Bre Johnson\/BFA.com<\/p>\n
Coach<\/a> has had a strong run in recent years, from their brand revival caused by their Tabby bag to the launch of its sustainable Gen Z-inspired line, Coachtopia. Now, they’ve aligned themself with a new venture, bringing in a whole new audience, as they lead on their partnership with the WNBA.<\/p>\n On April 14, 2025, Coach and the WNBA announced their multi-year partnership in New York, NY, at the WNBA draft<\/a>. With the intention of “champion[ing] courageous self expression” through basketball \u2014 verbiage used both in the press release of the WNBA and on Coach’s site\u2014 the WNBA and Coach joined forces with emphasis on the 2025 rookie class. Coach joined Glossier, Pinterest, and other brands as an official league partner, but not as a fashion partner. Instead, they came on as the WNBA\u2019s official handbag partner, a choice that came \u201cnaturally.\u201d<\/p>\n “I think our biggest category within the business is handbags. We’re a handbag brand\u2014and our Tabby bag, in particular\u2014she\u2019s our icon. So it made a lot of sense that we would focus on being the handbag of the league,” says Kimberly Wallengren, Vice President of NA Marketing at Coach. “Everything my marketing team and the brand does is about focusing on our icon and making sure we put that icon in front of the consumer. We didn\u2019t really look at anything else. It was clear, this is how we could genuinely and authentically be part of the league.”<\/p>\n Kiki Iriafen<\/p>\n Ben Rosser\/BFA.com<\/p>\n That kind of clarity and intention is becoming increasingly common among brands looking to align with the WNBA. Since 2020, women-owned companies, and brands with women as their core demographic, have been racing to claim a piece of the WNBA pie. Beauty and fashion brands in particular have moved fast, drawn to the league\u2019s direct connection to a powerful and culturally resonant audience. With the WNBA experiencing a meteoric rise<\/a> in merchandise sales, viewership, and in-person attendance\u2014its most-watched regular season averaged 1.19 million viewers, a 170% increase from the 2023 season\u2014brands are now paying close attention.<\/p>\n For Coach, a 12-month exploratory process led them through \u201call types of sports,\u201d as well as entertainment and music, \u201cso many different avenues into Gen Z culture, and sport was one of them.” From there, they explored every possible entry point: \u201cleagues, teams, players, everything. It wasn\u2019t just about looking at women\u2019s sports, it was about seeing sport as a cultural center. And we just kept coming back to the W\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallengren continues, “It didn\u2019t start with the WNBA as the end goal. It started with the question: where is Gen Z, and how can we participate in their culture? How do we bring the intersection of fashion and culture together in a new and meaningful way?” She adds, “From the beginning, we wanted to make sure we were not only participating in culture but also helping to drive it.”<\/p>\n From a consumer perspective, Coach aligned closely with the WNBA\u2019s values, and even with their entry point of market, centered around the rookie class, everything pointed back to the league. From there, the handbag brand began conversations about what a partnership could look like: what the strategy would be and how they would show up. “It became very clear that our values aligned. We wouldn\u2019t just be showing up, we\u2019d be contributing in a real way, supporting not only the league, but also the players and the fans,” says Wallengren.<\/p>\n At the Conrad Hotels\u2019 Caf\u00e9 Grille in Indianapolis\u2014where they had just hosted the WNBA All-Star Weekend\u2014Kimberly Wallengren met for an interview over drinks. This city and All-Star game marked another venture Coach wanted to be part of. From their inception with the draft, Coach deepened the relationship by focusing on five rookies, a starting five of sorts: Paige Bueckers<\/a>, Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron, Aneesah Morrow, and Hailey Van Lith. The partnership launched around these players, anchored by Coach\u2019s platform, “Courage to Be Real.”