Latest news with #ToddKahn
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stuart Vevers Celebrates OBE Honor With Florence Pugh, Will Poulter
LONDON — Stuart Vevers of Coach returned home to England this week to collect his Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, otherwise known as an OBE, for his services to fashion. A moment like this calls for a celebration. More from WWD Charles Melton Uses Coach's Soho Sneaker as a Decoy to Escape Paparazzi in New Campaign Coach Commits $20M to Student Scholarships Coach Debuts Coach Gold Feminine Fragrance With Fresh Campaign Starring Brand Ambassador Storm Reid The British designer invited around 300 people to Two Temple Place by the River Thames on Thursday night in London with Coach chief executive officer Todd Kahn by his side as cohost. Guests on the night included his family, friends, Coach crew and stars such as Florence Pugh, Will Poulter, Yasmin Finney and Mimi Webb. Two Temple Place is known for its neo-gothic architecture and contains artwork by William Silver Frith, Sir George Frampton, Nathaniel Hitch and Thomas Nicholls. 'It's a beautiful historic space and we really leaned into that. We dressed up the place by bringing in historical furniture and it's very classical in its approach. If the weather's good, we're going to start with drinks outside,' said Vevers in an interview on Wednesday. The designer got heavily involved in the planning of the party – he curated the food menu, floral arrangements and some of the music before a DJ got there in the evening. Vevers is the first creative director of an American fashion brand to receive full honors. He was included in the Birthday 2024 Honours List, approved by King Charles III. 'I was excited and surprised – so many things started to run through my mind. I feel really proud, but it's so much for the people in my life and my parents, for whom so much of what we do in fashion goes over their heads. They might not know what a CFDA award is, but this is something really tangible to them,' he said. 'Sometimes the perception is that our industry is frivolous. This award is an acknowledgement, in a way, that reinforces the work that we all do in fashion and it can be really meaningful. Our business is about people's lifelong commitments to skills,' he added. Vevers received the call about the award from the British Consulate when he was driving. The first person he called was his husband, Benjamin Seidler, and then his parents in the U.K. Vevers collected his award from Princess Anne in a classic black suit with his husband and two children by his side, which he said made the Investiture ceremony more special. 'My kids turned five on Sunday and the age in which someone is allowed to attend the ceremony is five, it feels timely and like a sign,' he said, adding that he's been playing tourist with his family and rediscovering London through a pair of fresh eyes. Vevers wanted to stay at the Savoy Hotel to follow through with the 'classic London' theme. 'My son River was so excited when he saw a black cab and this trip has encouraged me not to take things for granted that you're just used to seeing,' he said. From 2015 to 2017, Coach was a regular name on the runways of London, staging shows during London Collections: Men. Maybe Vevers, now with his OBE, will consider coming back to the city more regularly and bringing his menswear shows with him. Best of WWD Fashion Meets Cinema: Jaws 50th Anniversary and Calvin Klein Spring 2019 RTW Show Retro Glamour: Giorgio Di Sant'Angelo's Summer 1973 Chic Straw Hat Statement The Story Behind Jackie Kennedy's Cartier Watch: A Royal Gift With 'Traces and Clues of Her Life' Revealed
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
How Coach got its cool back
Luxury retailer Coach has made a comeback after a strategic rebrand, successful celebrity partnerships and revamped designs. And it's drawing in younger shoppers. More than two-thirds of Coach's nearly 900,000 new customers in North America were Gen Zers and millennials in the last quarter, the brand said. Coach President and CEO Todd Kahn said he and creative director Stuart Vevers focused on what they called the "timeless Gen Z client, " which "became the muse" for the company. "When we started focusing very dramatically on them, so many other things started to happen in a good way," he said. Parent company Tapestry reported in its latest earnings that Coach revenue grew 15% compared with the same quarter a year prior and saw a 77.1% gross margin. "In this sector, it's really rare to take a kind of mediocre mall brand that has been tarnished and then elevate it to be a credible luxury contender," said Aneesha Sherman, Bernstein's managing director of U.S. apparel and specialty retail. Handbags like the Brooklyn, Tabby and Rogue have become hits for Coach. The Brooklyn was named the hottest fashion product of the fourth quarter of last year by global shopping platform Lyst. Demand for Coach products on Lyst was up 332% year-over-year, the company said. Coach also leaned into customization, as shoppers can buy broaches and bag charms for their purses and also create their own. According to Pinterest, searches for "bag charm" and "bag charm ideas" in the U.S. have grown 200% and more than 10,000%, respectively, between May 2024 and May 2025. Coach's cherry charm, which retails for $95 on its website, has been a huge hit, the company said. Coach has also opened immersive concept stores called Coach Play and is getting into hospitality with Coach Coffee shops. "I often joke we're an overnight success story five years in the making," said Khan, who became president and CEO of Coach in an interim role in 2020 before taking on the permanent job. Between January 2020 and January 2025, Coach's market cap expanded by about 140%, according to Bernstein. "They're kind of ticking all of those boxes in terms of the quality and the value for money," said Fflur Roberts, Euromonitor International's head of global luxury goods. "It comes at a very good time for them, especially when other, or some consumers, are questioning the actual value, like monetary value of the goods that they're buying." Watch this video to learn more.
