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MENTION Coach and leather comes to mind - a soft, tactile and incredibly smooth creation of hide that, with age, is almost buttery to the touch. Coach's most valuable asset is its leather oeuvre - from iconic handbags to wallets to shoes - and it all evolved from 1941 when its pioneering artisans drew inspiration from how baseball gloves felt after wear and tear.

The quinessential American luxury brand traces its beginnings to a family-run workshop on 34th Street in Manhattan that made mainly leather wallets and billfolds by hand. In 1946, Miles and Lillian Cahn joined the company. The couple, who embodied the American Dream, were at the time already owners of a leather handbag factory, and had considerable know-how in the leather business. In the 1960s, they hired creative director Bonnie Cashin who revolutionised the brand and made it a household name in the United States. Today, under British fashion designer and creative director Stuart Vevers, the brand spans leather goods, accessories, women's and men's fashion as well as enjoys a massive following online.

"Great brands are living and breathing organisms, and we're so lucky at Coach to have an authentic heritage," says Joshua Schulman, the company's chief executive and president. He's speaking to The Business Times during a visit in October - his first interview outside of North America since his appointment in June 2017. Mr Schulman was in town for the regional Store Managers' Conference where around 800 store managers from close to 60 countries- from Europe, China, Japan, South-east Asia and the Middle East - huddled in Singapore over three days to ensure that everyone is aligned on the latest season's mission statement.