<\/p>\n Bre Johnson\/BFA.com<\/p>\n \u201cWe realized this was a great opportunity to bring courageous self-expression to life. If we want to champion courageous self-expression, what\u2019s more courageous than a player who shows grit and grace, tough on the court and expressive through fashion in the tunnel? It\u2019s this beautiful composition of self-expression,\u201d says Wallengren. From there, Coach focused on storytelling. Working with five players, each with different experiences and styles, they aimed to align their values around the theme of “enabling confidence.”<\/p>\n “There\u2019s nothing more confident than a female athlete. They\u2019re groundbreaking, they break rules, break barriers. They\u2019re teammates, leaders, players and they carry all this confidence. That was a really important value for us,” she says.<\/p>\n Another important draw for Coach was the league\u2019s dedication to inclusivity, an alignment that reflects the WNBA\u2019s ongoing commitment to social justice. Initiatives like the Changemakers Collective and seasons dedicated to causes such as Black Lives Matter, Pride Nights, and Say Her Name highlight this movement. For Coach, they wanted to be the presenting partner with the WNBA’s Pride initiative<\/p>\n Coach\u2019s partnership with the WNBA is a three-year league-wide deal that took six months to negotiate. It also includes a three-team agreement with the Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, and Chicago Sky, and centers Coach\u2019s commitment to five standout rookies. But the collaboration goes beyond dressing players. It encompasses a digital content deal and player appearances at Coach events, including the brand\u2019s “Dream It Real” day.<\/p>\n As Wallengren explains, they looked at \u201cthe usual media metrics,\u201d but they also have a strong framework for measuring \u201cbrand love, brand attention, and brand sentiment\u2014how we\u2019re improving with this demographic.\u201d She continues, \u201cTo our original point about Gen Z, our next generation: these are women and young girls looking to the league for inspiration.\u201d She adds, \u201cThey may not be basketball players, but they see these women as groundbreaking role models, future CEOs, CMOs, and business leaders.\u201d This is exactly the diverse demographic Coach was aiming to reach.<\/p>\n Wallengren describes their pitching process: \u201cThey [the WNBA] are great partners. We start by briefing our internal teams, who develop the most amazing experiences. Then we share those plans with the league and work closely to ensure everything aligns with their regulations. It\u2019s a collaborative process.\u201d She adds, \u201cAs much as they’re vetting us for this process, we’re vetting them.\u201d<\/p>\n For All-Star Weekend, one of those \u201camazing experiences\u201d was Coach\u2019s pop-up at WNBA Live, a two-day fan festival held during the annual AT&T WNBA All-Star Weekend. The pop-up featured customizable bags, products for purchase, and meet-and-greets with players Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.<\/p>\n Bre Johnson\/BFA.com<\/p>\n Surrounded by a line, or crowd, rather, of fans, Washington Mystics forward, Kiki Iriafen debuted her partnership with Coach on day one, having opted out of dressing with them for the draft in favor of a traditional Nigerian gown. For her, the partnership \u201cmeans everything.\u201d Iriafen says, \u201cAs a rookie, to have a well-known brand like Coach invested in me, making sure I look good and taking care of me, makes me feel special as I start my professional career.\u201d She adds, \u201cThey’re more than just a fashion brand, they want to build community.\u201d<\/p>\n The outfit, a full suede brown, \u201970s-inspired Coach top and skirt, was a collaborative effort. \u201cI knew I wanted a skirt, so we tinkered, tailored, and played around with different accessories,\u201d she says. \u201cI love how Coach allows me to have a voice in what I want to wear.