When Lew Frankfort joined Coach in 1979, the company was a $6 million business specializing in small leather goods. Over the next 35 years—including nearly three decades as Chairman and CEO—he transformed it into a $5 billion global lifestyle brand and one of America’s most recognizable names in fashion.

Frankfort reflected on his journey from the Bronx to the boardroom during a conversation at Columbia Business School’s Distinguished Speaker Series, sharing insights from his new business memoir “Bag Man,” and decades of leadership. The conversation, moderated by Associate Professor of Marketing Silvia Bellezza, traced how purpose, curiosity, and a balance of what Frankfort calls “logic and magic” guided his career—from his early days in New York City government to his tenure leading Coach, and now as co-founder of Benvolio Group, an investment firm supporting early-stage consumer brands.

"For an aspirational brand to become a legacy brand, everything comes down to a single product and the single consumer and the relationship that they have," Frankfort said.

From the Bronx to the Boardroom

Frankfort’s approach to leadership was shaped by his education and unconventional path. At CBS, the case method taught him to connect vision with execution—a principle that would guide him throughout his career.  His ten years in city government developed his strategic instincts through experience rather than formula. 

Government work also instilled a deep sense of purpose and service, values he carried into the private sector. When he joined Coach, he saw the company not simply as a retailer, but as a brand built to serve its customers. That orientation toward purpose and a willingness to learn defined his transformation from public servant to luxury brand leader.

Frankfort credits curiosity as the through line of his success. “You have got to be tenacious, you have got to be relentless, and you have got to be curious,” he says.

Inside the Mind of a Brand Builder

Leadership begins with service, according to Frankfort. That is, leadership to customers, employees, and society. At Coach, that belief became the foundation of a consumer-centric culture long before the term was common in business. Understanding what motivated people, the “why” behind what they purchased, helped him position Coach as both aspirational and accessible.

Curiosity, he believes, is the essential fuel of innovation. His lifelong interest in psychology, sociology, and human behavior gave him a broader perspective on what drives consumers and teams alike. He encourages leaders to look beyond financial metrics to understand values, motivations, and aspirations. That human lens, he argued, is what separates companies that adapt from those that fade.

The same curiosity that drew him to public service later shaped his vision for Coach. He often described the company’s success as a product of “logic and magic.” The logic represented discipline, as well as collaboration, and operational excellence. The magic reflected belief, imagination, and storytelling. Together, they created a culture that valued both rigor and creativity.

Early in his tenure, Frankfort transformed Coach’s approach to retail. Rather than relying solely on department stores, he introduced the company’s first catalog and one of retail’s first single-brand boutiques, an early direct-to-consumer model that gave Coach greater control over the customer experience. That strategic leap, driven by both insight and instinct, set the foundation for the company’s next stage of growth.

Just as important was how Frankfort positioned the brand. Coach was never meant to be a fashion house chasing trends; it was purpose-driven and rooted in authenticity. That clarity helped Coach pioneer a new market category: accessible luxury. By bridging the gap between mass and high-end retail, the company showed that craftsmanship and attainability could coexist.

"I was always and still am a purpose-driven person. And I do believe that when you think about work and you think about life, I think about really two things that are most important, purpose and relationships,” Frankfort says.

Sustaining that balance required constant reinvention. Frankfort saw brand longevity not as a measure of age but of relevance. To remain vital, Coach had to evolve alongside culture and technology—from physical stores to e-commerce to social platforms—without losing its essence.

He sees today’s Gen Z consumers as emblematic of that challenge. Socially aware, digitally native, and brand-agnostic, they demand authenticity and immediacy across every channel. To meet them where they are, Coach has embraced sustainability as both a moral imperative and a source of creativity. Product platforms like Coachtopia and (Re)Loved, which transform existing materials into new designs, exemplify the brand’s commitment to circular fashion and social responsibility.

For Frankfort, this evolution is not about following trends but fulfilling a responsibility to customers, employees, and the planet. The same values that shaped Coach’s rise now define its renewal.