c. 1962–1963
A Bonnie Cashin DESIGN / FOR COACH
Sewn cream fabric label with Bonnie Cashin in script and FOR COACH beneath. No leather creed paragraph or registration number.
label · woven textile · New York, United States
Other maker marks
Coach bag stamp
The name “A Bonnie Cashin DESIGN / FOR COACH” appears among Coach bag stamp on woven textile from New York, United States.
- Active years
- From 1941
- Country
- United States
- City / region
- New York City
- Products
- leather handbags, wallets and billfolds, belts, briefcases, luggage, fashion accessories
- Marks
- 5
1941 is the origin of the workshop from which Coach developed, not a claim that every later Coach wordmark was in use that year. Brand continues under Tapestry.
What to look for
- Read both designer and maker names on early labels. Cashin-Carry and A Bonnie Cashin Design labels for Coach differ from her work for other firms.
- Distinguish a short embossed Coach cartouche from the later multi-line leather creed. The cartouche dates given for handbags do not apply unchanged to small leather goods.
- Examine label wording, lining, construction and the complete bag together. Numbered and unnumbered creeds overlap in the early sequence, and a missing number alone does not establish a date.
Marks & lettering
5 marks
c. 1963–1968
A BONNIE CASHIN DESIGN / Cashin-Carry / for COACH
Long cream woven label adding Cashin-Carry in large script between the designer and Coach wording.
label · woven textile · New York, United States
c. 1973–1975
COACH
Small rounded rectangular frame embossed directly into the leather around COACH, with no story paragraph or serial below.
stamped · leather · New York, United States
c. From 1975
COACH / LEATHERWARE / THIS IS A COACH BAG / MADE IN NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A.
Coach Leatherware plaque sits above a framed leather-description paragraph ending MADE IN NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A. The illustrated early creed has no registration number.
stamped · leather · New York, United States
Undated
COACH / LEATHERWARE / A BONNIE CASHIN DESIGN
Burgundy rectangular woven label with large white COACH, LEATHERWARE and the designer credit; distinct from the cream script labels.
label · woven textile · New York, United States
About Coach
Coach developed from a small Manhattan leather-goods workshop established in 1941. Its six leatherworkers initially made items such as wallets and billfolds. Miles Cahn joined the business in 1946 and later managed the factory. He and his wife Lillian bought the company in 1961. Handbags made from supple, durable cowhide became an important part of the business, building on leather treatments inspired by well-used baseball gloves.
Bonnie Cashin began designing for Coach in 1962 and continued until 1974. Her work combined practical compartments, distinctive closures and strongly coloured leather. Fabric labels credited her by name, sometimes using Cashin-Carry wording. Other bags carried small metal or leather tags, and later an embossed Coach cartouche. The longer leather creed, describing the material and naming the place of manufacture, became another familiar form of identification.
The Cahns sold the company to Sara Lee in 1985. Coach expanded its own stores, catalogues and international distribution, and broadened its range beyond traditional leather handbags. An initial public offering followed in 2000, with Sara Lee’s remaining interest spun off in 2001. In 2017 the parent company changed its corporate name from Coach, Inc. to Tapestry, Inc.; Coach continued as the consumer brand.
Also known as: Coach Leatherware · Coach New York · Coach Inc. · Coach; historically Coach Leatherware, now a brand of Tapestry, Inc.
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Bonnie Cashin handbags and garments for other manufacturers
Cashin also designed for Meyers and several clothing firms. Her name alone does not identify Coach; look for the explicit COACH or COACH LEATHERWARE wording on the label.