Coach Inc.: From Staid to Stylish

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Coach Inc. was a major leather goods company, and one of the few international luxury brands that originated in the US. Since it was set up in 1941, the company had built a reputation for high quality leather bags and accessories. However, despite being highly valued for the quality of its products, over the years the company had lagged behind its competitors on the style dimension. This case discusses the measures taken by Coach to transform itself into a high-end fashion label from a staid leather goods company. It begins with a description of how Coach, which was originally established as a leather manufacturing company in New York, gradually achieved the status of a premium brand as a result of its superior quality leather goods.

This case talks about Coach's product strategy and how the various collections launched in the late 1990s and early 2000s managed to raise the brand to the level of high-end fashion labels like Gucci and LVMH. It discusses Coach's positioning in the market and the company's image building initiatives since the late 1990s.

The case also talks about the expansion strategy undertaken by Frankfort, which helped the Coach brand gain visibility in the US and around the world. The case ends with a discussion on whether Coach's unrestricted expansion and its unique pricing strategy might dilute the Coach brand in future.