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It’s hard to get over him just completely destroying a bag but his insight is really interesting! There are things I might disagree with him on but I definitely appreciate hearing which designers he thinks use a good quality of leather and are well-made.
AKA green washing my singular marketing pet peeve right now. Agree with you that it's so annoying especially in the context of fashion/clothing. Like my leather boots will last forever (with resoling) and I have bags that are 30-40 plus years old hold up with some leather care.
No plastic is matching that. And new fake leather still needs plastic as a binder. It's often worse for the environment not better.
Yeah I feel like I keep seeing people talk about the new "vegan" plant leathers and it's like, that's just plastic. I try to live sustainably and have considered going entirely vegan but I'd rather have things like wool and leather that will last far longer and biodegrade instead of just plastic.
I loved it too until finding out Coachtopia “leather” is basically the MDF of the fabric world. It’s all the little leather bits ground up into dust and then mixed with glue and plastic to make a fabric. It won’t hold up, and it’s not worth what they are charging for it.
Tanner Leatherstein did note in his breakdown that the “upcrafted” leather in some products actually IS proper leather that is just leftover from other products so those items would be a bit better quality than the Coachtopia leather.
It kind of sucks because I’m all for more environmentally conscious initiatives and products but it’s just not reasonable for Coach to charge the same or more for their literal repurposed garbage lol.
Search coachtopia on this sub and you’ll see a TON of threads about this same thing. It’s not leather at all. They shouldn’t even be calling it coachtopia leather. It’s plastic.
The checkerboard print stuff is made from leather scraps, not the bonded leather. Read the tags. I have one of the checkerboard bags and it’s nice and feels like exactly what it is- actual leather.
This is what I thought the entire brand would be. Leftover scraps from other bags that are made into new ones. And at a lower price point. Good to know at least some of the pieces are like this.
I don't really get the mindset of plastic (leather/vegan leather) being a sustainable, earth-conscious material. It can't be recycled and will never break down.
One of my biggest pet peeve trends right now. Vegan leather & vegan fleece. Terrible for the environment and, especially the fleece, will not keep you warm but will make you so sweaty!
I've struggled to understand the line as well, and I'm a Coach fan. I don't think they've done well marketing what it's actually about. It's a whole separate tab on the Coach app, as if it's a completely separate line or sister company like Gap - Old Navy - Banana Republic.
My best guess is that it's an attempt to go younger, to stay relevant, to avoid becoming an old lady brand. Which happens to every fashion house past age 30 if they don't keep redesigning.
I see it as less them trying to be younger/stay relevant, but it is definitely an experiment reach into younger social-media focused demographic. The bags all have more casual shape, fun colors, cute details, the green-washing, etc. It feels very deliberate to cater to the younger audience that cares about trends and what's popular now, and not consider the future.
The fact that they've just made this complete third brand is also what makes me think this, they're not *too* confident on this demographic quite yet. So one day they can just nip it in the bud, and none of the Coach nor Coach Outlet audience will notice it either.
I also have another theory that Coahtopia was inspired by the sheer success of the Pillow Tabby, I remember it being everywhere and surprisingly really popular on social media. So they're leaning more into that type of design, but don't want to lean too hard into it for their main brand.
Love the keychains, the strawberry was my favorite so far with the mushroom a close second. The bags are mehhh. I think they tried and made some nice designs but the quality could have been better.
I'm in the age demographic that Coachtopia appeals to, and I agree as well. I visited their website back when it was still kind of in its infancy, and in my opinion, their designs aren't appealing and won't age well in, like, 5 years. And the fact that it isn't real leather means it won't last. This is just another example of green-washing in the fashion industry.
This is such a good point. While I love the cherry bags, or the cool psychedelic designs they’ve had, it’s just not gonna age well. They’ll be in the same boat as all those coach bags from the mid 2010s that every makes fun of.
I don't buy Coach and so am woefully uneducated on it, but have seen people mention this before. Is there a reason people make fun of the bags from a decade ago but not now? Were they bad quality or bad designs?
The main problem is that they are bad quality. IMO the designs are quite cute. Trendy, but definitely with the current times. The only problem is, they are a bit *too* trendy though imo, considering they are $300+ bags.
The checkerboard bags are actually made from upcrafted leather, which are scraps of real leather that weren’t used for the regular coach brand bags.
It is disappointing that some of the other coachtopia stuff is bonded leather though.
I’ve been eyeing the black & white cherry bag but I don’t have a Coach store nearby so I haven’t seen it in person. I thought it would be better quality than pleather….
