“When I see a girl with a Coach purse, I think she’s into materialistic things,” South student Leonard Robinson said. “I’m not saying she’s stuck up, but she is probably spoiled.”

South student Greg Butler said he thinks women who carry the purses are trying to show how much money they have.

“When I see them, I think they’re [women] trying to floss and gloss and show that money sign,” he said.

NE student Anais Elisher thinks the purses are convenient for the modern-day woman’s lifestyle.

“They’re big purses, so there’s more room to hold way more stuff. Larger purses are in,” she said. “Since everyone’s on the go, you have room for your make-up, lotion and everything. Not to mention, they’re cute and stylish.”

Not all students agree they are worth the price or they are a must-have. NE student Natalie Seagraves is one of these students.

“I like them, but I don’t buy them because everyone else has them. They’re cute, but they’re too expensive,” she said. “I’m not paying $500 for a purse.”

South student Jennifer King agrees that is too much for a purse, and she doesn’t like the quality, either.

“I have one, but, honestly, I’m not a big fan. My strap broke,” she said. “Plus, I have better stuff to spend my money on. I don’t live with my parents.”

South student Romie Garcia says Coach is not simplistic enough for her tastes.

“I’m more into old-fashion, original type of stuff,” she said. “And to me, Coach seems kind of classy. I’m more of a simple girl.”

South student Moneisia Colar says she has seven Coach bags that she bought because they were fashionable and expensive, but she will not buy more because they are not the same as they used to be.

“I used to buy them because they were American-made and their designs were real cute. But now since they’re being made in Japan, their designs are simple, ugly and cheap,” she said.

Bootleggers have been cashing in on the trend and are almost accurate with their knockoffs. South student Talisha Warren says she has been fooled before by a $75 knockoff.

“When I was younger, I bought one [bootleg], and as I got older, I realized the difference,” she said. “A fake one can last like a few months, but a real one can last for like five years. You’re better off buying a real one.”

Fake ones can also be spotted by inaccurate stitching and a letter “G” where the “C” is supposed to be.

The Coach brand was founded in 1941 as a family-run shop in a Manhattan loft, according to the Coach Web site.

Now almost 70 years later, Coach has about 400 stores in the United States and Canada. Coach is available at more than 900 department store locations in the U.S.

The Coach brand is still expanding every day. It is one company that was not affected much financially by the recession, making about $568 million more in 2008 than it did in 2007.

South Campus student Sheena Broussard said she thinks the quality of the purse is worth the price.

“They’re the best. If you’re going to splurge on a handbag, that’s what you have to get,” she said. “They last long, and they [the company] sell their own cleaning products, and a lot of companies don’t do that. They’re better than Dooney & Bourke.”