For years, popular culture has placed fashion high up on a pedestal – and with good reason. Whether we’re talking about the craft that is ready-to-wear or the art form that is couture, the pieces we see and wear are mostly products of meticulous, stunningly imaginative visions that have been brought to life – patch by patch, stitch by stitch – that deserve our praise.
Yet, as fashion has continued to evolve, the scene around the industry has become more and more saturated; our perceptions of the craft behind the clothing seem to have reached an extreme. Now, as I’ve begun working in the social, digital landscape of the industry, I especially see, firsthand, how seriously people take fashion and view clothing as untouchable and even godly.
But even as highly as some designs are hailed on the catwalk, we interpret fashion and bring its pieces into the contexts of everyday life by wearing them. Whether on the rack or off the runway, our clothes become a part of us, and become extraordinarily, well, ordinary.
Coach, America’s sweetheart of the fashion industry, has just released its newest collection featuring the brand’s new mascot, Rexy The Coach Dinosaur. As I passed by the Coach boutique on Fifth Avenue on my way to work this past week, all of the designs in the windows proudly displayed the cartoon dinosaur – on cashmere sweaters, suede backpacks, leather key chains, and almost every other piece of clothing or accessory that was there.
I had some time to spare before my daily morning conference call. With a hint of a smile, I made my way through the store’s glass doors to quickly browse the collection. I was pleasantly stunned at how Coach’s high-end ready-to-wear featured the design of a dinosaur – a charmingly mundane symbol that takes me back to cartoons I used to watch, stories I used to read, and coloring books I used to draw in, as a little boy. Now, this speck from my childhood has been blown up into a full-fledged collection on Fifth Avenue that people across the country have added to their wardrobes.
With the birth of Rexy, Coach has found a happy medium in an industry of extremes that can take itself a little too seriously: a balance between elegance, quality, style, and luxury, and vibrant design, playfulness, and creativity – all infused with a spirited sense of nostalgia.
So, dare I say it, maybe fashion is more grounded, personable, and “un-untouchable” than we might think – and maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. Holiday collections and window displays aside, perhaps Coach’s beloved Rexy is telling us that it’s okay to be playful and childish, while remaining elegant at the same time, in any context.
Perhaps there’s even a need in this time we’re living in, to weave some colorful life and humor into the fabric of our daily lives, to seek that space within us and around us that makes us smile, and to embrace it – in our wardrobes, and in our hearts.
