The Tapestry-owned brand announced during its NYFW show that the American musician is the latest addition its ever-expanding team of ambassadors. After Coach teased the announcement for days on Instagram, Lil Nas X closed the brand’s Spring/Summer 2023 show at the Park Avenue Armory on Monday. He sported leather shorts and a vest down the brand’s sunset-hued runway, designed to evoke New York City’s piers.

“Lil Nas is a fabulous representation of the authenticity of a Gen-Zer who has the courage to be real,” said chief executive Todd Kahn in an exclusive interview with BoF earlier this month.

Lil Nas X joins a diverse cast of Coach faces, including Jennifer Lopez, Megan Thee Stallion, Michael B. Jordan, Köki, Noah Beck, and Wisdom Kaye. Celebrity ambassadors have been an important part of Coach’s effort to up its cachet and get attention from younger consumers since it first tapped Selena Gomez in 2016. Today Coach counts over 40 ambassadors, whom Kahn refers to as creating a “constellation,” that helps the brand appeal to a wide variety of people.

“We transact in 50 countries … There is no singular ambassador who speaks to each of those countries and every person in those countries,” Kahn told BoF. “I want to make sure we are speaking to a broad range of people.”

The appointment comes after Coach announced a repositioning away from accessible luxury and toward “expressive luxury,” which will see it debut refreshed marketing aimed at luring Gen-Z, and turn away from the down-market connotations of its prior positioning.

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Coach Is Done With Accessible Luxury

After a decade of false starts, Coach is finally hitting its stride with products people want, restrained discounting and distribution, a newfound digital savvy and fluency in Gen-Z. Finding new ways to grow without falling back into its old habits will still be tricky. CEO Todd Kahn lays out the brand’s game plan for BoF.