Simone Chavoor was tired of walking into work with an “ugly backpack from Amazon” on her shoulders.
So the 43-year-old media professional went looking for an upgrade on eBay. She found one in a vintage Coach Beekman briefcase in the British tan colorway.
It wasn’t perfect, by any means. Its leather was dry, and its hardware had become dull. The “project bag,” as collectors would call it, needed work. But Chavoor — who said she bought the bag for “less than a dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant” — was happy to take it on.
In the end, Chavoor got more than a bargain. “Now I look more put together and professional,” she told Business Insider.
And she’s not the only one. Coach’s resurgence, paired with shifting workwear trends, has collectors and office workers alike scouring secondhand sites for decades-old briefcases from the brand.
The history of Coach briefcases
Between the 1950s and 1980s, briefcases were the “it” bag of the workplace. In the earliest days of the trend, attaché cases — or rigid, box-like briefcases — were the desired style.
Coach took a different approach. The Metropolitan bag, released in 1986, was the brand’s first foray into briefcases. The messenger-style bag had a long shoulder strap, a flap-over design, a top handle, and the brand’s signature brass hardware. A similar — but more refined with a rounded flap — briefcase called the Beekman was introduced in 1991.
Over time, these pieces began to lose their appeal. Laptops replaced stacks of papers, and more casual dress codes made backpacks the go-to work bags.
Now, workwear trends are shifting again. Even as some office dress codes remain relaxed post-pandemic, workers are seeking ways to add more polish to their wardrobes without sacrificing comfort and practicality. Briefcases are one way to do that.
Coach’s resurgence among Gen Z and millennials in recent years has made its vintage briefcases especially appealing. The brand’s parent company, Tapestry, reported a 19% revenue rise in Q3, which it said was led by gains from Coach.
The brand sells a modern version of its Metropolitan bag for $595, but it’s often sold out. Vintage versions of both briefcases also sell on secondhand sites for upward of $150 each.
On TikTok, shoppers are sharing their secondhand briefcase finds from thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace. Some are even seeking vintage briefcase styles and their modern counterparts to compare.
The ‘Devil Wears Prada’ effect
A spokesperson for Lyst recently told The New York Times that demand for women’s purses was “down 5.5% in April 2026 compared to April 2025.”
Searches for briefcases, however, were up 14%, and Coach remained on its “Hottest Brands” list for Q1 2026. Briefcase searches also rose on Google in May of this year.
The latter is likely, at least in part, the result of Anne Hathaway carrying a Coach Metropolitan briefcase in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which was released that same month.
For Ryan Newhouse, a 32-year-old office manager from New York, seeing Hathaway carry the Coach bag was validating. He got his first Coach bag — a brown 1999 Beekman briefcase — about 10 years ago. It was gifted to him by a friend who was clearing out items left behind by her ex-boyfriend.
Newhouse was just starting his career and thought the vintage bag would be the perfect addition to his wardrobe, even if it had some wear and tear. Three years ago, Newhouse finally restored the bag to its former glory (with the help of TikTok tutorials). Now he carries it to work at least twice a week.
Newhouse said he loves seeing Coach in pop culture, though his love for the brand’s briefcases goes beyond any TV show or movie that features them.
Newhouse and Chavoor both said that carrying a briefcase from the brand instantly helps them feel more confident and professional, elevating their outfits.
“Coach is so timeless,” Newhouse said. “And with the pricing being so affordable, you really can’t beat it.”
Chavoor also said she appreciates the sustainability aspect of vintage Coach briefcases.
“I have really fallen in love with the quality, the leather, and the history of these bags,” she said. “We should be moving away from fast fashion.”
“Social media has accelerated our trends cycle, but if you have a nice piece and you take care of it, it’ll last for ages. You can always make it look fresh,” Chavoor continued.
Maybe most importantly, though, this new era of briefcases might shift the accessory’s cultural significance.
“Briefcases are so gendered; we expect to see men carrying them,” Chavoor said. “But I kind of like that masculine energy and reclaiming it as a woman.”
“I’m in a professional setting. I’m a woman, and I’m wearing a dress, but also, I have this badass briefcase because I mean business,” she added.
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