Stuart Vevers Talks '90s Nostalgia, 'Coach TV,' and 'RuPaul's Drag Race' With L'OFFICIEL
Photography by Lauren Leekley
Styled by Miso Dam
Fandom is a great tool. Just ask Stuart Vevers, who pulls it out of his back pocket time and again when conceiving Coach's playful, joy-filled collections. The executive creative director's near obsession with RuPaul and his popular, feel-good drag contest show is a case in point; he can tell you when episode two, season 14 will drop without skipping a beat.
It's also one of the driving forces behind the wildly entertaining Coach TV episodes, which air on social platforms like Youtube and Instagram. The self-produced videos not only reveal the latest collections (at least since the pandemic began) but also serve as a vehicle to gather the people and performers Vevers admires most.
Ultimately though, the platform intends to entertain and bring smiles via its campy, retro-inspired skits. The Spring/Summer 2022 edition was no exception, and was opportune to showcase the Bonnie-Cashin-sixties-meets-nineties-skater vibe of the collection. This episode afforded the British designer a deep dive into New York cable access shows while also paying homage to his favorite contestant show, RuPaul's Drag Race.
"The third episode was about celebrating New York City," Vevers tells L'OFFICIEL via Zoom from his home office. "I moved to New York in 1996 to work at Calvin Klein. I went to East Village clubs and came home and watched these cable access shows like The Robin Byrd Show, Mrs. Mouth, and Party Talk. It was very New York; I have never seen anything like it."
He was already quite familiar with his drag idol RuPaul, who, by 1996, was becoming a household name with his hit single "Supermodel (You Better Work)." The 6-foot-5-inch performer, born RuPaul Andre Charles, had gained notoriety as a drag-queen-slash-go-go-dancer in New York and through appearances on The Gong Show and MTV. It's probable he did a few stints on cable access shows before landing his VH1 talk show in 1996.
Fun fact: Vevers planned to guest star on an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race in season 13 for a Maxi challenge involving Coach's legacy. It was accessories fodder for the Miss Moneybags runway looks involving a Coach Create bag.
Unfortunately, the pandemic taping restrictions meant streaming the segment; thus, Vevers could not work with his beloved performer face to face. "I appeared on that season by doing a live link, but I was planning to go to LA in person; this dream I had for so long changed due to the pandemic," he recalls, noting the contestants would customize an oversized Tabby clutch style.
"I do many creative things at Coach. People think it's this big corporate company, but these are things and people that I love. I am just fanning on a lot of them," Vevers continues, explaining that his role has him overseeing still and moving imagery at Coach.
"Coach TV was about looking at the heritage through the lens of the next generation."
Coach TV has given the creative director his vehicle to gather his idols for some good old-fashioned fun while sending out the seasonal message. Previous episodes have included members of the Coach "family" such as Jennifer Lopez, Debbie Harry, Michael B. Jordan, Paloma Elsesser, and even a gaggle of disco roller skaters for an edition that was paired with a live show in Shanghai.
"Coach TV came from the fact that so many of us were in our homes watching TV and reinterpreting shows as a new fashion idea. It was born of this nostalgia of looking back at them," he explains.
As the Spring/Summer 2022 show marked the first time for an in-person U.S. runway since the pandemic started, the designer wanted to give the Big Apple some love, kicking off the show with the latest Coach TV edition playing on a massive screen to live show guests. Debonair host Rickey Thompson, who was discovered on Instagram and has become a staple star in Coach video productions, takes viewers to beloved New York institutions such as Zabar's and Serendipity III in the "Big Apple Bites" opening sketch.
In another, Chaka Khan appears—an example of how the TV segments allow Vevers to cull his favorite personalities. Previously, the two paired up at the 2018 Lincoln Center Fashion Gala honoring Coach, where the iconic R&B/funk singer performed. "That event was an opportunity to bring together people that I love. Sometimes it's that simple," Vevers says. In the sketch, called "Cosmic Coach," Khan plays a Miss Cleo-inspired character, purring "I feel for you" to a caller seeking advice. Vevers admits this was his favorite part of the episode.
Megan Thee Stallion riffs on party phone lines of the '90s, which astute Gen Z'ers may recognize as the original chat rooms. The rapper uses the Pillow Tabby as a phone in the skit and quips that she needs another purse. Who wouldn't want a bag that was comfy too?
