Elle Fanning, Storm Reid and Paige Bueckers Turn the Page for Coach's Spring 2026 Campaign: Exclusive Details
Elle Fanning, Storm Reid and Paige Bueckers Turn the Page for Coach's Spring 2026 Campaign: Exclusive Details
Brittany TalaricoWed, February 25, 2026 at 2:13 PM UTC
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Elle Fanning for CoachCredit: Ben Rosser -
Coach’s Spring 2026 “Explore Your Story” campaign unites Elle Fanning, Storm Reid, Paige Bueckers, SOYEON, Lilas and Shan Yichun in a global celebration of storytelling
Rooted in Gen Z insights, the campaign champions long-form narrative as an antidote to digital overload and a pathway to courage and connection
The iconic Tabby bag also gets dressed up with new readable book charms, featuring titles like Sense and Sensibility and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
In an era ruled by 15-second clips, algorithmic overload and vanishing attention spans, Coach is betting on something enduring: the power of a good story.
For Spring 2026, the beloved New York fashion house unveils “Explore Your Story,” a campaign shaped by “global listening sessions with Gen Z” and co-created with communities across the United States and China. The findings: The next gen may be raised on short-form video and rapid-fire digital feeds, yet they are increasingly drawn back to books, book clubs and long-form storytelling as tools for identity, reflection and connection.
At its core, “Explore Your Story” is about defining yourself beyond an algorithm. Coach has long anchored itself to the mantra “The Courage to Be Real,” and this season that purpose finds new expression through literature and an impressive cast of tastemakers.
Storm Reid for CoachCredit: Ben Rosser
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The campaign is led by six boundary-breaking members of the Coach community: Oscar-nominated actress and global ambassador Elle Fanning; Emmy-winning actress, producer and CEO Storm Reid; WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers; Korean rapper, singer-songwriter and producer SOYEON; Japanese singer-songwriter Lilas Ikuta; and breakthrough Chinese vocalist Shan Yichun. Spanning film, music and sport, they represent all individuals who have built careers by owning their narratives.
Directed by Marcus Ibanez, the campaign’s two films show each star absorbed in a book as the world subtly transforms around her. The message is simple: Stories change how we see the world.
That transformation is made tangible through Coach’s most charming innovation: a new collection of readable book charms to decorate Coach’s iconic Tabby bag. Among the 12 global titles are Sense and Sensibility, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I’ll Give You the Sun, and A Forest of Wool and Steel, each selected collaboratively with Gen Z readers around the world for their themes of self-expression, resilience and creative awakening, according to the brand.
Elle Fanning for CoachCredit: Ben Rosser
For Fanning, the emotional resonance of Coach stretches back years. “When I got my first-ever Coach wristlet, I remember feeling like I had the confidence to accomplish anything. It was—and still is—such an empowering feeling when you’re wearing an item that gives you a boost,” she tells PEOPLE.
That sense of empowerment flows naturally into Spring 2026, a season she describes as renewal. “Spring is always a reset for me and really feels like the start of something new. I’m always excited to transition to lighter jackets and softer colors — like the Coach white leather moto vest. I feel like it lets the personality in my clothes really shine through.”
Paige Bueckers for CoachCredit: Ben Rosser
Fanning’s words mirror the campaign’s ethos: Clothing, like literature, can surface personality.
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Reid approaches her role in the advertorial from a similarly personal vantage point. “What excited me the most about this campaign was the storytelling,” she tells PEOPLE. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a book that really resonates with me, and reading is something I turn to often, so being able to bring that into the campaign made it feel very personal.”
Storm Reid for CoachCredit: Ben Rosser
For her, storytelling is about survival, legacy and voice.
Her philosophy on style aligns seamlessly. “I find fashion inspiration everywhere, honestly—on social media, on the streets, in real-life moments. For me, fashion is really about authenticity and wearing what makes you feel good. Nothing else should matter. It’s about expressing who you are in that moment. I’m also inspired by style icons like Rihanna and Zendaya, who are fearless in how they show up, and by my stylist, Jason Bolden, who constantly pushes me to take risks while staying true to myself.”
For Bueckers, the campaign represents expansion. Known for her precision and poise on the court, she embraces fashion as another arena of expression. “The opportunity to express myself in a different way other than just on the court was very cool. To be in a campaign with two other boss women like Elle Fanning and Storm Reid was also really exciting. It is crazy what these opportunities through basketball have done for me, and to get to go to London and shoot this was once in a lifetime.”
Her first memory of Coach is equally cinematic. “My first memory was stepping out at the 2025 WNBA Draft in the custom look Coach created for me. It was an extremely memorable piece because it was a custom suit that my stylist, the Coach team, and I collaborated on that turned out so beautifully, and it helped me celebrate such a special moment in my life.” That collaboration—athlete, stylist, brand—echoes the community-driven architecture of “Explore Your Story.”
Paige Bueckers for CoachCredit: Ben Rosser
Bueckers describes her style off the court in three words: “Simple, classy and confident.” The Tabby Shoulder Bag fits squarely within that framework. “It’s super easy to throw on and run around with during the day. I need something big enough for my essentials but also not too big so it’s perfect.” Fashion, for her, is both practical and transformative. “Fashion has given me a space to step out of the box with certain looks that may be unconventional or a bit crazy but have gotten a really positive reaction in the fashion world.”
Coach also partnered with Gen Z–led communities, including Sunnie, a social-first book club backed by Reese Witherspoon, and China Youth Daily, alongside Penguin Random House and independent publishers across China, Japan and Korea. Authors were invited into the fold. Conversations extend onto Bilibili, China’s leading Gen Z platform, creating shared spaces where stories can be discussed, debated and reinterpreted.
Coach Creative Director Stuart Vevers underscores the intentionality behind this literary turn: “At Coach, we’ve always believed in the power of self-expression. With ‘Explore Your Story,’ we wanted to celebrate the idea that style is another way of telling the world who you are,” Vevers says in a press release. “The Tabby is iconic, but adding these readable book charms transforms it into something deeply personal—it becomes a reflection of your inner world.”
That inner world is precisely what Gen Z has signaled it wants protected. And “Explore Your Story” answers that call not by rejecting technology but by complementing it. It bridges physical and digital, page and platform and succeeds because it understands something fundamental: identity is not static. It is influenced by the stories we inherit and the ones we choose to carry forward.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
