Coach’s 360 mirror photo ‘op’

Warmly toned mirrors inside of Coach's 360 photo booth

The pop-up event included a reflective mirror photo booth, a display of the collection of purses, and a cafe truck consisting of free tea, hot chocolate, and lattes. The Coach branding was consistent throughout the activation with select drinks garnished with the “Coach” shaped foam. 

Brand ambassador, Malisa Bynum, describes the goal of the event to be an “immersive experience”. She describes the latest collection as “bold, trendy, and chic”.

Coach’s statement pieces were enraptured by the bright colors, unique shapes, and Renaissance chrome embedded within the designs of the bags.

Pop-up attendee and senior psychology major Ellee Bartholomew enjoyed the eclectic experience.

“I like the versatility because I feel like Gen Z, they kind of like to group us but we're actually a very diverse group of people so like for it to be so versatile of different purses, I feel like they are doing a very good job,” Bartholomew expressed.

Founded in 1941, Coach has sustained its relevance through generations. This may be attributed to the varying ages of its fan base. The latest collection focuses on self-expression and sustainability, two themes align well with the ethos of Gen-Z.

The Coach “Shine Collection”

“The Fall Winter line that we have right now is mainly based around sustainability and recrafting and upcycling of things. So that's why you see a lot of different silhouettes and shapes that are trendy at the moment. Then obviously our Shine Collection with metallic leather; what we want [target audience] to get from that is just wear your shine. Be yourself, express yourself,” Jelan shared.

The sustainability aspect comes from the brand’s (Re)Loved initiative where fans of the brand can donate their old bags to be (Re)Loved and repurposed for others to enjoy.  

“People will ‘ReLove' their bags and donate them to us and then we'll take that leather and those scraps and remake things…so that way you're not basically like starting from scratch damaging the environment,” Jelani added.

This “ReLoving” is proving to be a good “Rebrand” as the internet is starting to take notice of buzz circulating their recent lines.

Aside from the beautifully displayed bags and lovely lattes, Howard is not new to these types of events. Just last week, Pretty Little Thing was at Howard showing similar gestures of support while promoting a new line as well. 

The beloved clothing brand graced Howard’s campus with a similar immersive pop-up where students were able to spin the wheel to receive either a hat, t-shirt, socks, or folded fan. Students also received 20% off their future purchases as well. 

Appealing items from each collection were displayed, but to accommodate such a large audience, small branded gifts were distributed.

Although there is excitement around campus about these events, some students like Bartholomew feel this marketing tactic is benefiting the brand more than the students.

Howard University students taking photos outside with Coach’s reflective orange-yellow mirror

“I feel like it's amazing. We deserve to experience these types of things that we connotate with black luxury and things we're not used to. But at the same time, I feel like there should be more offers than just like, you're coming here just to say ‘I was here’ and didn't really give us nothing or advocate for us,” said Bartholomew.

Students seemed to enjoy being recognized by such large corporations and took advantage of every aspect with lines crowding in front of Blackburn.