When I think of the Coach brand, I envision the suburban tween carrying her canvas “C” logo wristlet through the local mall.

But it wasn’t always this way. Before 1996, the Coach brand targeted an older demographic with its iconic silver toggle bags in brown, tan and black hues. But when Reed Krakoff took over as executive creative director in 1996, he transformed the brand to what it is today.

Now it’s bright, colorful and young. In 2009, Coach appealed to an even younger demographic with the lower-priced Poppy line. Often coined as the luxury line for recessionary times, it appealed to the millennial generation with lower prices, hip designs and social media marketing on Facebook and Twitter.

This phenomenon seemed to happen during the recession, when luxury brands were losing their core demographic, so clothes and accessories were rebranded for a younger audience.

Kate Spade is selling two totes with phrases printed on them. One reads, “Is this seat taken? #HandsomeStranger” and the other, “Tequila is not my friend #BaconEggandCheesePlease.”

This is obviously a nod toward the way a lot of young people use unnecessary hashtags on Twitter. I used to view Kate Spade as the brand my stylish grandmother wears. Now, it seems that it’s also trying to freshen the line for the social-media-driven generation.

Kate Spade released a new brand to add to its fashion empire, Kate Spade Saturday. Think of the Saturday line as the younger, less-dressy sister to Kate Spade New York. Just like Coach’s Poppy brand, the Saturday brand is less mature and lower-priced. The main goal of the new brand is “to channel the spirit of Saturday,” according to the brand’s website.

Tiffany & Co. is another brand that has attracted a younger audience, dating back to “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” in 2003.

What does an early-2000s Disney Channel show have to do with the Tiffany brand? Hilary Duff’s character, Lizzie, was a style icon for preteens when I was growing up, and always wore one of the “Return to Tiffany” heart toggle necklaces.

Pretty soon, I was seeing these Tiffany necklaces on 13-year-olds in my town, which I found surprising. That was once a brand you wouldn’t even dream of owning unless a handsome millionaire proposed to you. The movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” really exemplifies what the brand used to be: aspirational and luxurious.

Now, with the under-$250 line of heart, lock and key necklaces, Tiffany’s is making it through the recession.

In a way, it’s a smart marketing move. If a company gets the consumers attached to its brand at a young age, they’ll be loyal throughout their life and grow with the brand.

In my opinion, Coach has been the smartest in keeping the loyalty of every demographic to which it appeals — both young and old. Last year, Coach introduced its Legacy Collection. It did exactly the opposite of what the Poppy brand did: It appealed to the older generation that wanted the cleaner silhouettes of Coach’s original designs. Instead of black and tan leathers, the Legacy Collection has color-blocked and bright versions.

The combination of Poppy and the Legacy Collection allows the Coach brand to reach more people. And as the Poppy followers mature, they’ll start buying the Legacy Collection and buy the Poppy brand for their children. It’s a clever brand strategy.

These rebranding strategies are how luxury brands have remained relevant during the recession. The crisis didn’t kill the luxury market, it simply guided customers to the cheaper lines. The companies that haven’t adopted this strategy will ultimately suffer because as the generation that grew up during the recession gets older, it won’t have loyalty to that brand.

You may scoff if you see preteens carrying Coach and wearing Tiffany’s necklaces, but ultimately, it’s all a part of a rebranding strategy.

Allison Mariotti is a senior magazine journalism major. She has too many shoes to count, but could always use another pair. Her fashion column appears every Monday in Pulp. She can be reached at admariot@syr.edu.

Published on April 15, 2013 at 1:19 am