Seven acclaimed photographers have come together to shoot a Coach purse to celebrate the American handbag label’s 70th birthday. Coach president Reed Krakoff, Chen Man, Philip-Kora Dicorcia, Steven Sebring, Wang Shya, Sheila Metzner, and Mika Ninagawa all photographed the same Coach purse in New York City.
It’s amazing to see the different qualities the photographers brought out of the accessory, just by changing the approach and backdrop. Ninagawa captured the purse in front of a colorful ferris wheel. Chen Man took a more surreal approach with his image which sees a Coach carrying girl embracing King Kong atop the Empire State Building. Krakoff was also inspired by the movies, although his approach is more indie and less big blockbuster. His photograph shows a bag hung on a balloon in Central Park, a scene which calls to mind the whimsical French film The Red Balloon.
The images were recently showcased at Beijing’s Iberia Contemporary Art Centre, an international scale event attended by Krakoff and Coach’s current muse Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s unclear where the photographs will turn up next, but hopefully an American exhibition is in the works. It’d be a shame for the label’s fans in its homeland to miss out on seeing this creative project.
