to become a luxury brand like LV, Gucci, etc (as far as prices go, which would also mean better quality probably). The better quality is not worth the new price tag, imo. Therefore they've alienated a customer who preferred Coach as a contemporary brand and affordable versus an expensive luxury brand.

I love leather goods, but would rather save all the extra money on vacations and payments that life throws at me versus Hermes, etc. But I also understand to each their own.

Regardless of luxury or contemporary brand, I wish they would return to creating and making all products in The United States.

 

[Suzanne B.]

I totally get that, and you're right. Gucci and LV are not to be easily attainable. Coach was never in the same price range as those stores, and they are luxury brands, while Coach is a contemporary brand. It would seem like Coach is alienating many customers if it decided to become a luxury brand like LV, Gucci, etc (as far as prices go, which would also mean better quality probably). The better quality is not worth the new price tag, imo. Therefore they've alienated a customer who preferred Coach as a contemporary brand and affordable versus an expensive luxury brand.

I love leather goods, but would rather save all the extra money on vacations and payments that life throws at me versus Hermes, etc. But I also understand to each their own.

Regardless of luxury or contemporary brand, I wish they would return to creating and making all products in The United States.

You've made several good points there. Another point would be that a lot of luxury bag buyers would never accept Coach as a luxury brand, no matter if they came with a $3000 price tag. So, not only would they alienate those mid range customers with the high price tags, they wouldn't necessarily draw in the more upscale buyers. Just because the price tag may be in the luxury price range, that doesn't mean their brand will be accepted by those in that income bracket.

 

[AManIntoFashion]

You've made several good points there. Another point would be that a lot of luxury bag buyers would never accept Coach as a luxury brand, no matter if they came with a $3000 price tag. So, not only would they alienate those mid range customers with the high price tags, they wouldn't necessarily draw in the more upscale buyers. Just because the price tag may be in the luxury price range, that doesn't mean their brand will be accepted by those in that income bracket.

You're also correct. I didn't even think of that side of it. Thank you for mentioning that!!!

 

[ltbag]

I never said a Coach was as good as a Birkin. I said Birkins don't appeal to me. I guess part of extra cost of Birkins is attributable to where they are made and the quality of the materials, but the majority of the cost is for the cachet of the name.

I have Coaches, made in New York City, that are 40-50 years old and are still in very good condition. I don't think made in China means something can't be good quality. I had a 1999 made in China Coach that was identical in quality to another that was made in the US. For me the most important factor in quality is the leather, not where it was sewn together. The leather quality of Coach didn't start to drop until 2003 or so. I've heard it has gotten better. I don't know if it has ever gotten back to the quality of the 90s.

The funny thing is, a lot of premier brands make their parts in China or Vietnam or Asia and assemble in Europe. Louis Vuitton does this for sure. Or they make the bags in Eastern Europe so that they can say they are made in Europe. Bags like Hermes still are hand made, but the price is still way inflated for a piece of leather in my opinion. A Birkin was never worth $20-30k. It was priced that way to create elitist demand. It's like wearing a 20k diving watch when you never even step into the wading pool lol . It's a signal of wealth and meant to be displayed as such. It can't just be about the style since there are so many bags now that have the same style for a fraction of the price.

There are good Coach styles and super cheap crappy MFF Coach styles. All of them carry the name "Coach" so that is going to keep Coach from being considered a luxury brand. But...the 1941 stuff is quality and in my opinion a value for the price point it is at, as long as you are not trying to signal "wealth" to everyone by wearing it