Elle Australia — May 2017

BESTOFBOTHWORLDS

The new collab by

Stuart Vevers and Kate

and Laura Mulleavy

(left) brings Rodarte’s

femininity to Coach’s

cool, modern styles

I

n case you were wondering, yes, this is a Coach

‹Šǯ  •’Ĵ•Ž –˜›Ž ȃ’œŒ˜Ȅ ‘Š— ¢˜žȂ›Ž žœŽ ˜

from the all-American brand, right? That’s

because the do-no-wrong creative director of

the label, Stuart Vevers, has very cleverly

teamed up with the Mulleavy sisters to bring

some of their Rodarte West Coast magic to the

New York-based leathergoods house.

A chance scheduling of their shows on the

same day at fashion week plus a joint passion

for heritage and craftsmanship, Americana,

¢˜ž‘ Œž•ž›Žǰ Š› Š— ꕖ ǻDays Of Heavenis

a shared top pick) saw the three designers

‹ŽŒ˜–Ž Šœ ›’Ž—œǯ ›ŽĴ¢ œ˜˜—ǰ ŽŸŽ›œ  Šœ

‘’Ĵ’— ‘Ž ‘’‘ Š¢ ˜  ˜ ‘Š—  ’‘ Šœ‘’˜—Ȃœ

What do you get when you bring

two American luxury brandsfrom opposite

sides of the country together? A rockstar

project thatredefines romantic cool

CULTURE

CLASH

ŠŸ˜ž›’Ž Š•’ ’›•œǯ ȃ‘Ž¢ ˜˜” –Ž

around LA and they’re really good

˜ž›ž’ŽœǷȄœŠ¢œŽŸŽ›œǰ ‘˜Œ›Ž’œ

Šž›Š Š— 

ŠŽ  ’‘ ›ŽŽę—’—

femininity for a new generation.

A plan for how Rodarte’s couture

ŽŒ‘—’šžŽœ  ˜ž• ę ’— ‘Ž ˜ŠŒ‘

world was inevitably hatched –

a 39-piece limited-edition capsule

collection that melds Rodarte’s

irreverent way with texture and colour with Coach’s

–˜Ž›— Œ˜Žœ ˜ –Ž›’ŒŠ— •ž¡ž›¢ǯ ȃ‘’•Ž  Ž

worked on our ideas and created the collection,

 Ž  Ž›Ž Š‹•Ž ˜ Ž ˜ ”—˜  ŽŠŒ‘ ˜‘Ž› ‹ŽĴŽ›ǰȄ

œŠ¢œŽŸŽ›œǯȃŽ ˜›”Ž‘Š›Š— Ž˜ž—’–Ž

to enjoy ourselves along the way, too. It was

a genuinely fun, creative process. Kate and Laura

looked at Coach with fresh eyes and helped me

œŽŽ’œ‘Ž›’ŠŽ’——Ž  Š¢œǯȄ

That new vision included stamping T-shirts

and totes with vintage ’70s Coach ads featuring

’Œ˜—’Œ Žœ’—œ Š‹˜ŸŽ ‘Ž  ˜›œǰ ȃ‘’œ ’œ Š ˜ŠŒ‘

‹ŠȄ ǻœŽŽǰ  Ž ˜• ¢˜žǼǰ Š— –ž•’Œ˜•˜ž›Ž

leather sequinned or pearl-studded moto jackets,

mini-dresses and saddlebags that somehow

manage to strike the balance between precious

and remember-nothing-the-next-morning party.

For Vevers, a Brit expat responsible for

transforming Coach in his three years with the

brand, the collaboration was a chance to work

with two American designers he’s long admired

while using the opportunity to expand his point

of view. But he’s leaving the last word to the

ž••ŽŠŸ¢ œ’œŽ›œDZ ȃŽ ‘Š —˜ ’ŽŠ  ‘Š ’  ˜ž•

‹Ž•’”ŽǰŽ¡ŒŽ™ Ž”—Ž  Ž ˜ž•‘ŠŸŽž—ǷȄ‰

“Kate and Laura

looked at Coach

with fresh eyes

and helped me

see its heritage

in new ways”

Bag, approx

$1,795,Coach

& Rodarte,

1800 262 246

T-shirt, approx $275,

Coach & Rodarte,

1800 262 246

Bag, approx $1,495,

Coach & Rodarte,

1800 262 246

Jacket, approx $6,250,

Coach & Rodarte,

1800 262 246

COLLABORATION

42 ELLE AUSTRALIA

Words: Genevra Leek