First of all: It’s not Marc Jacobs, so everyone can quit bugging him about it. Second of all: We were correct to speculate that Coach might tap a former Mulberry creative director as heir to Reed Krakoff’s throne when he departs in the near future, but we just didn’t speculate about the right one. Instead of recently deposed Emma Hill, Loewe’s Stuart Vevers, who left Mulberry in 2008, will fill Coach’s top design spot, according to Women’s Wear Daily.
Vevers, a Brit who’s worked at brands from Bottega Veneta to Louis Vuitton, has an excellent European accessories pedigree and was even named the British Council’s Accessory Designer of the Year in 2006. After a stint at Mulberry that set the brand up for its current mass-market success, Vevers was tasked with relaunching Spanish leather good brand Loewe. In his time there, the brand has gone from a relative afterthought in the industry to showing well-received collections at Paris Fashion Week and placing the brand’s Amazona (above) and Flamenco bags in the hands of more than a few chic starlets.
With that history, Vevers does seem to have something of a particular touch for handbags, and it’ll be interesting to see what he does when given the enormous resources of a brand like Coach. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility – this will be Vevers’ most high-profile post yet, and Coach has an expectant and opinionated fan base like few other handbag brands within the industry. Coach’s bags also come in at the most accessible prices of any brand in Vevers’ career; I, for one, can’t wait to see how he translates his modern, luxurious aesthetic to a line of products that lots of people can afford to own.