"It's been a phenomenon at Coach. It was born of the pandemic when we all needed some comfort. It looks and feels like a pillow, with soft squishy Nappa leather, and came from a conversation with my design team. Everyone wanted something to hold close," Vevers says.
Another sketch, "Signature Moves Dance-A-Thon," used crude video techniques to demonstrate moves by the extended Coach family—caught the world over—and spliced into one roll. But it was more complex to achieve than it appeared. "Sometimes we used older cameras. I kept thinking back to the idea of making it lo-fi, but it looked too clean; today's technology is much sharper," he says.
RuPaul's Drag Race directly inspired two Coach TV segments: "Art Beat with Utica" and "Blanks a Million." The former revives Utica Queen's impersonation of the iconic TV painting sensation Bob Ross. (Ross is more popular than ever thanks in part to a recent Netflix documentary Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed.) The latter, starring Bob the Drag Queen out of drag as a host, borrows from the "Snatch Game" challenge on Drag Race, which, of course, is a take on the classic TV show Match Game. Both allowed Vevers to weave Bonnie Cashin into the narrative.
Cashin, a pioneer in the beginnings of American sportswear, designed accessories for Coach in the 1960s. Her turn-lock design—core to Coach's DNA—was also used in her namesake sportswear collections, especially outwear.
"She defined what Coach would become. The show was about looking at the heritage through the lens of the next generation," Vevers explains, adding, "In a way, what Bonnie Cashin allowed was the use of her language; it was consistent between Coach and her designs for Bonnie Cashin. I don't have a Coach clothing archive, so I use Bonnie's because they were interconnected. It was important to be open and honest that I was referencing her work."
"I don't want to use the term 'back to normal'...I'm not going back to anything. I want to learn from this experience."
The nostalgia had the creative director questioning if his younger audience would get it. "I was a bit concerned about the references, as they are my nostalgia. But what will they mean to a new generation?" Vevers didn't wonder long as the Friends-loving generation devoured the '90s-era references.
Model Salem Mitchell, featured here, is exhibit A. Born in 1998, she is rediscovering the fashion mood of the '90s like many Gen Z'ers. "My mom had me at 20; she was a very cool, young, fashion-forward mom who always inspired me with her looks," Mitchell says, naming a few favorites: "Gold nameplate necklaces, corsets, slip dresses, and baggy jeans. My mom recently gave me a corset she used to wear when she was about my age."
Mitchell got a kick out of the cable access-inspired skits on Coach TV. "My friends and I often talk about how much cooler and more animated older programs used to be, so it's so fun to see them brought back to life with familiar faces. Some of my favorite shows were '90s Black sitcoms. I loved Moesha growing up."
She fondly remembers a black Coach bag her grandmother purchased for her, but says the Pillow Tabby is her preferred style now; that and a yellow plaid jacket-and-skirt set with matching printed heels from the Spring/Summer 2022 collection.
"I try to balance between having fun with my looks in a way younger me would be proud of, but still chic enough for current me to feel confident and powerful in. I think this collection bridged that gap," she observes.
Vevers wanted to take the kids back in time by using older equipment and techniques in many instances—Ty Evans' shot of the models exiting the subway comes to mind—to recreate the vibe of those early productions.
"You have to put on that obsessive hat to pull this off."
"You have to put on that obsessive hat to pull this off. It takes discipline to envision what it will be and say, 'No, we are not there yet; we have to keep pushing.' But also know when to compromise," he says of his producer's cap.
Legendary designers, old cable shows, and filming hacks are the only ways Vevers looks back in this collection. He scoffs at the idea that process and fashion will return to pre-pandemic ways.
"I don't want to use the term 'back to normal.' [The pandemic experience] fundamentally changed how I create and who I am as a person. I'm not going back to anything. I want to learn from this experience," he continues. The physi-digital form of the show was a game-changer.
"The show challenges us to think about the audience. I love showing to my peers and the industry. It's an important part of the experience. But that experience is for roughly 400 or 500 people; the audience digitally is millions. Making the show relevant for both audiences feels essential."
HAIR Adrianne Michelle Knight
MAKEUP Yasmin Istanbouli
PRODUCTION Emily Hillgren and Sofie Warshafsky INDIGO PROJECTS
STYLIST ASSISTANT Ella Harrington
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Nailah Hollis
