If you were alive and dressing yourself in the 2000’s, you probably had at least one monogram Coach bag in your closet. I remember being in high school and the mark of a Coach purse meant you had made it haha
Although most of you know I’m not the hugest fan of loud logos or repeat monogrammed prints, I will admit I proudly carried all my CC Coach bags in high school with pride. We think that Coach only came around when we adopted the trend, but we’re wrong. They’re actually a legacy brand and are celebrating 75 years this year! That means they were founded probably when your grandparents were born or were young kids.
They were founded in 1941 as a family-run workshop specializing in crafting leather goods (nothing monogrammed). Their image surrounds that effortless New York style and it definitely shows in their newer collections. You won’t find the circa 2000 monogram print on many bags anymore; and, instead, will find on-trend and beautifully crafted leather pieces. Their leather is some of the softest I’ve felt in a long time.
Coach has always defined themselves as “accessible luxury” (and although I love my Chanels), I applaud this. Luxury is something that everyone should be able to be a part of – whether extreme, or not.
Above anything though, I love the history of Coach leather. In started in their first workshop with a worn baseball glove. The artisans were so fixated by the soft feel and patina, they spawned a new leather with a “buttery hand”. As soft as the leather is, they ensured to maintain the qualities of that original baseball glove – a soft leather that could withstand a 90-mile-an-hour pitch.
Just like any person, the story of a brand tells us not only where they’ve been, but where they’re going to go. And I think Coach celebrating its future through its roots is a fantastic way to kick off the 4th quarter of their century.
I had the immense pleasure of celebrating their bday at their flagship store here in Toronto. One of their heritage pieces, inspired by old coach houses, is their saddle bag – and we got to personalize one for ourselves to celebrate. They introduced the “9170” Classic Pouch bag in 1972 and recently reimagined it with refined, glove-tanned leather and a soft leather lining. Trust me, the leather feels like butter.
I never knew Coach had monogramming services, but apparently they do and it’s free! The embossing only takes about 30 minutes, so you can emboss a gift in a day. Apparently they have cleaning services too (I’m all about the service when it comes to luxury).
After long debate – what colour, large or small, tassels or no tassels – I finally decided to go with the classic, off-white saddle bag. I wanted to keep the embossing simple, subtle, and neutral, so I could wear it with everything. I did this because the style is super versatile and you can take off the straps to transform the cross body to a clutch. Gotta maximize your pieces, right?!
The embossing is extremely customized – you choose the font, size, colour, and placement (and the staff are always super helpful with the right combo to suit your style). They throw in an extra custom hang tag too! We also got to choose a scarf or keychain to personalize our bags even more. I thought of my bag as my personal story – a blank canvas for me to draw on, and naturally, chose the T-Rex to remind myself to always be the most badass version of myself.
As I waited for my bag to get embossed, I took the time to discover their new spring pieces and fell in love with the western, eclectic vibe of the collection. Although my style is more minimalistic, I love the story the pieces are telling. And there are definitely some statement pieces that caught my eye.
When my bag was finally ready, I think I yelped a little bit. Remember when I designed my own Rudsak bag here? This was like a replay of that feeling all over again.
Here’s the final product 
They boxed it up beautifully and I brought home a new little piece of me. I’m so excited to style it. Tell me what you think it would look good with in the comments below!
Happy 75th birthday Coach! Excited to celebrate your next 25 years!
Which Coach Saddle Bag would you have chosen to customize?
