Coach began as a family workshop in New York in 1941.
The company was established as the Manhattan Leather Bags, a six-person workshop making leather goods by hand. It later adopted the Coach name and developed a reputation for durable leather handbags and accessories. Miles Cahn and his wife, Lillian, joined the company in the 1960s and helped shape its product identity.
A major influence on Coach’s early leather work was the construction of baseball gloves. The company adapted glove leather’s softness and durability for handbags, helping create products that were designed to age rather than look disposable. Bonnie Cashin became Coach’s first lead designer in 1962 and introduced practical details including large pockets and distinctive hardware.
Coach is sometimes confused with Michael Kors or Kate Spade because all three are prominent American accessories brands. Their origins differ: Coach traces its history to a New York leather workshop founded in 1941, while the other brands were established decades later.