On Monday, 24 August 2015, Coach held a private reopening party at its Wisma Atria store on Orchard Road. The party showed off what the brand called its next generation retail concept. South Korean rapper Jay Park was the headline guest. Local actors Jeanette Aw and Elvin Ng and style personality Velda Tan were also there.
The guests
The list was a mix of television and style names. Besides Aw, Ng and Tan, the brand named style personalities Yoyo Cao, Arissa Cheo, Melissa C. Koh and Jessica Tham. The brand also hosted Ian Bickley, President of Coach International Group, and Andrew Stanleick, President of Coach South East Asia and Oceania.
Guests dressed in pieces from Coach’s Fall 2015 collection. The brand pointed to shearling and leather accents as the mood of the night.
Jay Park steals the night
Park was clearly the draw. According to the brand, at least 150 fans turned up to catch a glimpse of him. Guests inside also crowded for photographs. Another report described screams as soon as he stepped into the store, and said Aw and Ng were among those who welcomed him.
He spoke to guests and fans in fluent English, took a guided tour of the new space and then posed at the photo wall on the black carpet. He also took plenty of selfies with the crowd, tongue out in some of them.
What the redesigned store offered
The 4,600-square-foot flagship was developed by Coach Executive Creative Director Stuart Vevers with William Sofield, President of the design firm Studio Sofield. Stanleick called the result “sophisticated and refined, yet playful and authentic”.
The interior played with contrasting textures and luxe materials. At the opening it had hand-tufted carpets and warm wood finishes. The furniture was mid-century in style, with steel and leather counter stools and club chairs upholstered in pearl lamb shearling.
The store carried the full range of women’s and men’s lifestyle collections. It also had a craftsmanship bar that offered complimentary personalisation. Trade coverage at the time described this as the first such counter in a Coach store. The brand’s own account was that the Wisma Atria store was to be the first in Singapore to offer the service.
A flagship in the middle of Orchard Road
The reopening came a few weeks after the flagship’s earlier unveiling in June 2015, when Harper’s Bazaar Singapore reported that the space would also house exclusive collaborations such as the Coach x Peanuts collection. Shoppers who opened the Coach app inside the store could unlock a Peanuts photobomb feature.
The store sits at #02-19/27 in Wisma Atria. At the time it was open daily from 10am to 9.30pm.
Fashion media noted that it was a busy season for Orchard Road openings. Jimmy Choo had opened a store at Paragon the week before, and the homegrown label In Good Company had opened at Ion Orchard.
FAQ
Where was the Coach reopening held?
It was held at the brand’s Wisma Atria flagship on Orchard Road, in unit #02-19/27, on 24 August 2015.
Who designed the redesigned store?
Stuart Vevers, Coach’s Executive Creative Director, developed the concept with William Sofield and Studio Sofield. The design was meant to reinvent how the brand looked in its stores.