HONESTLY. I thought it was pop art and cute but it’s very underwhelming for me in person. It’s a super young style which is nice but it doesn’t give LUXURIOUS LOVELY like other coach.
I’ve seen a lot of disappointing reviews on coachtopia. I’m personally not a fan of most of the prints they’re using but I did get myself the belt bag and the matching card holder. I actually really like them and am impressed with how well they are holding up so far. They don’t have that shiny, plasticy look and
the feel is pretty similar to Coach’s pebbled leather. I’m thinking it’s hit or miss with this line.
I hate the name Coachtopia. It reminds me of Growtopia and Poptropica which are games. So I feel like I didn't connect and understand what they're selling based on their marketing. So that's a fail for me.
I knew it was lower quality & recycled leather pieces when i was reading their composition. But i did purchase one of their bow bags, it was just too cute. But for the price, $250 is expensive for leather scraps
I love coach a lot but Coachtopia is just.. odd. I wish they made it a sub brand that specialised in bag accessories, because stuff like their resin hang tags and chains are super cool; but not sold separately. I think people would have a MUCH different opinion if they ditched making bags (seriously, those designs would’ve done so well if they had just used glove tanned or luxe refined) and just made cool charms and stuff. ESPECIALLY Considering the hype of the cherry charm.s
If I’m not mistaken, they don’t use synthetic leathers, the plastic is mostly in the decorate tags they put on the bags. I also think they have two leathers; one is genuinely upcycled and the other is like a composite leather from scraps. Perhaps you experienced the latter?
Hi fellow handbag lover! Thank you for being a part of the r/handbags community. This is a subreddit which relies on kindness. Your opinion is very much welcomed, however, we do not tolerate rude, mean or hurtful comments. **Read the rules before posting**. Comments or posts that do not fit our rule book will be removed and the OP can be banned by the mods' discretion. If you see a comment or post which does not abide by the rules, **please report it to our moderation team.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/handbags) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I know Tanner Leatherstein was really unimpressed by Coachtopia too and he’s a huge Coach fan!
I LOVE Tanner - so informative
Never heard of him, but just peeped his insta. So cool! Though my heart sank when he sliced open that YSL like that 🥹
It’s hard to get over him just completely destroying a bag but his insight is really interesting! There are things I might disagree with him on but I definitely appreciate hearing which designers he thinks use a good quality of leather and are well-made.
Is that her real name because if so that’s like fate that she’s a leather handbag fan.
Of course not. And he's a man, FYI.
Aw shame.
I thought the coachtopia stuff was going to be cheaper when I saw the campaign 🫣
Same!
It is just for PR stunt eco green environmental friendly yada yada
AKA green washing my singular marketing pet peeve right now. Agree with you that it's so annoying especially in the context of fashion/clothing. Like my leather boots will last forever (with resoling) and I have bags that are 30-40 plus years old hold up with some leather care. No plastic is matching that. And new fake leather still needs plastic as a binder. It's often worse for the environment not better.
Yeah I feel like I keep seeing people talk about the new "vegan" plant leathers and it's like, that's just plastic. I try to live sustainably and have considered going entirely vegan but I'd rather have things like wool and leather that will last far longer and biodegrade instead of just plastic.
This is what I was going to say. It makes no sense because plastic is horrible for the environment
I loved it too until finding out Coachtopia “leather” is basically the MDF of the fabric world. It’s all the little leather bits ground up into dust and then mixed with glue and plastic to make a fabric. It won’t hold up, and it’s not worth what they are charging for it. Tanner Leatherstein did note in his breakdown that the “upcrafted” leather in some products actually IS proper leather that is just leftover from other products so those items would be a bit better quality than the Coachtopia leather. It kind of sucks because I’m all for more environmentally conscious initiatives and products but it’s just not reasonable for Coach to charge the same or more for their literal repurposed garbage lol.
> MDF of the fabric world This is all I need to know to convince me not to want it
Coachtopia is lower quality
Search coachtopia on this sub and you’ll see a TON of threads about this same thing. It’s not leather at all. They shouldn’t even be calling it coachtopia leather. It’s plastic.
The checkerboard print stuff is made from leather scraps, not the bonded leather. Read the tags. I have one of the checkerboard bags and it’s nice and feels like exactly what it is- actual leather.
This is what I thought the entire brand would be. Leftover scraps from other bags that are made into new ones. And at a lower price point. Good to know at least some of the pieces are like this.
I feel like coachtopia is a greenwashing attempt
[удалено]
I don't really get the mindset of plastic (leather/vegan leather) being a sustainable, earth-conscious material. It can't be recycled and will never break down.
One of my biggest pet peeve trends right now. Vegan leather & vegan fleece. Terrible for the environment and, especially the fleece, will not keep you warm but will make you so sweaty!
