By Olivia Madrid Image from the-talks.com
Stuart Vevers told Business of Fashion , “I don’t think it’s OK anymore for me as a designer to leave sustainability as something for factories and suppliers to worry about. Fashion starts with design, so the change has to come from designers.” Vevers, beginning his creative director career with Coach in 2013, celebrated his 10th anniversary with the luxury brand. Despite the many accolades and increasing sales despite economic uncertainty, Vevers didn’t show any signs of complacency.
The high-class Central Park townhouse in New York and rows of celebrities were the norm for the luxury brand’s New York Fashion Week shows, but scuffed leather was not. This year, Vevers tells backstage that he’s ready to move sustainability to the forefront of his designs- integrating recycling, upcycling, and reevaluation into his creative vision for Coach. Essentially, he is moving on from conventional newness and on to an approach that values experimentation, a sentiment echoed by the innovative spirit of Coach's offshoot label, Coachtopia.
“What's different about how we approach sustainability in the show versus the brand is that generally the show is all about experimentation and trying new things,” Vevers says to Vogue. “So, we’re pushing ourselves creatively and aesthetically, but also experimenting with sustainability and some things work and some things don't."
Vevers couldn’t start with a blank slate this time- he began by sourcing sustainable fabric, such as an old pair of denim jeans. Vevers was proud of the outcome of this season’s wide-legged silhouette, using denim scraps from old pieces. He commenced and concluded the presentation with taffeta evening ensembles in shades of black, pink, and lilac. Vevers artfully transformed dresses into tops by skillfully repurposing the skirts for alternative looks, and adorning them with bows, some embellished with sparkles. These looks in the collection gave off a strong '80s vibe that brought to mind Amy Arbus, with a mix of styles found in East Village thrift shops — fancy cocktail dresses, tuxedos, sharp Oxfords, and sturdy biker boots. But there were also nods to when Vevers first came to New York City in the 90’s.
“What's different about how we approach sustainability in the show versus the brand is that generally the show is all about experimentation and trying new things,” he said. “So, we’re pushing ourselves creatively and aesthetically, but also experimenting with sustainability and some things work and some things don't. Approaching things without fear was a big shift for me. And sometimes seeds of an idea become big ideas within the business later.”
"Approaching things without fear was a big shift for me. And sometimes seeds of an idea become big ideas within the business later.” -Stuart Vevers in a statement to Vogue, February 12, 2024.
Business of Fashion shares that Vevers credits his decades-long time living in NYC- though born in Yorkshire- for not just this collection, but his firing “genuine passion” for sustainability.
“I’m playing with references from my ’90s experiences in New York with a certain nostalgia,” he said. “But it’s about reinterpreting them with a more inclusive point of view, which I think my Coach has — and which I enjoy.”
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