The Big Picture

A First-of-its-kind Sub-line From Coach, Coachtopia Could Just Be Gen Z's Idea Of Fashion Haven Not Only With Its Bright And Feel-good, Nostalgia-inflected Aesthetic, But Also Because It Can Be Said To Be One Of Luxury Fashion's Most Concerted Efforts At Going Circular. Keng Yang Shuen Breaks Down How It's Doing So Ahead Of Its Launch In Singapore This Month.

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Like it or not, circular fashion can be said to be the antithesis of how most of the fashion world – high‑end or mass, producer or consumer – operates. While there’s no hard definition of the term, the big idea is to keep materials, products and services in circulation for as long as possible through various means (think upcycling, mending, renting, swapping and reusing). Through a more holistic approach that emphasises all parts of a product’s life cycle and considers new possibilities for existing items and materials, the ultimate goal is quite simply, yet importantly, to minimise wastage.

“Circularity is about reimagining not just the product life cycle, but the relationship between brand, planet and consumer,” says Joon Silverstein, senior vice‑president of Global Marketing, Creative and Sustainability at Coach. “We know that to transform our impact, we need to fundamentally shift mindsets: from seeing opportunity in waste to designing backwards to taking a more open‑source approach to creativity.” Together with Coach creative director Stuart Vevers, Silverstein has helped to come up with what some might call an ambitious way of designing and presenting luxury fashion.