How Coachtopia is Solving the Existential Crisis that Plagues Gen-Z Fashionistas
How Coachtopia is Solving the Existential Crisis that Plagues Gen-Z Fashionistas
By Sophia Melin
Illustration by Catharine Yoder
Imagine Amazon Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” star Lola Tung strutting through New York City, turning to wave at a friend who shouts: “See you at the climate talk tomorrow! She wears an outfit perfect for lunch with friends — jeans, a black leather jacket with matching boots, and, of course, a sleek black handbag.
Suddenly, the bag jerks her upward by the wrist. Tung floats above the streets, feet kicking aimlessly, until she drifts into the clouds. There, she meets her doppelgänger — a runway-ready figure in a floor-length tulle gown with oversized bows and a cranberry lip, also clutching a black handbag, tugging her skyward. The two Lolas exchange a bewildered look as their bags pull toward each other like magnets. With a whoosh, the handbags morph, scraps swapping and reassembling until two completely reimagined pieces emerge.
Back on the ground, the women sling their reinvented accessories over their shoulders as the words appear on screen: “Coachtopia: Have Taste, Love Waste.”
This whimsical ad launched “Wasted Parts: The Alter/Ego Collection,” Coachtopia’s 33-piece line made entirely from recycled materials. The campaign aired alongside Season 3 of UNC-Chapel Hill alumna Jenny Han’s hit television series, which was filmed on Carolina’s campus. The collection speaks directly to a Gen-Z dilemma: the desire to stay stylish without fueling the consumption rates that threaten the planet.
Founded in 2023, Coachtopia is Coach’s sustainable sister brand, built around “circular fashion,” the concept of minimizing virgin raw materials and crafting from what already exists to cut greenhouse gas emissions. According to Coach’s website, Coachtopia was inspired by “the passion of our Beta Community — a global and growing network of diverse and inspiring Generation Z individuals who are continually sharing their ideas about our products, messages and concepts as we develop them, setting expectations of the change they want to see.”
Not only are Coachtopia’s purses and wallets made from pre-loved Coach goods, but customers can also trade in their own items for store credit. Each piece — no matter the age or condition — is restored, remade, reimagined or recycled, giving it a second life instead of ending up in a landfill. The brand's activism extends beyond fashion. Through the Coachtopia Catalyst Fund, created with non-profit 1% For the Planet, the brand donates 1% of profits to support environmental non-profit organizations working to create positive change.
Already, Coachtopia has funded several youth-led initiatives, including “The Road to Circularity,” a new docuseries tracing Coach’s supply chain to expose industry problems and spotlight solutions. In the first episode, sustainable fashion journalist Aditi Mayer travels to Chennai, India, to visit KH Exports, a family-run leather manufacturer working with Coach since 1987.
Coach’s sustainability efforts have also shaped its Fall 2025 line, described on its website as “a commitment to love-worn, lived-in pieces with a story.” The collection featured bomber jackets, evening dresses, denim and Tabby bags made from repurposed materials, plus a clever twist on ’60s pocket bags reimagined with functional straps. Even found objects became “toolbox jewelry” — wrenches, wing nuts and screwdrivers transformed into earrings.
Sustainable fashion isn’t new, but Coach is taking sustainable initiatives to the next level. By targeting those who will be most affected by today’s waste and consumption rates, the brand positions itself not just as a luxury label, but as the stakeholder of the future. It’s a brand that moves beyond buzzwords and greenwashed promises — and one that Gen-Z fashionistas may actually believe in.
