‘Welcome to Forever’ is the title of the film shot by German fine-art and fashion photographer Juergen Teller to introduce Coach’s spring/summer 2021 collection. To which we ask: is there such a thing as forever?
But clearly, forever in the context of Coach’s latest collection means so much more. The video begins with a mash-up of sounds layered upon another. The hard scribbling of a marker overlapped by the sounds of honking cars and applause which, when played continuously, sounds like a vicious cycle in fashion—that constant hamster wheel of having to push out something new season after season. As the scene unravels, the chaotic sounds of the city slowly dissipate into a fluttering of pigeons and the flapping of a scribble-filled scrapbook left on a park bench.
And that change brought about a different kind of Coach this evening. As much as there was a nostalgic air to Teller’s no-frills, matter-of-fact way of shooting, there was also Stuart Vevers’ grounded approach towards the future of fashion, where he mixes the past, present and the future. The show brought together a diverse cast of personalities—from Kate Moss and Debbie Harry to rap sensation Megan Thee Stallion wearing a trench made from a recycled material.
The collection felt like a carry-through from Vevers’ autumn/winter 2020 show, where ’80s prep met modern-day easy dressing as cute shirts, dresses and vintage tees (that have that charming lived-in quality to them) were embroidered with the names of the personalities wearing them on collars and sleeves. That attention to detail also came across in the form of brassy hardware on Coach’s signature bags repurposed as buttons; pulling together coats and shirt dresses. Animal brooches and house emblems were also pinned on the chest for that extra DIY effect. The one item that stood, aside from the fold-down tote made completely from recycled plastic bottles, was the cute denim coat worn by one of our launch cover stars, Ju Xiaowen.
We are living in a time when being environmentally conscious means more than just having a capable PR team putting out all the right messages. It’s about putting one’s money where one’s mouth is and it’s clear, with this collection, that Vevers is committed to making that change—now and forever.
