Bag Man

The longtime CEO of Coach shares never-before-told stories and strategies behind Coach's stunning growth from a $6 million handbag business to a $5 billion global fashion and lifestyle brand.
A Coach handbag is an icon, but Lew Frankfort knew nothing about bags or fashion when he became assistant to the founder of Coach after heading New York City's Agency of Child Development. By the time he left Coach, he had spent 29 years as its CEO, leading its stunning growth from a scrappy maker of leather goods to a $5 billion global brand. Coach created a new market segment--accessible luxury--that transformed the retail industry. How did the son of a Bronx policeman, working in social services, go on to build a legendary bag business, grow it by a multiple of 1,000, and become recognized as one of the world's best CEOs?
Bag Man is Lew Frankfort's illuminating leadership story.
Frankfort offers insights and lessons from his successes and failures and articulates how Coach was able to keep reinventing itself over decades. He also shares his struggle with a haunting fear of failure, including how it drove an obsession with consumer insights that made Coach unique in the industry. Summing up Coach's philosophy in three words--"magic plus logic"--Bag Man shows how Coach blends the magic of creativity and the logic of business in the right ways at the right times to produce sustainable, profitable growth. Frankfort's behind-the-scenes stories explain the magic and logic of Coach and how it might apply to your endeavor, including how to: - Design, merchandise, and market products people love- Create a performance-driven culture with investment-grade leaders- Broaden a brand's appeal while staying true to its ethos- Drive strategies that pair a brand's unique value with the right market opportunities- Scale and transform a business to achieve next-level organic growth
A riveting, candid business memoir, Bag Man traces an extraordinary leadership journey that built a legacy brand.

Lew Frankfort is the Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of Coach. During his 35-year tenure at the company, Frankfort built it into a $5 billion global fashion brand. He has been recognized multiple times on Barron's "World's Best CEOs" list and on Institutional Investor's "Best CEOs in America" list. Frankfort is a cofounder of Benvolio Group, an investment firm that focuses on early-stage disruptive consumer-facing brands. He serves on the boards of Veronica Beard, Mindbodygreen, The Shed, and Columbia Business School. Frankfort was born and raised in the Bronx. He and his wife, Bobbie, live in New York City and support education and the arts. They have three children and eight grandchildren.