Bonnie Cashin – Pioneer Founder of Coach – The Early Years
As a native New Yorker and a real fahion fan, I have taken a great deal of interest in the history of Coach, especially that of its dynamic founder, Bonnie Cashin. From very humble beginnings in a small Manhattan loft fifty years ago, Coach has become one of the leading lights on the landscape of American fashion design.
Bonnie was born in Fresno, California in 1908. Even at a very early age, Bonnie would be seen working with her mother, who was a local dressmaker. In fact, it is interesting to note that she obtained most of her dressmaking skillset from working for her mother; she had no formal designer education.
Bonnie got her first real break when she got a job designing costumes for chorus girls in the Los Angeles area in the 1920's. She slowly began to develop a reputation as a unique and skilled designer and in 1933 moved to New York as head designer for the in-house design team at the famous Roxy Theater. Now, her career really began to pick up steam as her design reputation continued to grow.
