Coach has always had a brand identity rooted in play and youthfulness, and what better way to tap into that than with a collaboration with pop art icon, Tom Wesselmann?
The brand introduces the Coach x Tom Wesselmann collection with a global campaign, starring Hari Nef, Kai-Isaiah Jamal and Manami Kinoshita, photographed by Juergen Teller. Inspired by the core themes that the brand shares with Wesselmann, the collection introduces some of his most famed work reimagined on Coach icons such as the Rogue and Duffle bags and shearling jackets, celebrating the House and the artist’s shared legacies of American heritage and pop culture.
The collaboration was inspired further by the artists exploration of pleasure, with a collection focus on graphic motifs, which have been embellished onto Coach’s Signature jacquard and heritage Glovetanned leather with printing and embroidery with sequins.
“Like my collections for Coach, Tom Wesselmann’s work is inspired by the extraordinary found in the everyday and the universal references that bring us together,” said Coach creative director Stuart Vevers, who worked closely with the artist’s family and estate on the collection. “Sensory and joyful, our collaboration is a tribute to the sense of pleasure Tom found in the process of creating. I’m very honoured to have worked with his family to bring it to life, and proud to share his work with a new generation.”
For the campaign, Teller captures the faces of the collection within a Wesselmann-type world of colour and oversized objects, accompanied by a signature poem written and read by Jamal.
To further showcase the campaign, the brand has developed a digital experience where users can explore the collection to learn about the collaboration and Wesselmann's life and work as one of the most famous American pop artists of the 1960s via TikTok.
The Coach x Tom Wesselmann collection is available to shop at pop-ups and store takeovers globally, discover the digital experience, here.