by Deanna Brownlee

Created on: April 18, 2009

Few Americans can imagine the sport of baseball without its leather counterpart, the baseball glove. From its durable seaming to its soft, robust leather, the baseball glove remains instantly recognizable as a companion to the game. Its leather does not deteriorate, but instead becomes softer with age. It is an accessory that no catcher would dare be without. In 1941, in a New York City loft, Miles and Lilian Cohn recognized the potential of the glove's timeless essence and established their own company, Manhattan Leather Goods. In its humble beginnings, Manhattan Leather Goods boasted a collection of just twelve hand sewn bags, each constructed via a meticulous manufacturing process. Today, Manhattan Leather Goods is known as Coach, Incorporated. The company maintains its quality standards, and has expanded across the world. Coach sells a myriad of clothing and accessories, but perhaps its most prominent product is the Coach handbag.

Twenty-one years after the Cohns founded Coach, designer Bonnie Cashin joined Coach and crafted a handbag uniquely inspired by the paper shopping bag. In 1973, Coach introduced the Duffle Sac to their collections, and nine years later, Jew Frankfort joined Coach, and eventually became CEO. Then, exactly 40 years after Manhattan Leather Goods began, Coach opened its very first flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York. For the next twelve years, Coach continued to grow, introducing a watch and outerwear collection and opening a store in Tokyo. Then, in 1996, Reed Krakoff began his career with Coach and eventually won two awards for CFDA Accessory Designer of the Year. For the next six years, Coach grew exponentially and launched the Signature, Mini Signature, Legacy Leather and knitwear collections. Additional stores also opened in Korea and on Rodeo drive, as well as a newly restored flagship in New York.

To date, Coach, Incorporated boasts 10 main collections, but each season brings with it more fashion possibilities. The collections include an extensive mix of accessories, logo prints, brass closures and rich colors. From the $28 leather snap keyfob to the $6,000 Ostrich skin Sabrina, almost everyone can own a piece of the company. The Heritage Stripe collection, perhaps one of the most instantly recognizable collections, features the original logo print and telltale stripe. More recently, the collection has expanded to include several look-at-me graffiti print bags. The Penelope bag is one of several bags featuring saturated

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