New York state of dress: how US brands are winning on both sides of the Atlantic

American politics may have lost its cool but US brands are flying the flag for their homeland
Wild times: Coach’s new store opens at 206 Regent Street, W1
Karen Dacre22 November 2016

With Donald Trump and his permatanned troops heading for the White House, the US looks set to embark on a new age of bad taste. But it’s not over yet.

Keen to remind the world that its first city of style remains a market leader for exporting cool, New York’s biggest brands descend on the capital this week intent on flying the flag for their homeland.

Leading the charge is Coach, which lands on Regent Street on Thursday - Thanksgiving - with a flagship store for which, it hopes, fashion fans will be very grateful.

Intent on exporting a fresh slice of the Big Apple to London soil, Coach brings with it 445 square meters of retail space within which it will house its own take on New York luxury. Its concrete floors are reminiscent of the pavements of that city and a glass-block wall references the iconic Manhattan skyline.

There is a vast collection of ready-to-wear and accessories - an offering which brings with it Coach’s take on American culture, which is winning new fans for the house on both sides of the Atlantic.

Coach SS17 at New York Fashion Week

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Among the highlights is a craftsmanship bar and a made-to-order area at which customers are invited to personalise pieces from the brand’s offering, including its soon-to-be iconic varsity jackets - a favourite with Kate Moss.

Coach’s version of American style, much like Burberry’s take on Britain’s, is one that’s already going down well UK-side - and little wonder: as recent voting habits might suggest, Londoners and New Yorkers have more in common than taste in handbags.

For creative director Stuart Vevers, a Yorkshireman, Coach, with all its James Dean cool and Patti Smith rebellion, makes as much sense here in London as it does in the US. "Although it’s a New York brand and is very much inspired by the city, the ease and confident urban attitude of the Coach girl is international," he says. "You can access that cool in London, Shanghai or Tokyo - it’s about strength of character and individuality."

But there’s more to this American love-in than that. While London has long pioneered itself as a hub for cutting-edge design, its New York cousin has clung tightly to its own USP: the idea that its brands and designers are commercial geniuses who understand the wants of the contemporary fashion consumer like no one else. The result is an approachable aesthetic that sets London pulses racing. And at no time more so than at Christmas, when gifting the man/woman/sibling in your life with a luxury item they’ll be suitably impressed by becomes sport.

The result of our collective thirst for US exports means this week we’re expecting something of a American invasion. Along with Coach, the capital will also host openings from Tory Burch, which opens an accessories-only store in Westfield London, and Michael Kors, which opens a menswear store in the same mall next week.

Tote bag, £450, Tory Burch, Westfield London

Burch’s shop - sure to be invaded by husbands and boyfriends on the hunt for treasure this Christmas - will stock all the brand’s most popular Park Avenue-approved bag styles as well as footwear and jewellery.

For those of us who consider the best of New York style to be more about hoodies and Lower East Side grunge than Upper East leather luxury, Marc Jacobs also has some festive treats in store. The result of a collaboration with MTV, Jacobs’s latest vision includes pastel sweatshirts emblazoned with the iconic MTV logo as well as canvas bags which, at £120 ,are certain to bring festive cheer to many.

Sweater, £1,130, Marc Jacobs

While an American invasion of this sort is nothing new here in the capital, where we have long appreciated the best its brands have to offer, in these Trump-ridden times it serves as a reminder of some of the more palatable aspects of US culture. We’ll take an Elvis-inspired bomber (thanks, Coach) and a MTV sweater over Donald’s brand of doom any day.

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