"Her Power" | Coach China President Liliana Lucioni: "Her Power" is a possibility that allows for multiple paths to exist.

As the global luxury industry enters a phase of deep adjustment and quality upgrade, challenges and opportunities intertwine. The industry not only maintains resilience but also revitalizes through iteration, with the competitive landscape evolving toward greater rationality and value. Against this backdrop, women leaders’ unique resilience and empathy are becoming key forces for brands to navigate uncertainty and rebuild growth logic. Liliana Lucioni, President of Coach China, leverages over 20 years of experience in luxury and fashion, along with a deep understanding of Chinese culture, to lead the brand steadily in the local market. She firmly believes that “‘Her Power’ is a possibility that allows multiple paths,” a force that supports her professional growth and helps the brand stand out in the self-pleasure consumption wave, transmitting warmth through sustainable development and women’s empowerment.

Coach China President Liliana Lucioni

Breaking New Luxury with Authenticity: Empathy Unlocks New Growth in Self-Pleasure Consumption

Chinese women’s consumption is shifting from “pleasing others” to “pleasing oneself,” prompting a redefinition of luxury value—consumers no longer chase brand symbols alone but seek products and experiences that resonate with their values and provide emotional support. This transformation aligns closely with Coach’s “Expressive Luxury” positioning, and Liliana’s nuanced insights as a female leader enable the brand to precisely meet the segmented needs of women across different ages.

“The old logic of ‘saving a few months’ wages to buy a seemingly expensive handbag’ is fading. Instead, motivations now emphasize identity recognition and self-expression—whether the product can represent ‘who I am’ rather than ‘what I own,’” Liliana explains. “The core of ‘Expressive Luxury’ is to encourage women of all ages to seek authenticity and pursue their true selves, creating a platform that builds confidence and fosters genuine self-expression, responding with inclusiveness and sincerity to different life stages’ emotions and needs.”

This insight into female consumer psychology also informs the local implementation of Tapestry Group’s AMPLIFY growth strategy. For Liliana, “pleasing oneself” is not just emotional resonance but also a rational, long-term choice. Coach focuses on excellent product quality, investing continuously in design, functionality, and durability. By enriching product tiers and usage scenarios, the brand aims to meet women’s real needs at various life stages and lifestyles, providing seamless, rich experiences at every touchpoint. Meanwhile, leveraging the group’s digital technology advantages, local insights are embedded into long-term planning, enabling more agile decision-making and execution, deepening emotional connections with consumers.

At last year’s investor day, Coach announced a $10 billion future target. China plays a crucial role as a core engine in its global growth map. Under Liliana’s leadership, the Chinese market plans to expand its urban footprint over the next three years, opening new stores in more cities, especially those with dense young populations and room for brand penetration. “We aim to be the first handbag choice for young consumers and to accompany them through different life stages,” she says. The brand will prioritize entry into shopping environments favored by young consumers, sharing stories, experiences, and products to reach more potential customers. Recognition from young groups also drives overall brand penetration. Notably, China’s digital advantages and rapid feedback mechanisms enable faster translation of consumer insights into product, pricing, channels, and experience systems—experiences that also feed back into Coach’s global operations.

Empowering Women: Resilience and Responsibility Shine Through

For Liliana, the empathy and sense of responsibility of women leaders are not only reflected in brand management but also play a unique role in promoting industry sustainability and building women-friendly ecosystems. As a female leader in fashion, she prioritizes sustainability and responsible fashion, transforming concepts into tangible actions.

Coach’s circular fashion sub-brand Coachtopia launched in China two years ago, and collaborations with institutions like Donghua University on the “China Cool” youth talent program have deepened local co-creation of sustainability. The program has engaged over 560 students, incubated more than 70 projects, some winning international awards, achieving commercial success, or entering major expos like the China International Import Expo. “This year, our focus is on circular practices—using waste materials as creative bases, deconstructing and reimagining fashion art to turn circularity into aesthetic and market value,” Liliana says. Future efforts will bring circularity closer to consumers’ daily lives and deepen collaborations with universities and young creatives, extending sustainability from brand actions to industry-wide cultural practices.

Beyond sustainable fashion, Liliana actively builds women-friendly industry ecosystems and empowers female professionals. Gender equality is embedded in the company’s culture and values. The group has launched initiatives supporting women at different career stages, with internal women’s resource groups providing ongoing support. Socially, the group partners with organizations like China Rural Women’s Development Foundation, running programs such as “Rural Women Empowerment and Employment Training,” offering systematic skills training to women in remote areas to help them increase income and achieve economic independence. Since 2020, Coach has partnered with the China Youth Development Foundation on the “Coach Foundation·Dream Walk” program, supporting students through scholarships and social practice, helping them clarify career paths and develop professionally.

