The Kids Are Alright
Review of Coach Fall 2025 Fashion Show
By Mark Wittmer
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Classics revisited. Unpretentious cool. Youthful reinterpretations.
With his Fall 2025 collection for Coach, creative director Stuart Vevers continued to evolve his celebration of how today’s generation reclaims the pioneering styles of the past.
The British designer has been fascinated with American youth culture and style since he first arrived in the country in the mid-90s. Vevers draws on the unstudied artfulness of the way kids in SoHo or Greenpoint can take a piece of fashion history – be it a 60s mod dress picked up from a vintage shop, a reissue of an iconic skate shoe, or their mom’s classic Coach bag – and breathe new life into it with their own personal style.
The collection is largely anchored by classic outerwear in shades of navy, tan, and black, which forms a canvas for expressive statement accessories and refreshed takes on the brand’s classic leather goods archive. Long coats contrast with the little-top-big-pants revival. Signature bags are reconsidered with new proportions and functionalities, with the Twin Pocket bag – which melds Bonnie Cashin’s iconic 60s legacy with an elongated, 90s it-girl aesthetic – as a particular star. A micro pouch worn around the neck with the brand’s classic turnlock closure emerges as a super cute new must-have. Ultra-distressed sneakers speak to the story of a crisp white shoe put through the wringer after an epic night out, while bag charms (and even shoe charms) offer a fun take on the current trend while bringing it back to the narrative of effortless layers of individuality. Informed by rave culture, sunglasses with chewy, rounded forms bring a pop of acid brightness to the more classically subdued color scheme.
The upcycling approach from last season is extended in new directions. Spliced denim is created from multiple pairs of castoff jeans, while dresses pull from real 20s cocktail dresses as well as other sustainably sourced fabrics inspired by favorites in the creative team’s own wardrobes.
THE DIRECTION
The show’s soundtrack featured an epically atmospheric soundtrack by Fabrizio Moretti and Brooklyn-based synthpop band Nation of Language that included a tribute to David Lynch. The band’s vintage synthesizer setup also formed the centerpiece of the runway, another extension of the collection’s clear and direct look at how the creative directness of today’s generation pays homage to and repurposes the iconography of the past.
THE QUOTE
I’ve always been inspired by youth culture all throughout history, but American youth culture – especially the 50s through the 90s – is particularly powerful as a reference. I wanted to look at those things through the lens of today’s generation. The 20s dresses, which were a new chapter in my upcycling practice, also speak to that idea of working with the past to create something new and expressive.”
THE WRAP UP
While youth culture forms the inspiration behind the collection, it feels worth noting that the collection’s core offering of leather goods, as well as its classic outerwear, feel timeless – which should put to rest the fears some have expressed that the brand was moving in too Gen-Z forward of a direction and losing some of its heritage prestige.
But as Vevers emphasizes, heritage is not static: it’s weight comes from how the creative and cultural forces of today respond to and evolve it.
