Monday, June 6, 2011

Coach - What Was an American Brand

Coach was founded in 1941 as the Gail Manufacturing Company. It began with six leather workers who made wallets and handbags under various names. In 1946, Miles Cahn and his wife Lillian joined the company and soon they had taken over. In 1957 the Coach brand of wallets and other small leather goods was introduced. In the 1960s, Cahn discovered a complex method for making leather strong, soft, and durable. Coach women's handbags were made out of sturdy cowhide. Other handbags were of thin leather pasted over cardboard material that was used to make other handbags at the time. Coach earned a reputation as an American brand making stellar quality products.

With Lillian's suggestion, Miles had made the women's handbags a little less expensive. This put them in a perfect niche of price and quality that quickly grew their company. In the 1980s, Coach was sold to the Sara Lee corporation. Coach Inc. opened many stores, and by the 1990s was making much of its products overseas. Now, while Coach retains the appearance of being an American brand, it produces most of its collection in China, and sells to the masses through many stores and presences at lower priced retailers. Coach bags have lost a lot of their luster as they proliferate everywhere, and at the lower end their bags have sacrificed much of their quality, and attention to detail. Not much better than their knock-offs in many cases.

Who are the brands that will fill the shoes of Coach which lasted so long as an emblem of quality and style? Maybe someone from our list of American Brands.

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