• by Sarah Mahoney , February 26, 2026

Coach, fresh off record sales even as other luxury brands are struggling, is adding a new page to its marketing playbook, made up of … real pages. The literary launch uses familiar faces, including actors Elle Fanning and Storm Reid, as well as singer Soyean and Paige Bueckers, WNBA’s Rookie of the Year, in a campaign called “Explore Your Story.”

The campaign also arrives at a moment when luxury brands are rethinking how they signal value to younger consumers, many of whom are less interested in overt status markers than in cultural alignment.

The brand, owned by Tapestry, says the new effort grew from stepped-up consumer research and the growing realization that, despite Gen Z’s fast-paced digital lives, many are building deep relationships with long-form reading. Coach is converting some of their favorite titles to bag charms, which can be attached to Coach’s best-selling Tabby bags.

"One of the clearest insights we heard from Gen Z globally is how central storytelling is to how they make sense of who they are—and who they're becoming," said Joon Silverstein, Coach’s CMO, in the release. "In a world shaped by fragmentation, digital overload, and constant acceleration, many described books and long-form storytelling as a refuge—a way to slow down, reflect, and feel a sense of belonging.”

The campaign films, directed by Marcus Ibanez, also include Japanese singer-songwriter Lilas and Shan Yichun, a Chinese singer. The campaign aims to show how the right story can shift perspectives: as each cast member reads a book, the world transforms, showing how stories can inspire courage and connection. The effort also includes still photography, shot by Elaine Constantine.

The collection currently has 12 books, including Jane Austen's “Sense and Sensibility,” Maya Angelou's “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Jandy Nelson's “I'll Give You the Sun” and Natsu Miyashita's “The Forest of Wool and Steel,” chosen both for their themes of self-expression and popularity with the brand’s core consumers.

It also worked with cultural platforms, including a social-first book club backed by Hello Sunshine founder Reese Witherspoon; China Youth Daily, China's leading youth media organization; Random House; the WNBA; and Bilibili, China's leading Gen Z video platform. 

Silverstein said the campaign aims to bring in global voices and extend the project to college campuses across the U.S. and Asia through the "Coach Tabby Tour: Explore Your Story Edition.” And in stores, Coach is reinventing its popular Customization Bars as Coach Book Nooks.

The spring campaign rolls out shortly after parent company Tapestry reported record results, with Coach sales surging 25% to $2.14 billion, even as many competitors in the luxury handbag space struggled. (The company’s Kate Spade division is still languishing, with sales down 14% to $360 million for the quarter.) The company says it added 3.7 million customers in the period, with Gen Z accounting for a third of the newcomers.