Why on earth are Coach bags so popular?

[garmentvarmint2004]

I see endless Threads on this Board all  the  time asking for information  about that particular Brand.    I don't get it.  To me that brand has always consistef  of  plain boring designs.   And I epeciallly dislike  that dreary  brown color they use most of the  time. 

But there must  be  something terrific  about these bags---or  they   would not  be so popular.  What is it?

[postingid2017]

I am a vintage Coach lover too!  I do not care for the newer handbags.  The vintage is a lot more durable (IMHO) if cared for properly will last.  My favs are the Bonnie Cashin which I have a small collection that I may request be buried with me 😉 

[fashionclubgurl]

The classic and vintage Coaches have always been my special favorites, and like Postingid2017, youd have to pry all the ones I own from my cold dead hands. They last forever and have practical details like outside pockets that Coach almost never puts on their new styles nowadays, which is one of the reasons I probably dont have more than 3 Coaches that were made in the last 5 years.

But someone who thinks Coach only makes those same boring brown Signature purses that were clogging up the stores 10 and 15 years ago, or that classic and vintage leather Coaches only came in Boring Brown, really needs to take a look at what theyre doing now. Not only have the Signature C styles been moved to the back of the line but their styles are a match for anything available from their direct competition like Michael Kors and Kate Spade, and there are dozens of colors across the lines as well as a variety of leathers (none of which come close to the older pre-China leathers BTW). So someone who thinks Coach only makes boring styles in dull colors really needs to actually LOOK at the new styles (as well as listen to the people who own and love the older styles) before they start criticising a situation that has made a 180-degree reversal in the last few years. As for Boring Brown, this introduction to Coachs Archivist shows just some of what Coach, with an early shove from Bonnie Cashin, has created over the years. The quick look at the Archive starts at about 1m50sec.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JNBL2xGuOI

When someone puts down a brand after spending less than a handful of minutes years ago in one of their stores and hasnt bothered to check them out since then,  they should do some research before asking the kind of question posed in this thread. It doesnt make sense to blindly knock other peoples preferences without at least making an effort to find out the facts beforehand.

[garmentvarmint2004]

THALLID..

The Emperor's NewClothes!     I do not know  what you mean  by that?  However if  you were looking in my Feedback  for Brahmin bags---you won't  find any  unless you  go  way  back into my former purchases.    Several years ago,  I saved money for a long time  until  I could finally  afford  to buy one.  I wound up  buying TWO.   They  are  so beautiful.   And so well made that I am sure trhey will last for many years  to come.

[fashionclubgurl]

Another example:

[thallidguy]

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@garmentvarmint2004 wrote:

THALLID..

The Emperor's NewClothes!     I do not know  what you mean  by that?  However if  you were looking in my Feedback  for Brahmin bags---you won't  find any  unless you  go  way  back into my former purchases.    Several years ago,  I saved money for a long time  until  I could finally  afford  to buy one.  I wound up  buying TWO.   They  are  so beautiful.   And so well made that I am sure trhey will last for many years  to come.

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I guess, I have the same attitude toward a lot of luxury brands: "Honestly, why do they have so much prestige? Are they that good?" And I don't mean any implied criticism of any sort. It's sincere curiosity, because I just don't have the experience base. Like you, I know Coach is a popular brand, but.... ?

Anyway, I realized that I did buy a Coach wallet years ago and I'm still using it, hence my post. I actually took a close look at it before I finished typing, and that's when I realized that it had aged quite well.

Before that, I've always used inexpensive wallets — the kind of thing an uncle would give his 14 year-old nephew for Christmas — until the stitching came apart. This is definitely a new experience for me, so I guess there is something to be said for Coach quality.

[fashionclubgurl]

Exactly! And quality is something that you really need to live with to appreciate. Like one of the posters already mentioned, knowing that you can bring a dry, faded Coach leather purse back to life and make it look and feel almost like it did when it was brand-new by a simple bath, shaping and conditioning says a LOT about how well the older bags were made.

As for wallets, I have at least half a dozen that were made 25 years ago or more and dont show any wear that would make them unusable - no cracking along the main fold, no credit card slots coming loose at the ends, no loose threads, not even any kisslock coin pockets that no longer stay closed. The leather may show a bit of use here and there but regular application of a good conditioner keeps them looking almost new. As for the mens wallets, many of them were made of water buffalo hide which as Ive seen from my DHs old motorcycle leathers is almost indestructible.

One thing my mom always taught me was that its worth paying more for quality. She worked at the old Marshall Fields in Chicago for many years and our house was pretty much Fields furniture and dry goods from top to bottom. Very little of what she bought ever had to be thrown out from wear or usage, other than the slipcovers on the older sofa that our dog claimed for his own. Im still using the bedroom set she bought when she got married in the late 1940s in our guest bedroom.

[sweetdunks]

Thank you for sharing that video - those bags were beautiful!

[albertabrightalberta]

Yup, you get what you pay for!

[missjen831]

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@fashionclubgurl wrote:

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@missjen831 wrote:

Just my opinion but Coach isn’t that popular anymore. Maybe popular to sell but not really popular to buy. where I live, they are yesterdays news. Coach was popular for a while but now Michael Korda is the popular brand. I’m not a fan of either brand. 

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To the best of my knowledge, Michael Korda is a writer, not a purse designer.

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It was an auto correct fail. I typed out Michael Kors.

[fashionclubgurl]

Thats why I never use AutoCorrect. All my typing mistakes are my very own.

[gidgetlovesfashion]

I think the reason Coach is so popular, is because Coach planned it that way.  They had an idea and they mass marketed it.  They have endured for many years and offer the latest in fashionable designs for the masses at a reasonable price.  Their outlets are a goldmine for them and the buyers love them; thinking they're getting a steal of a deal.  Same business plan appears to be what Lululemon is doing.  Mass market-stores everywhere, awesome in-store sales, outlets all over the US now...and a good product cheap to produce.  

Funny how enslaved people can become at the will of good marketing.  

[missjen831]

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@fashionclubgurl wrote:

Thats why I never use AutoCorrect. All my typing mistakes are my very own.

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I don't use it voluntarily, I primarily post from my i-phone and it automatically changes a lot of words & I don't always catch it until later. If it can be turned off, I don't know how 😞

[clee1325]

not all are ugly and they are well made...like they will last years well made and thats even with constant use! i have a coach purse i bought from macys 10 years ago and it still looks amazing! i love the coach poppy purses and they have some fun colors! im using my purple glitter leopard print coach bag right now.other purses just dont hold up well i bought a kathy von zeeland purse and it fell apart less then a month of using it...rhinestones fell out the strap broke....

[tbonekatz]

On your iphone go to Settings/General/Keyboard and slide the autocorrect tab to off.

[citrine146]

It depends on who you are dealing with.  In the States, it seems that they are, but if you go into Europe,  it doesn't have the same following.

I own a few Coach bags myself all bought in the UK.  In fact a favourite is a red accordion zip wallet and my swagger bag has travelled a lot with me.