Coach & Kors’ Marriage of Convenience

Now, it’s Khaite’s turn. The Cate Holstein -designed label is now under the watch of Stripes, one of the few investment firms that regularly takes bets on fashion. Backstage at that show, I asked Holstein how the money has empowered her: I expected her to mention supply chain upgrades or more freedom with show budgets. (The Park Avenue Armory stagi... See more

For Coach, the biggest brand in the Tapestry portfolio, the show—a display of oversized leather blazers and pointy-toe jelly flats embossed all over with Cs, with J.Lo in the front row—is a customer acquisition cost.

Could they do it another way? Perhaps. But it’s part of the formula devised by creative director Stuart Vevers , who moved to the U.S... See more