Gucci is a renowned Italian luxury fashion brand and Coach is a popular American brand that prides itself on offering affordable luxury. Both brands have their loyal followers and distinct styles, but which one is more expensive?
When it comes to comparing Gucci and Coach on price, Gucci is the more expensive brand. Coach offers higher-tier pieces that offer designer style at a more affordable price tag, while Gucci targets top-tier offerings with luxurious price tags.
It’s important to note that both brands are targeting different groups of consumers with their offerings. Gucci sells high fashion pieces and is well established in the world of elevated opulent creations and price tags to match, whereas Coach focuses on lower-tier offerings that still provide quality and designer style but at lower price points, making them more accessible as a brand.
A background on Gucci
Gucci is one of the most well-known designer brands in the world. Like its reputation, its extensive history is also impressive.
The brand was founded by Guccio Gucci in Florence in 1921. The brand’s double-G monogram is a nod to the founder’s initials.
Gucci initially created luggage and luxury travel items, expanding its offerings to clothing, shoes, bags, eyewear, jewelry, and watches.
The brand experienced a variety of troubles in the ‘80s but brought Tom Ford in as a designer in 1990. Ford eventually became Creative Director and was key in reversing Gucci’s failing reputation and performance and reestablishing its sense of luxury and extravagance.
Alessandro Michele became Gucci’s Creative Director in 2015 following Frida Giannini in the role. Michele revitalized the brand’s reputation, which was again beginning to stagnate, and helped deliver record sales for the brand.
Gucci is owned by French luxury group Kering, which also owns the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen.
A background on Coach
Coach was founded in 1941 in New York City as a family-run workshop. It made a name for itself through its high-quality and functional leather goods and accessories that were made in America and backed by a lifetime warranty.
Coach is known for its all-American attitude and modern approach to luxury design with a nod to New York style. The brand waned somewhat in popularity following large numbers of sales which altered people’s perception of the brand to one that was easily accessible and therefore not truly luxurious and exclusive.
The durability of its pieces suffered as well when the brand changed to mass manufacturing pieces in China and no longer offered a lifetime warranty.
Coach has made an effort to reverse this perception by cutting back on sales, adding more expensive pieces to its offerings, and taking inspiration from its vintage pieces for new designs and increased durability in its bags.
Coach is owned by parent company Tapestry, which also owns Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman.
Different target markets
Gucci’s history spans two decades longer than Coach but it isn’t just their respective ages that separate the brands. They target different consumers with different products at different price points.
Coach is considered a high-end brand but not in the top-tier league of brands like Gucci. Coach offers affordable luxury leather pieces that provide a blend of enduring style and quality but without the elevated sense of luxury that Gucci provides.
While they offer clothing, shoes, and a range of accessories, Coach’s main focus is leather bags and small leather goods. Over the years they have experimented with additional materials such as nylon and canvas, as well as varying design styles that incorporated more detailing in the pieces.
Gucci makes a variety of bags and small accessories as well, incorporating a variety of materials in their pieces, from leather and canvas to snakeskin, crocodile, and ostrich. Their pieces are made in Italy and sold at far higher prices than Coach pieces, with some Gucci bags costing as much as $34,000, while the most expensive Coach pieces are below $2,000.
Gucci focuses on top quality, premium materials, and timeless yet innovative designs. Gucci pieces are more collectible than Coach pieces, with a higher status assigned to them, and they have a good resale value too, making them attractive investment pieces as well.
While Gucci may be the more expensive brand, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the better brand. Coach and Gucci don’t operate in the same tiers, so comparing them is somewhat unfair.
Ultimately it comes down to consumer priorities in terms of style preferences and budgets. Each brand has a loyal fanbase for a reason, after all.