We're Lusting Over Everything In Selena Gomez's New Coach Collection

When this superstar's not lending her face for athletic brands, she's busy coming up with chart-topping music, as well as spending time with her beau, Justin Bieber. We admit—while we've been seeing Selena's face everywhere, we're still can't get enough of her! This season, she's back with Coach, gracing their Spring/Summer 2018 campaign featuring the American brand's coveted new leather bag designs in a shoot inspired by the magic hour in the city that never sleeps. We got dibs on her interview at the set of the Coach S/S 2018 campaign shoot, with classic oldies playing in the background, Selena Gomez spoke about her relationship with Creative Director Stuart Vevers and asking for a Coach bag for Christmas.

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Selena, how are you?

I’m good; I’m healthy! I’ve been in New York shooting [the new Woody Allen film] and really enjoying my time in this city.

You grew up in Texas, in a suburban part of Dallas. Coach has such resonance for people of your generation who went to the mall as kids... Do you remember the first time you got a COACH bag?

Yes! Coach was a staple, especially where I was from. My cousin and I would always go into the Coach store. I remember all we wanted were those cute little wallets that they sold, the coin purses. They said Coach in little gold letters on white leather. That’s what my cousin and I asked for for Christmas, and that was a very big deal for us. It was cool that a store could make us feel that way when we walked in.

 

 

And now they’re bringing back the signature logo, which is so smart because it carries meaning for people like you who grew up with the brand.

It’s like vintage! It’s still the staple Coach bag, and it’s great when you understand what you’re getting behind when you buy something. Just watching them grow as a brand has been really cool. Creative Director Stuart Vevers added this edge, but it’s so beautiful and has a feminine spirit to it but it still has an edge.

So is that what first piqued your interest about working with Coach?

It was definitely Stuart. Even before I met him, I had read a bunch of articles on what he had done and understood his vision for Coach. He really wanted to make a young girl feel cool, but in her own right. I identified with his passion for Coach as an American brand.

Now, Coach is like family. In every kind of work project or business venture I undertake, I always want to make sure I love the people that I’m around. It changes the entire atmosphere. You know you’re in good hands and learning from the best. That’s how it is with Stuart, Steven [Meisel], Pat [McGrath], and Guido [Palau].

 

READ: Selena Gomez Completed A Two-Week Treatment For Anxiety And Depression, And Justin Bieber Is Nothing But Supportive

It’s so telling that one of the most recognized items from the Coach collections is a sweater.

There’s definitely an element of organic comfort—this type of fashion isn’t tough. And, you know, the sweater is the piece I get complimented on the most. Every time I wear one, people hug me and ask, “What is that?” It’s so cozy. I wanted to get one made for my 4-year-old sister, so we could match. I guess I’m that cheesy sister.

What’s it like working with Steven Meisel?

The first time I walked on set I was a little nervous; I can get a little intimidated. But he’s genuinely the sweetest, purest person. There are never a lot of people around, and it’s very intimate. It’s beautiful.

And Pat McGrath?

We met through Coach, but I had been a fan of her work for a long time. I would try to use it as inspiration for my own makeup, but how did I even think I could pull it off? Like “Cool, I can do that Pat makeup look to go out to my friend’s birthday!” She’s remarkable. You can tell how much she loves it. I don’t like going to work with people who you can tell just don’t care anymore. And I mean I get that; I’ve been there sometimes. But I’ve never experienced any other version of Pat than joyous, hilarious, passionate, and so cool.

Selena being made up by the one and only Pat McGrath

 

All of Stuart’s campaigns for COACH have been so New York centric...

Yes, but also there’s a real sense of a town ... He makes New York feel like a town, a real community. And it just feels like this is where the brand really lives.

That’s the thing about New York, isn’t it? You run into people at a restaurant, or on the street. That doesn’t happen so often in other cities. It’s a nice sentiment that resonates not only here in the United States, but all around the world.

Absolutely. Stuart keeps the integrity of the American brand, but makes it feel so global—where every girl and every guy feels like they can own a staple piece of the collection. I am always wearing a Coach brown leather moto jacket ; every single one of my guy friends was like, “I really love that brown leather jacket,” and I was like, “You could wear this.” There are just some really great staple pieces.

 

 

And I love that even as he continues to elevate COACH’s fashion, Stuart never makes it feel inaccessible.

Right. It feels like something special, like something that you deserve when you’ve worked really hard. Sometimes, if I finish a project or work really hard to get a movie and then get it, I’ll gift myself something and think, “I worked really hard for this.” The COACH pieces feel like those kind of things to me. But, at the same time, they do not feel inaccessible. That is a huge part of this for me.

How do you feel the resonance of COACH around the world when you travel?

Whenever I go anywhere and see a Coach store, I point like it’s my kid: “Look, Coach!” It’s that feeling every time I see the brand. And it really stands alone. Even when you go through airports, you see how it’s different. It’s such a beautiful, recognizable name. And the campaigns are so beautiful, the way Steven captures it, the colors especially. It just feels like I can spot it everywhere.

 

Check out the Spring/Summer 2018 video starring Selena Gomez here:

 

Lead photos courtesy of Coach. Special thanks to SSI.