Lady LUX

Coach and Bittar may have had different journeys, but both have found the path to success.

As a well-established brand, Coach has been around the block at this point. It was key in the ‘70s, when Bonnie Cashin created designs for the label and the company vended quite a few iconic items. Today, it continues in the classic vein, relaunching five timeless handbags to be sold exclusively on e-commerce site Net-a-porter from June 15. The company may have been around for a while, but it is definitely riding the current online trends.

The idea is to introduce classic Coach designs to the younger generation, who may not be connecting with the brand. Considering how hard the ‘70s trend is hitting the fall runways, this could be the label’s chance to again make an impression with its original designs.

Heritage is the name of the game for Coach. Net-a-porter’s buying director Holli Rogers believes that the bags are still relevant even 30 years later.

“The Coach designs from this era were seminal in defining our approach to great American style,” Reed Krakoff, president and executive creative director for Coach, said to WWD. “Heritage is our hallmark, so we’re pleased to reintroduce these iconic bags.”

Back in the ‘70s, Coach sold bags made of thick, supple and smooth tanned cowhide, completed with old tone hardware, turnlock flap closures and leather handles. The newly released bags, taken directly from the archives, all had been introduced in the ‘70s and have historically had limited availability.

The brand is aligning itself with the next generation. “There’s an appreciation for what these [Coach] bags represent,” a Net-a-Porter spokeswoman told WWD. “There’s a younger customer who is not going to have the associations of the first time she got her Coach bucket bag when she graduated from college. This is something we’re proud of that’s being specially created for Net-a-porter.”

In contrast, Alexis Bittar’s jewelry has made its mark more recently. His line has broad appeal, with customers such as first lady Michelle Obama and Lady Gaga – clearly a varied bunch.

While Coach is more mainstream, Bittar’s unique high-end looks are not intended for the masses, and he knows it. As he leafs through his fall 2011 lookbook, he pauses at a pair of studded gold cuffs connected linked a slender chain, reminiscent of the handcuffs he crafted with Lady Gaga his muse. “It’s very editorial,” he said to WWD.

Bittar’s price points range just as much as his designs. Available at 800 locations and all major department stores, his collections—Lucite, Elements and Miss Havisham—start at small earrings for around $65 and up to $900 for more complex pieces with semiprecious stones or hand detailing, depending on the effort expended.

The Lucite line is overflowing with handmade bangles, rings, brooches and earrings, whereas the other two collections combine mixed metals, huge gemstones and jewel-encrusted bracelets.

Connecting with the current consumers, Bittar for sure has a fan in the first lady, who has been snapped wearing his Lucite brooches and bangles.

“I am able to manipulate and sculpt it. It’s interesting in the way it reflects light, manipulates color and the way it shadows. It’s so modern and bright and colorful,” Bittar said of the material Lucite.

Bittar discovered the retro plastic Bakelite—popular in ‘30s home décor pieces—through his experiences antique collecting. Together with hand-carved pieces of Lalique, these formed the basis of the inspiration for his initial jewelry pieces. Today he is a pioneer in the Lucite field.

Like Coach, he stills sells one of his original designs.

“There’s this one earring I refuse to pull out of my line,” he said. “It’s a round bottom clip earring. It’s a super basic, glowing little ball. It comes in 72 colors. It’s one of the first things I ever created.”

Bittar takes his time in fashioning his pieces. Each one-of-a-kind item is handcrafted and all components, down to the last detail, are designed in-house.

“I was kind of known as ‘The Lucite Guy,’ and of course, jewelry wasn’t at its zenith the way it is today when I was starting out,” he said to WWD. “People didn’t see a huge value in Lucite and what I was doing.”

Those interested in Coach’s Net-a-porter sale can preregister for the sale at www.net-a-porter.com to be ready when it goes live. Prices range from $298 for a shoulder purse to $498 for a field bag.

To experience Bittar’s collections, visit www.alexisbittar.com.

Tagged in: jewelry, handbag, alexis bittar, lucite, coach, net-a-porter,