LONDON — Coach is on another charm offensive, this time at Selfridges, where it has opened a Gen Z-focused pop-up at the Corner Shop.
The Coach Charm Playground and personalization station runs from Monday through May 23, and it’s all about experiences, building community and offering customers an escape from the day-to-day. In tune with the retail zeitgeist, there is much more to do than shop.
The brand’s dinosaur mascot, Rexy, has been transformed into a slide that even adults can use. Guests can also step into an apple-shaped photo booth, a nod to Coach’s birthplace in the Big Apple, to capture and print photos.
How’s that for old-school?
Coach has taken over the Corner Shop at Selfridges with a Charm Playground aimed squarely at Gen Z.
The space spotlights Coach’s signature Tabby bag, which has been reimagined as a larger-than-life interactive product display that doubles as a monogramming station.
It includes a charm and customization station, while the brand is doing a four-week residency with the London-based fine-line tattoo artist The Social.
“Partnering with Selfridges’ Corner Shop is a landmark for Coach as we continue to explore new and exciting ways to engage authentically with our U.K. community, and strengthen our presence within the EMEA market,” said Matteo De Bortoli Albricci, senior vice president, general manager, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
“With self-expression and community at the heart of our global spring 2026 campaign, collaborating with Selfridges on this localized activation allows us to create a unique shopping experience…with the aim of redefining the retail journey for the end consumer,” he added.
De Bortoli Albricci said as the brand continues to expand in the region, “this activation allows us to bring Coach’s heritage to life in an immersive, community-focused way, placing our customers and icons at the heart of the experience.”
Visitors can shop a selection of Tabby styles, including pebble leather and quilted suede iterations in classic colors such as black, chalk and warm brown. There are also exclusive shades such as fuchsia and sky blue.
Coach has taken over the Corner Shop at Selfridges, with a playground-themed pop-up shop.
Coach’s New York family of bags, including the Empire and Brooklyn, new Kisslock and Turnlock styles, and a limited selection of runway ready-to-wear pieces and accessories, also appear on the Corner Shop shelves.
“In a world full of noise and constant distraction, we wanted to create a space where people can tap into their inner child and regain a sense of wonder through our Coach icons,” said Giovanni Zaccariello, the retailer’s senior vice president of visual experience.
“Charms are the central theme throughout, because we wanted to underpin Coach’s belief in self-expression in a playful way — taking classic Coach codes and supersizing them. The Rexy slide and apple photo booth act as the centerpieces of the experience, encouraging our community to come together and create memorable moments within the space.”
Coach loves touting its charms.
Earlier this year the Tapestry Inc.-owned brand created a series of readable book charms as part of its spring campaign, “Explore Your Story.” The campaign, which features Elle Fanning and a host of other stars, follows the brand’s official sponsorship of Sunnie Reads, a new Gen Z book club created by Reese Witherspoon, last year.
Coach is just one in a series of fashion brands, including Miu Miu, Dior and Bottega Veneta, to promote the value of reading books to digitally native generations.
That strategy has been working. In the fiscal second quarter Coach pushed its parent Tapestry to new heights, prompting the company to boost its outlook for the full year. The handbag brand — which invented the term “accessible luxury” 25 years ago, but lately has been moving upscale — grew sales 25 percent to $2.1 billion for the three months ended Dec. 27.