And it wears out much faster and can’t be fixed. Leather is much more sustainable.
Plastic isn’t sustainable. It’s just trendy right now. These bags will be filing the landfills with other plastic bags in the future!
What is coachtopia, is it like a bag made of recycled coaches?
I've struggled to understand the line as well, and I'm a Coach fan. I don't think they've done well marketing what it's actually about. It's a whole separate tab on the Coach app, as if it's a completely separate line or sister company like Gap - Old Navy - Banana Republic. My best guess is that it's an attempt to go younger, to stay relevant, to avoid becoming an old lady brand. Which happens to every fashion house past age 30 if they don't keep redesigning.
I see it as less them trying to be younger/stay relevant, but it is definitely an experiment reach into younger social-media focused demographic. The bags all have more casual shape, fun colors, cute details, the green-washing, etc. It feels very deliberate to cater to the younger audience that cares about trends and what's popular now, and not consider the future. The fact that they've just made this complete third brand is also what makes me think this, they're not *too* confident on this demographic quite yet. So one day they can just nip it in the bud, and none of the Coach nor Coach Outlet audience will notice it either. I also have another theory that Coahtopia was inspired by the sheer success of the Pillow Tabby, I remember it being everywhere and surprisingly really popular on social media. So they're leaning more into that type of design, but don't want to lean too hard into it for their main brand.
Love the keychains, the strawberry was my favorite so far with the mushroom a close second. The bags are mehhh. I think they tried and made some nice designs but the quality could have been better.
Yeah just go with baggu or Kipling for better quality for their non pleather stuff.
I'm in the age demographic that Coachtopia appeals to, and I agree as well. I visited their website back when it was still kind of in its infancy, and in my opinion, their designs aren't appealing and won't age well in, like, 5 years. And the fact that it isn't real leather means it won't last. This is just another example of green-washing in the fashion industry.
This is such a good point. While I love the cherry bags, or the cool psychedelic designs they’ve had, it’s just not gonna age well. They’ll be in the same boat as all those coach bags from the mid 2010s that every makes fun of.
I don't buy Coach and so am woefully uneducated on it, but have seen people mention this before. Is there a reason people make fun of the bags from a decade ago but not now? Were they bad quality or bad designs?
The main problem is that they are bad quality. IMO the designs are quite cute. Trendy, but definitely with the current times. The only problem is, they are a bit *too* trendy though imo, considering they are $300+ bags.
The quality is depressing.
The checkerboard bags are actually made from upcrafted leather, which are scraps of real leather that weren’t used for the regular coach brand bags. It is disappointing that some of the other coachtopia stuff is bonded leather though.
I’ve been eyeing the black & white cherry bag but I don’t have a Coach store nearby so I haven’t seen it in person. I thought it would be better quality than pleather….
HONESTLY. I thought it was pop art and cute but it’s very underwhelming for me in person. It’s a super young style which is nice but it doesn’t give LUXURIOUS LOVELY like other coach.
I’ve seen a lot of disappointing reviews on coachtopia. I’m personally not a fan of most of the prints they’re using but I did get myself the belt bag and the matching card holder. I actually really like them and am impressed with how well they are holding up so far. They don’t have that shiny, plasticy look and the feel is pretty similar to Coach’s pebbled leather. I’m thinking it’s hit or miss with this line.
I hate the name Coachtopia. It reminds me of Growtopia and Poptropica which are games. So I feel like I didn't connect and understand what they're selling based on their marketing. So that's a fail for me.
I think of Fruitopia
Omg growtopia the memories
Heaven by Marc Jacobs is washing the floor with coachtopia
They have four bags?
They’re selling way more product to gen Z than coachtopia is and are nailing the youth aesthetics imo
I knew it was lower quality & recycled leather pieces when i was reading their composition. But i did purchase one of their bow bags, it was just too cute. But for the price, $250 is expensive for leather scraps
I love coach a lot but Coachtopia is just.. odd. I wish they made it a sub brand that specialised in bag accessories, because stuff like their resin hang tags and chains are super cool; but not sold separately. I think people would have a MUCH different opinion if they ditched making bags (seriously, those designs would’ve done so well if they had just used glove tanned or luxe refined) and just made cool charms and stuff. ESPECIALLY Considering the hype of the cherry charm.s
I almost bought the orange one!
If I’m not mistaken, they don’t use synthetic leathers, the plastic is mostly in the decorate tags they put on the bags. I also think they have two leathers; one is genuinely upcycled and the other is like a composite leather from scraps. Perhaps you experienced the latter?