\u201d<\/p>\n She adds, \u201cI think it\u2019s recognition, having such a well-established brand like Coach invest in the WNBA as it\u2019s on the rise, and invest in five rookies means everything. It shows that they know our worth, value us, and are doing more than accessorizing us. They\u2019re amplifying our voices and stories. It\u2019s more than a well-rounded partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n Bre Johnson\/BFA.com<\/p>\n Later that night, where New York Liberty\u2019s Natasha Cloud and Sabrina Ionescu won the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest, Coach hosted an after-party at Commission Row, just five minutes from Gainsfield Bridge, where the game was set to take place. The event, held inside a restaurant, featured Coach cocktails, hors d\u2019oeuvres, and WNBA players floating throughout the party as New York DJ trio Las Flaquitas set the tone. Their set was taken over by the Stud Budz livestream\u2014and yes, it was that party where they danced with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on livestream and gave out free bags as attendees left. Amid the wholesome chaos as the party warmed up, guests anticipated Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, who was confirmed to attend. Bueckers showed up in a full Coach outfit, styled by Brittany Hampton: a muted yellow blazer, red plaid flannel, polka dot tie, and light-washed jeans\u2014an outfit that quickly made its rounds online, sparking both critique and praise. She joined me for an interview in the back of the restaurant amid the party.<\/p>\n Sonia Citron<\/p>\n Bre Johnson\/BFA.com<\/p>\n \u201cCollabing\u2019 with the Coach team, I\u2019ve always loved a suit, so they put together this whole concept,\u201d says Bueckers. On her masculine-meets-feminine style, echoed by Coach, she says, \u201cA mixing between the two, it\u2019s not putting yourself in one box. Whether it\u2019s baggy or streetwear, or a tighter crop-top look, it\u2019s being comfortable in both.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike Iriafen, Bueckers wore a full Coach look to the draft, including a large Kisslock Frame Black bag. She has since featured a personalized Empire Carryall 48 <\/a>organically in the tunnel. Tunnel walks, as Kimberly Wallengren, Coach\u2019s VP of Marketing, notes, are a core styling element for the brand. For Bueckers, Coach has been a catalyst for evolving her style: \u201cThe Coach bag is one of my favorites, but I\u2019ve continued to evolve in fashion, mixing pieces, getting comfortable wearing masculine clothes, and not caring about stereotypes of what you\u2019re supposed to wear as a woman.\u201d Her rookie styling identity: \u201cKeeping it classy but pretty chill, I also love being in the fashion world.\u201d<\/p>\n The Empire bag, which she speaks so highly of, came out of being teased from her teammates and using a trash bag or hotel laundry bag for her changed clothes until she got this Coach customized bag, “It became the perfect bag for me, I take it everywhere, I wear it in the tunnel walks, It carries everything I need for the basketball game.”<\/p>\n For Bueckers, who gives back through every partnership, mentions \u201cI want to give back with what I\u2019ve been given, so setting aside allocation for donation, and Coach has the same values as me.\u201d<\/p>\n The next day, at the return of the pop-up at WNBA Live, Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron arrived for a meet-and-greet wearing a dark tweed skirt-and-jacket set with loafers\u2014she\u2019s \u201cnot a big heels person,\u201d as she put it.<\/p>\n Paige Bueckers<\/p>\n Ben Rosser\/BFA.com<\/p>\n Citron has a different relationship with fashion than Iriafen or Bueckers. At the draft, she admitted she\u2019s \u201cnot one to put it on,\u201d but through Coach, \u201cthey\u2019ve definitely helped me feel more comfortable and confident and have helped me explore my style. I\u2019m definitely still working on it, but they\u2019ve definitely helped.\u201d<\/p>\n Describing her go-to look as \u201cstrictly sweatpants,\u201d Citron admits the partnership has taken her out of her comfort zone, but in a good way. \u201cI always end up loving it,\u201d she says. \u201cJust working with them over the past couple of months, we\u2019ve built that relationship where I\u2019ve gotten comfortable enough to say, \u2018this is not my favorite,\u2019 but they\u2019re always really receptive to it.\u201d<\/p>\n To her, Coach has long been about empowering women, but especially now, she says, it’s about \u201cempowering athletes to express ourselves how we see fit. Especially this moment in time, within the WNBA, with the CBA<\/a>, they\u2019ve just empowered me. I\u2019ve loved this partnership. I\u2019ve felt seen. It\u2019s made me look good, feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n