ENGLISHMAN IN AMERICA

The art, the woman, and the city that inspire Stuart Vevers of Coach

- Butool Jamal

“Something I’ve always loved about New York is the feeling of possibility,” says Stuart Vevers, creative director of Coach. “Even during the lockdown it’s still there, different of course.” Like much of the world, Vevers has been working from home in New York during the Covid-19 pandemic. He schedules Zoom calls with his design team and is spending time with his husband, “getting to do the things we don’t normally get to do when we’re working or travelling, like cooking and being more domestic.” The British designer, who has worked with Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, and Loewe among others, often cites the Big Apple as inspiration.

Most recently for Summer and Fall 2020, he sent out boxy, coloured leather coats, moto jackets, and vintage-inspired dresses that captured a sort of cool, urban look critics said was reminiscent of 1980s New York. He also collaborated with the estate of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, another legendary New Yorker, to use his motifs as prints. The oversized trench coats and blanket-style scarves are a nod to Basquiat’s cool, understated style.