Ravyn Lenae has been gracious enough to invite us all to her home on numerous occasions. In her music, the 26-year-old sonic disruptor has welcomed us on the steadying journey to the physical and emotional dwellings where memory and introspection greet us at the door. Sartorially, she stitches this throughline into her wardrobe in playful, whimsical silhouettes, as well as the sentiment and experimentalism she’s learned from her hometown of Chicago.
This holiday season, in collaboration with Coach, we’ve landed yet another invite to her homecoming. “The Gift for New Adventures” follows Lenae, SOYEON, Elle Fanning and other Coach ambassadors as they usher in the spirit of rekindling old passions, exploring new adventures, and solitary reflection.
“I think the holidays in particular usually …bring back a lot of reflection, and overall nostalgia, even for the past year. And I know I like sitting in those emotions,” the Love Me Not singer tells Teen Vogue. “I like sitting in those seasons in my life to be able to really think back on where I come from and how much work I've done leading up to this point and what I'm looking forward to in the future … I think that's what makes the holidays feel fruitful and attaching that as a meaning to it is good for me.”
The campaign features the Tabby (the internet’s darling go-to bag), softer silhouettes like the Empire, and the versatile Teri and Nolita shoulder bags crafted in leather patina, shearling trim and velvety suede. With her Coach bag, a trusted companion in tow, Lenae sets off onto a pursuit of defining something new with a quiet promise to remember who she’s always been.
Ahead, Teen Vogue chats with Lenae about Coach as a fixture among the it girls of our youth, the art of honoring craftsmanship and this holiday’s anticipated dinner table convos.
Ravyn Lenae: I remember being in middle school and all the it girls had Coach bags. There was one close friend in particular who had Coach everything. I always loved going to her house and her room and trying on all her Coach. So, honestly, it feels so surreal to be able to collaborate with the brand that I just had a big admiration for in my pivotal years, so it was really cool.
RL: I think these are good opportunities for me to really channel a character or channel a specific memory that I have with the story. So for this one in particular, it was me being nervous about meeting new friends at a restaurant to do a gift exchange for the holidays. Me and my family do a lot of gift exchanges or Secret Santas. That's like a highlight for us every year.
RL: I would say the coat I was wearing. It was brown and almost like a woolish texture. It reminded me of the cold winter in Chicago and how much I would have to layer up and still try to be cute. It was hard to strike that balance a lot of times, but I feel like this coat definitely does that. But also, I lean a lot towards, earthy, neutral colors. So the brown really stuck out to me and felt homey. It felt comfortable and it felt warm.
RL: Probably the [Soft Empire Carryall 48 in Loved Leather]. It's longer and has more of a rectangular shape to it. Then, the tone of it is a dark brown, but almost has a distressed feel to it… This is my everyday purse right now. And I know as soon as I put it down, my sister will have it.
RL: I think there's something so special about Chicago, and I always say there's something in the water because I feel like it's just that city breathes a certain type of artist. And not that we're all similar in the type of music we make, 'cause I think we're all so different. It's just an energy about us that I think people can notice. And I think the main thing being that we all strive to be different and to separate ourselves from the pack. And I think that is the universal culture of Chicago. So that goes down to the type of music we like to make, the way we use our voices and down to the style, too, you know?
I think even me going to art school and going downtown and going to poetry slams, just that backdrop, served as a place for me to really experiment and push the boundaries of what I think is cool. So, I think I try to keep that spirit in me as I get older, and as I, you know, move to different cities or travel, that's something that I try to keep. But I think that's the fingerprint. That's the identity of people from Chicago.
RL: I know with my mom, she loves a good sweater or a good purse. She's a purse girl. She holds onto purses for years and years and years and years. And I love that about her because she takes really good care of them and the things she worked hard for. So I think I learned that from an early age, is taking care of your clothes, taking care of the things you have high regard for.
RL: I would consider myself a minimalist type of person. I don't like to acquire too many things, and I never saw my mom acquire a lot of things. I just know that she had her mind set on what she wanted and she would save up to buy that, and she would cherish that and keep it for years. I think I definitely adopted that same mindset with the things I work hard for and I'm proud to have. I'm definitely not a “more is merrier” type of person. I like things that are gonna stay in my wardrobe or stay in my life for years to come.
RL: I'm very close to my family so there aren't many things they don't know about what's going on with me. I think it'd just be a good time for all of us to reflect individually on all of our years and see what those changes have been. I think the biggest thing I've discovered this year is I have a strong ability to adapt to change. And that's something that I'm really proud of because I didn't used to be that way. So I think even in the way I operate in music and in my business, I think that's just spilled over to how I deal with people or problems or any shift that happens in life that's natural. I think I have a better response to it. I could also just be getting a little older, and understanding that. You know, things change for the good and for the bad and it's best to ride that wave instead of resisting it. So I think that was probably the biggest thing I learned this year, especially with such a major shift in my career. And then that spills over to personal life, naturally.
RL: That was a picture of me and my mom. I think it was a birthday party, but I love that photo. And when me and my stylist thought about it, I was like that's such a good way to interweave me and my character into my clothes, and I think that is what fashion is. For me, like, making it more personal and really telling a story through it, is what makes it interesting and fun and inspiring. So whenever I'm on the road, sometimes I have lonely moments or I'm missing my moms or I’m missing my family. Being able to incorporate such a sacred part of me into my clothes on stage is so meaningful and cool.
RL: I think it feels easy. It feels natural. When it happened, it felt like a no-brainer to me. Like you said, because we had the same values and for a brand to be able to live this long, there's something about it that is timeless, classic, and can't be replaced. And I like to think of my career as aiming towards something like that. So, to be able to align with a brand that is so nostalgic for me, but also, hit a certain part of my childhood, pivotal moments in my girlhood, It's just been fun. I hope this is only the beginning of a long, fruitful relationship.
