Kieran Ho On Coach's Kate Spade Purchase

Ever since Coach, the seven-decade old leather goods company, went through a massive rebranding in 2015, whimsicality and fun have been at the forefront of its visage. The most notable example of this is when Rexy the T-Rex became a loved mascot of the brand and numerous cartoon dinosaur paraphernalia were injected into Coach’s otherwise traditional leather goods.

So it comes as no surprise that Coach would snatch up Kate Spade as its most recent acquisition, given Kate Spade’s integrally cutesy and playful brand DNA. Victor Luis, the CEO of Coach explained the decision was made due to Kate Spade being a brand with a “truly unique and differentiated brand positioning”. It will be interesting to see how a brand like Coach, with its heritage in leather-working and Kate Space with whimsicality as it’s forte could marriage their skill with creativity. Dinosaur-shaped bags, anyone?