COS is marking its 10th anniversary with the 10 Collection, a capsule for men, women and children. The brand, which operates 201 stores worldwide, entered four new markets in 2016, including the Czech Republic, Romania, Latvia and Malaysia. Israel is set to bow this year. Karl-Johan Persson, chief executive officer of parent H&M, said COS expects continued rapid expansion for 2017.
COS, which in 2007 bowed in London, exudes a quiet strength with precise architectural silhouettes in muted or dark colors. For 10 Collection, COS plumbed furniture design for ideas.
“When we began discussing how to commemorate our 10-year anniversary, we decided to go back-to-basics and explore our pattern-cutting process,” said Karin Gustafsson, COS creative director. “We looked at the methodology of furniture designers such as Studio Mun, which designed the Four Brother chairs from a single wooden sheet without compromising on functionality and comfort, Tim Kerp’s Duetto table and YOY’s Poster wall lamp series.”
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COS constructed patterns for the garments such as jigsaws, using the full width of the fabric and allowing one shape to dictate another. The idea of eliminating excess in both materials and design fit the brand’s disciplined approach of eschewing superfluous details.
Experimenting with practices of forward-thinking furniture designers helped COS reimagine its aesthetic. 10 Collection styles feature collapsing volumes and rectilinear silhouettes such as a long shirt dress with soft double-layered panels and a men’s technical jacket with functional double pockets.
Gustafsson said COS was also inspired by the construction of key historical garments such as the Japanese kimono and Greek chiton. “Traditionally, these pieces were cut to benefit from the full width of the piece of cloth, which is something we wanted to address with this capsule collection,” she said.
The Japanese influence is evident in the square proportions of a men’s top and kimono-style sleeves of a women’s coat. Children’s wear features appliqués — tone-on-tone shapes on dresses and white cutouts on a white shirt. 10 Collection is made from lightweight fabrics such as crisp cotton and technical polyester.
“Our core design principles of creating timeless, functional, modern and tactile garments for have remained true since our launch,” Gustafsson said. “Instead of following the traditional concept of trends, we look to the world of art and design for inspiration. Celebrating our 10-year anniversary also compelled us to look at the future and how we can innovate as we’ve done with the design of this capsule collection.”