Reflecting on over 20 years of career—from Saint Laurent and Prada to Coach, from Vice President of Asia-Pacific Product Procurement to President of China—Liliana admits that her greatest advantage as a woman is a deep understanding of “people”—sensing consumer emotions and needs, listening to diverse team voices, and balancing variables. As a mother of three, she doesn’t seek “perfect balance” but believes in integrating work and life: “When with my children, I give my full attention; at work, I focus and work efficiently. The key is to do your best in the moment and stay authentic.” This attitude helps her better understand women’s pressures and needs at different stages, fostering more human-centered products and services.

For young women aspiring to enter luxury and fashion, Liliana offers three tips: break societal or self-imposed boundaries, stay curious and committed to continuous learning, and cultivate resilience to uphold long-term values amid industry fluctuations. “You can be a mother, a leader, a creator, or different versions of yourself at different stages.” Her own career journey exemplifies this.

From precise brand strategy implementation to sustainable fashion, from empowering women employees to industry ecosystem building, Liliana demonstrates that “Her Power” is not a single label but a spectrum of possibilities—lighting the way for fashion industry evolution. When countless small lights gather, they can infuse industry development with warmth and lasting strength.

Selected Q&A Highlights:

Q: In the current deep adjustment phase of the global luxury industry, with challenges like high inflation and fluctuating consumer confidence, how do you see women leaders’ resilience and empathy creating differentiated value for Coach in navigating uncertainty and rebuilding growth?

Liliana Lucioni: Stability and forward-looking growth resilience. Traits like resilience and empathy help leaders maintain long-term brand investment amid short-term volatility and sense real-time psychological shifts, making decisions based on authentic signals.

For Coach, our growth focus is on building deeper emotional connections with consumers—aligning products with lifestyles—and ensuring strategic consistency and synergy across products, experiences, channels, and communication. Strengthening consumer engagement and organizational capabilities fuels stable long-term growth.

Q: How will you implement the “Amplify” growth strategy—focusing on emotional connection and sustainable growth—in China, especially considering the shift from “pleasing others” to “pleasing oneself” among Chinese women?

Liliana Lucioni: Women now seek recognition and emotional resonance, moving from “being seen” to “being understood,” wanting their life and spirit to be truly understood. We reinforce authentic, inclusive, and self-expressive brand narratives, creating a platform that encourages women to express themselves and pursue authenticity, fostering deep, lasting emotional bonds.

“Pleasing oneself” also means making more rational, long-term choices. We focus on excellent product quality—design, functionality, durability—and offer diverse tiers and scenarios to meet women’s needs at different life stages and lifestyles, delivering seamless, rich experiences at every touchpoint.

We leverage group digital capabilities to embed local insights into long-term planning, enabling more agile responses to evolving consumer mindsets.

Q: Coach’s “Expressive Luxury” positioning emphasizes helping consumers express themselves and build confidence, aligning with women’s needs for inclusion and empathy. How does this positioning precisely capture different age groups’ needs in China and translate into competitive advantage?

Liliana Lucioni: The old logic of “saving months’ wages for a luxury bag” is fading, replaced by motivations centered on identity and self-expression—whether a product can represent “who I am,” not just “what I own.” Our “Expressive Luxury” encourages women of all ages to seek authenticity and self-expression, creating a platform that builds confidence and resonates emotionally.

By broadening the market, we aim to unlock huge potential—out of approximately 2 billion consumers in the handbag, small leather goods, and footwear segments, our penetration still has room to grow. China adds about 5 million new adult women annually, providing a solid growth base.

Q: Coachtopia, our circular fashion sub-brand, has opened its first store in China. How do you see women leaders’ strengths in driving sustainable transformation, and what future sustainable initiatives will Coach pursue in China?

Liliana Lucioni: Coachtopia exemplifies our commitment to sustainable development, aiming to be an influential pioneer in sustainable luxury fashion. In China, sustainability is a long-term, systemic effort involving talent development and local co-creation.

Our “China Cool” youth program with Donghua University and others is key—focusing on circular practices, using waste materials, and transforming them into aesthetic, market-ready designs. Over 560 students have participated, with many projects winning awards, achieving commercial success, or entering major expos like the CIIE. We want to make sustainability visible and tangible, integrating it into daily life and industry culture.

