Coach’s Spring/Summer 2025 Collection Was An Ode To The New NYC

Coach’s Creative Director Stuart Vevers is a storyteller at heart. For his decade-long tenure at the American brand, the designer has leaned into a specific narrative or theme, from teen-rom-com vibes to odes to ‘90s vibrant club culture. The common thread can always be traced back to one protagonist: NYC. Yes, despite having hailed from the UK, Vevers has embraced and entrenched himself in the city’s essence and complexities, both past and present. For spring/summer 2025, the designer is looking to the future, a wild and reckless one, where old codes are eschewed and Gen Z’s unpredictable, care-free nature reigns supreme.

On a particularly windy Monday afternoon, Manhattan’s The High Line was transformed into an atypical runway, lined with all manner of young Hollywood, including Storm Reid, Kathryn Newton, Julez Smith, and Coco Jones. A thudding beat picked up, with a dramatic monologue playing over it, speaking to feeling “free of tyranny and fear” and finding said abandon in music. “I wanted to show on the High Line today because I wanted you to feel the collection and the urgency of the city,” said Vevers in an interview with GQ. “I knew over our loud soundtrack you’d still be able to hear the beeps of the taxis.” Indeed, the tone of reinvigoration and rediscovery was set — and the collection followed suit.

A procession of distressed leather, frayed, faded denim, and patched-up trousers signaled a free-spirited, laid-back aesthetic. It’s also a sustainable one as much of the collection’s pieces were made through Coach’s (Re) Loved Program, which reimagines archival items from the brand and gives them new life. Paired with traditional “I Love New York” tourist tees, roomy structured blazers, and worn footwear, the lived-in looks (like the leather ensemble worn by Ella Emhoff, who walked the show) for spring and summer prove that today’s youth don’t need crisp, polished formulas to get through the day. They just need a means in which to express themselves.

The casual, irreverent take on fashion that Gen-Z is known for — and that Vevers has catered to successfully in recent years — truly shined, boxers and all. Satin lilac mini dresses were paired with scuffed sneakers (topped with cassette tapes that a 20-something would likely not even be able to identify), and baseball hats. The large oversized totes of the early aughts played a prominent role via the exaggerated hobo bags and clutches gripped by sullen models. The aforementioned sleepwear short was styled for a day of errand-running with the addition of a faded T-shirt and longline pinstriped blazer coat. No rules, no problem.

Ahead, see all the highlights from the youthful, rebellious moment that was Coach’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection.