During the New York Fashion Week spring/summer 2026 season, many brands have showcased collections that are competing to dictate our sartorial decisions, from independent labels to legendary names. One designer that managed to stand apart amidst the inspiration noise? Coach. The brand’s September 15th show at Manhattan’s Pier 36 was a clear depiction of creative director Stuart Vevers’ vision for Coach — elevating the idea of luxury. “I believe the next generation is really pushing this change of the definition of what luxury is,” he told Business of Fashion. This belief was shown through statement-making pieces like plaid pants printed with the brand’s signature “C” logo, oversized clear glasses, and distressed denim.
This sensibility for the future is far from surprising, as Vevers’ various efforts have been geared towards Gen Z. Think the Tabby Bag that’s achieved virality well-over, seen on the shoulders of young adults all over New York City, and other respected fashion capitals; or even its internal diffusion label Coachtopia, that brings a “nothing new approach” to design, creating sustainable awareness for younger shoppers.
This seamlessly translated to the spring/summer 2026 runway, with even more innovation as a prevalent theme. Most of the pieces showed no allegiance to a specific gender, from commanding, pale neutrals like white cropped shirts and low-rise light-denim jeans showcased Coach’s brand identity, while shirtdresses and T-shirts were adorned with images of Vevers’ favorite places (Seattle, Detroit, Phoenix, and NYC) — taking us deeper into the person behind the brand.
Accessories were just as captivating as the garments, although bags that accompanied each outfit mainly showed two categories: shoulder bags and oversized totes. While these two silhouettes may seem limiting, Vevers managed to show the power of such shapes, including the white, cylindrical shoulder bag that commanded attention in the very first look. Furthermore, the large totes seen throughout the collection, starting with look nine made it abundantly clear that you can never have too many white, black, and brown handbags.
Overall, Coach’s NYFW presentation was more than just about the clothes. It was a prime example of storytelling; in this case, the evolution of the prominent New York fashion house, and its creative director. Taking notes from the brand, next spring/summer is not just about trendy palettes and frocks with viral potential. It’s about a new era of luxury, spearheaded by Gen Z.
That juxtaposition was evident in the loose tailoring complemented by distressed leather jackets and scuffed boots and sneakers. There were raw cut, unlined suede jackets and a collection of T-shirts and shirtdresses sporting images of some of Vevers’ favorite places, such as Seattle; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Detroit; Phoenix, and, of course, New York City.
Most of the pieces were genderless, such as the wide, tattered jeans paired with crop tops, and the raw edging on many of the pieces that spoke to this season’s undone trend. Among the standouts were pants and long pleated skirts created from three different menswear patterns, styles that brought your grandfather’s heritage pieces into today’s modern wardrobe.
Pants as a whole were wide, but tops and outerwear were more fitted. Vevers described one of the suits as sporting “a narrow shoulder, quite cropped but angled at the back so it feels quite fitted. And the underpinnings, knitwear and T-shirts, they’re all fitted as well.”
The collection featured upcycled materials in some of the denim and leather pieces along with knitwear that looked frayed. These designs spoke to Gen Z’s propensity for vintage.
Vevers continued to pay homage to the core of the brand with accessories ranging from bags that were “quite geometric,” many of which featured the brand’s signature “kisslock frame,” in duffels, barrel bags and pouches, some of which were shrunken and worn as necklaces. “That definitely came from this idea of New York, the way that New York is so good at providing random objects like a playing card dropped on the street, or a random sticker on a lamp post,” he said.
Stuart Vevers isn’t getting caught up in the negativity that permeates the world today. Instead, the Coach creative director did his part to lighten the mood.
“Coach has always been an optimistic, positive brand,” he said. “And this is a very forward-looking collection. At its heart, it’s about looking forward positively, optimistically.”
Although the distressed denim and leathers and the grunge-influenced outfits didn’t exactly scream positivity, what they did prove is that Vevers continues to be a master at knowing how to speak to young people, Coach’s target customers. He took these Coach followers on a journey that time-traveled from New York in the ’70s to Seattle in the ’90s.
Those were some of the references evident in his spring women’s and men’s collection, shown at Pier 36 in downtown Manhattan on Monday afternoon, a location Vevers created to feel like a city at dawn, a time that he said “embodies that new day possibility.” That aesthetic also showed in the color palette, which was lighter than usual but still had “a very Coach sensibility” with its “warm, pale saddle colors.”