Moving forward, we’ll deepen circularity through Coachtopia and related experiences, fostering industry-wide co-creation and cultural practices, building genuine, warm connections with the next generation of consumers.

Q: Tapestry views China as a “key field for cultivating new luxury consumption logic” and aims for $10 billion in annual sales. How will you lead Coach China to tap into growth in cities like Wuhan with young populations and lower brand penetration?

Liliana Lucioni: We’ve detailed growth plans for nearly 200 cities, with plans to open more stores in the next three years, focusing on those with dense, active young populations and room for brand growth. These unmet needs are key opportunities.

We want to be the first handbag choice for young consumers and accompany them through life stages. Priority is given to shopping venues favored by young people, sharing stories, experiences, and products to reach more potential customers. Our strong appeal among young consumers not only attracts new clients but also influences broader audiences, boosting overall penetration.

China is a vital, dynamic market—both a growth engine and a strategic hub. Its high digitalization and rapid feedback enable us to quickly translate insights into products, pricing, channels, and experiences, continuously enriching our global operations.

Q: With over 20 years in luxury and fashion, including roles at Saint Laurent and Prada, and becoming Coach China President in 2019, what are the biggest advantages and challenges of being a woman in this industry?

Liliana Lucioni: My deep understanding of “people”—consumer emotions, product use, and long-term needs; team voices and diverse perspectives—helps me find balance amid complexity.

Balancing different roles has fostered a disciplined, patient work style: using facts and long-term results rather than labels. It’s about continuous adjustment, finding a rhythm that suits me and supports growth.

Q: You studied Chinese language and literature at Beijing Language University and Fudan University, with a strong affection for Chinese culture. How does this cultural understanding help you better grasp Chinese women’s psychology and drive brand localization?

Liliana Lucioni: My connection with China started with curiosity. Early studies and long-term living and working here deepen my cultural and social understanding. Today’s Chinese women care about whether brands resonate with their values and lifestyles, valuing self-identity, emotional connection, and long-term companionship. This guides us to not only adapt products and messaging but also embed them into their daily lives, making brands a part of self-expression and confidence-building.

Q: As a mother of three and President of Coach China, how do you balance family and demanding work? Has this balance influenced your insights into “women’s workplace needs” and brand strategies?

Liliana Lucioni: I don’t seek “perfect balance,” but believe in integrating work and life. When with my children, I give my full attention; at work, I focus and work efficiently. The key is doing your best in the moment and staying authentic. Balance is a continuous process—finding your rhythm and support system. Different life stages bring different pressures. That’s why I think brands and organizations should offer flexibility, understanding, and long-term support.

Q: The topic mentions “building women-friendly ecosystems and empowering female entrepreneurs and workers.” As a female leader in fashion, do you plan to incorporate initiatives supporting women’s empowerment and gender equality into Coach China’s future business strategies?

Liliana Lucioni: Gender equality is core to our culture and values, reflected across the organization. We’ve launched initiatives to create a more equal, inclusive workplace, supporting women at various career stages through ongoing programs and resource groups. Socially, we partner with organizations like China Rural Women’s Development Foundation, running programs such as “Rural Women Empowerment and Employment Training,” providing systematic skills training to help women in remote areas increase income and achieve independence. Since 2020, we’ve collaborated with the China Youth Development Foundation on the “Coach Foundation·Dream Walk” program, supporting students with scholarships and social practice, helping them clarify careers and develop professionally.

We aim to foster long-term, meaningful connections with women at all life stages, making responsible fashion a sustainable, growing relationship that benefits industry ecology and society.

Q: Reflecting on your career, what key moments or decisions exemplify the impact of “Her Power” in the fashion industry? What advice would you give young women aspiring to join luxury and fashion?

Liliana Lucioni: Joining Coach was a pivotal moment—balancing a critical personal phase with my third child while focusing on long-term potential rather than short-term labels. Being trusted and seen encouraged my growth. “Her Power” is about embracing multiple paths.

First, break boundaries—whether societal or self-imposed. Second, stay curious—my curiosity brought me to China at 20 and keeps me learning. Third, cultivate resilience—believe in long-term value and your rhythm through ups and downs. You can be a mother, a leader, a creator, or different versions of yourself at different stages. That’s my message and my journey.

Text by Meng Lingjin; Edited by Xu Nan