Things the Toronto Raptors and Coach have in common right now: they’re both dominating the East. (Sure, the former refers to a basketball conference and the latter a geographical region, but still.) Earlier this month, Coach presented its Pre-Fall 2019 collection in Shanghai. Dubbed “Coach Lights Up Shanghai,” it marked the American fashion label’s first-ever runway show in China. Creative Director Stuart Vevers sought to fuse the spirit of ’70s New York with work by some of Shangai’s most promising creatives. And it was a slam dunk.
The collection was heavy on an Alice Cooper-esque, glam rock aesthetic, filtered through a dreamlike gauze. There were worn-in mohair sweaters, tall, patchwork shoes, and lightly draped leather and suede jackets. Think Midnight Cowboy meets Blade Runner.
To show their love of Shanghai’s booming subcultural scene, Coach tapped several local creatives reinterpret their dinosaur icon, Rexy. Sui Jianguo‘s T-rex sculpture was photographed and turned it into a distorted print, while Zhu Jungyi reinterpreted Rexy in an authentic ink drawing.
Particularly cool (at least to us) was the brand’s collab with music collective and budding apparel line YETI OUT, consisting of twin brothers Thomas and Arthur Bray and Eri Ali. The partnership — a graphic inspired by acid house, featuring a smiley face with Rexy as the nose — began with a shared interest for Factory Club, the Manchester club started by New Order, and frequented by Vevers and the YETI OUT dudes.
Take note, politicians — this is how you do international relations.
