New York based fashion house Coach today unveiled “In My Tabby,” a campaign that celebrates the defining moments that make us who we are, featuring the brand’s iconic silhouette, the Tabby bag. Directed and photographed by Charlotte Wales, the campaign underscores the message that what we carry makes us stronger through the personal narratives of Coach Family, including Lil Nas X, Camila Mendes, Kōki, and Wu JinYan. “In My Tabby” tells these stories through the lens of identity, constant evolution, and the journeys of the cast to become all of who they are today.
Reimagining and disrupting the popular “What’s In My Bag” phenomenon, the campaign redefines what we carry not just in terms of physical objects, but emotions—the experiences, personal journeys and aspirations that shape who we are—that we carry with us as we continue to create ourselves. In the films, Lil Nas X explores his future creative aspirations, Camila Mendes shares her story of embracing her multiple selves as a Brazilian-American actress; Kōki sheds light on trying new paths in life; and Wu JinYan discusses turning career challenges into opportunities. Stories of courage that are both authentic and accessible, these journeys capture the emotional message of self-creation central to “In My Tabby”—to inspire audiences to express and explore all of who they are. The campaign also powerfully redefines fashion as a platform to tell human stories, and bags as symbols for something much more meaningful than style or status.
At the center of the story sits the Coach Tabby, a modern icon the house has reimagined for the next generation’s spirit of individualism, fluidity and courageous self-expression. Envisioned by Coach Creative Director Stuart Vevers as a reimagination of an archival bag from the 70s and featuring Coach’s Signature hardware, the Tabby captures the brand’s quintessential American design language of character and craftsmanship for a new generation. Explored in recent years in a multitude of aesthetic iterations, the Tabby has also garnered cultural resonance through TikTok, where it gained a cult following.
“I’ve always believed that fashion should be about more than only style, it should be about community, and creating safe spaces where people feel free to express themselves,” said Coach Creative Director Stuart Vevers. “‘In My Tabby’ brings together our Coach Family and collaborators to celebrate stories of creativity and courage that embody our vision for Coach to inspire people to fully express all of who they are.”
“‘In My Tabby’ is a continuation of our journey to tell stories and connect emotionally with our audiences through the Courage to Be Real, our brand purpose focused on inspiring courageous self-expression and exploring all of who you are,” said Coach Global Chief Marketing Officer and North America President, Sandeep Seth. “Today, we are only at the start of this journey, aiming to disrupt the traditional approach of putting the brand at the center of everything, instead shifting our focus to the consumer. Our goal is to create an emotional connection with Coach’s consumers through storytelling rooted in insights about their lives—and creating human experiences at every touchpoint across channels. With everything we do, we want to inspire people everywhere to have the confidence to express themselves in their own way.”
As per the brand, it would bring “In My Tabby” to life around the world with experiences inspired by the campaign’s message, including a series of colorful pop-ups and activations where customers can explore and discover the Coach Tabby bag that best fits their personality and style, and a metaverse experience created for Decentraland’s Metaverse Fashion Week this month where users go inside a Coach Tabby bag and discover a world where they can interact with digital artists and collect Coach Tabby wearables designed in collaboration with AR fashion platform Zero10. Coach will also introduce a new “Made to Order Tabby” service where customers can design their own Tabby with a choice of leather, colors and hardware—offering the traditionally exclusive luxury experience of designing your own bag to customers at an accessible price-point, further highlighting the Coach Tabby as the bag that’s truly for everyone.
Building on Coach’s Courage to be real mission introduced last fall, “In My Tabby” disrupts the role of the brand campaign to a powerful vehicle for telling human stories connected by a shared purpose. Part of a decisive shift integral to Coach’s broader vision of Expressive Luxury and its vision to evolve into a platform for the next generation’s self-expression, the campaign aims to create emotional relevance with its Generation Z and younger Millennial target audiences—as reflected in its recent ranking on The Lyst Index: Fashion’s Hottest Brands.
