The Everyday Movements

June 17, 2018

There are a million subconscious things that our brains don’t register doing. Repeated actions that have become so mundane and routine that it would take up far too much energy to process them all. If you consider your every movement from the moment you wake up to before you walk out the door, it becomes exhausting.

Christophe Copin at COS wants you to think specifically about a very significant, but often overlooked part of your day: how we get dressed. It’s not necessarily about what you’re wearing, or who, but the small adjustments we make with any garment we put on our bodies. The smoothing out potential wrinkles, the slight yank on the cuff, a straightening of the collar. It’s in these basic, detailed, and miniscule movements that Copin grows his inspiration for Soma: a capsule collection of essentials presented during Pitti Uomo, through a dance choreographed by Wayne McGregor.

Interview by Justine Hwang
Photography courtesy of COS

Performed at the Istituto degli Innocenti, an open courtyard with no stage, the audience was seated in the round. The dancers, all part of McGregor’s company based in London, served as not only the models of the collection but as the physical representation of Copin’s inspiration. Although sold as a menswear line, female dancers looked just as suited as their male counterparts in their slightly structured, understated looks. Whether dancing solo or ensemble, the movement of the clothes themselves became a dancing partner, always reacting to the choreography. For an “essential” garment, reduced from trend or flash, it’s in the small details that become the most important. Each action one does when getting dressed was repeated, drawn out, then elevated, drawing attention to the very elements that make the clothes.

If Copin wanted us to think more about the details of not only his clothes, but in all our clothes, he succeeded in bringing a subtle awareness to many things we often overlook. The construction of clothes, the ability of the human body, and how the two can work in tandem. The performance was a reminder to appreciate the smaller aspects in life and one that would not be forgotten soon. We spoke to Copin the following day to learn more about the Soma collection, his collaboration with McGregor, and his new position at COS.

Congratulations again on yesterday. It was beautiful. Can you tell us about how you met Wayne and how that collaboration came about?

It started almost one year ago, around when I started at COS. Karin [Gustafsson] and I discussed a way to make something special around the essential collection for menswear and think of how to push it further. It came very quickly that we wanted to highlight the everyday movement, the things we do everyday without thinking. Like a sleeve adjustment you do, I don’t know, maybe 200 times a day without thinking of it. That’s also why the collection is named Soma. It means body separated from the mind. We always start with something a little bit particular or conceptual when designing a collection. Normally we don’t do a lot of capsule collections, but this time we wanted a special presentation. We found it very interesting to work with an artist, as we always have done, but this time with the idea to find an artist to work on movement. And a choreographer is the best artist to work with for movement. Everything came together like that.

The first artist that came to our minds was Wayne McGregor. And it happened, again, very naturally. He said yes very quickly. He knows COS, he loves COS, he loves that we work with artists. We met him end of January this year, presented him with the ideas and the mood board, and he really jumped into it immediately. We started to work with him that week after that.

Through the choreography you could really tell that he was trying to emphasize that everyday movement and exaggerate it into something beautiful. As an audience member watching, you were really able to think about these small movements not only in the dancing but in the garments as well.

But that was also something that was really important. We wanted it to be very simple since it could look pretty conceptual. What was also very important was to have the audience very close to the clothes. So much so that you could even touch the garment. You can see all the details since they’re moving very close to you. When we did the first rehearsal with Wayne at his studio in London, it was really interesting because there was no music at the time. We were trying the first prototype of the collection. We just heard the sounds of the fabrics moving. And Karin, Wayne, and I, thought at exactly the same moment, we need to make the music out of that. So we gave the old collection to Joel Cadbury who made the soundtrack to this performance, and he started to work on the sound of the fabric, the sound of the clothes as you move in them. And the result of that is what you heard yesterday.

You’ve been in menswear for quite a long time now. How does COS compare to other brands you’ve designed for?

All the brands I’ve worked for have been amazing. I was lucky they wanted to work with me. They’re all different, but they all have one thing in common, which is the research. There’s the research to create the best garment ever, but more than that, it’s the research to create something that can last. It’s something that is incredibly important to COS. Not only myself, but the buyer, the people involved in the making, are super concerned in the quality. When you work with essentials, the garment needs to last for a long time. You can wear it for one or two years, put it back in your wardrobe forever, and one day find it again and it’s like a gift.

What are some basic things every man should own in his wardrobe?

Hm. I will be very disappointing on that. I would love to not have any rules on how people should have to dress. That’s a lot of what we are. We give a lot of possibility, in a certain aesthetic of course. But we really want people to dress the way they want. If they want to wear pink and yellow, we love that. We often see our male customers shopping in the womenswear, and the contrary. We don’t think of it when we design a collection, it comes very naturally. It’s lucky for us that a customer can shop across the different line.

I actually bought a men’s coat yesterday at the store. The sales associate told me he shops in the women’s line all the time.

It’s funny because I’ve worked for many brands and it’s the first time it’s really happening. It’s not like a legend. Each time I go to the store, or see someone with a COS bag, it could be men’s or women’s. Margiela was absolutely not the case. It was very separate.

How would you define your personal style?

My personal style depends on the day. Obviously quite understated. It depends. I don’t prepare my outfits the day before, I’m not this kind of guy. I wear a lot of COS of course. I wear a lot of vintage pieces, brand or no brand. I really don’t care. It’s more important to me especially when I’m starting a collection, to think about the fit and the fabric. It could inspire the collection, so I need to have it on me. During the collections, I’m wearing prototypes just to move in it, to see what we can improve.

What do you think makes COS successful?

We are really good. It’s based on the very strong DNA of the brand. It’s funny because before I started at COS I thought maybe I’ll spend one week, to be briefed, and have someone telling me what I can or can’t do. But it was the exact opposite. All the people at COS are incredibly open minded. And that’s why I think it works. There’s a lot of respect on every level for all work. Every person at every level are incredibly passionate about the brand and what we’re doing. They are really proud and honored, like I am.

The SOMA collection is available at the Florence COS store and released world wide in September.

Watch the full presentation here.

Fashion

Go-See Situation

Agnès is wearing a top from Peng Tai, a skirt from IRO Paris and boots from GmbH

Moli is wearing a top from Mengche Chiang, a dress from r . l . e with with tights from Wolford, ring from Julia Bartsch and shoes from empty behavior

Chloe is wearing a top from Acne Studios, pants from MM6 with a belt from Julia Bartsch, sunglasses from Uvex and shoes from Proenza Schouler

Glory is wearing a shirt from IRO Paris, pants from peng tai and shoes from Yume Yume

Timothée is wearing a shirt from Paloma Wool, pants from helios Emil and shoes from Yume Yume

Youssef is wearing a shirt from Dries Van Noten, pants, boots and underwear from GmbH, and a vintage hat

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The People of Lang

April 05, 2024

“The person gives meaning and value to the clothes and not the other way around,” said Peter Do of Helmut Lang SS24, his debut collection for the brand, which has finally hit the shelves.

It is an interesting, if not provocative choice — not only to ont put the garments primary, but to focus not on the “people,” as in a collective, but the “person,” as singular. It's a nod to what the brand has set out to establish since Do’s arrival, framing dressing as a system. It's a democratic formula which feeds off individuality and personal expression, relying upon character as opposed to custom. It’s a manifestation of personality, a farewell to performance. And it leaves us with one question, who is person enough to embody such a humble request?

By Vilda Krog
Photography by Huy Luoung
Styling by Jason Rider

The person in motion, the person of passion, the people passing by on the street who don’t care where you’re going, because they’re on a mission of their own. As Do crafts his garments, likewise do these individuals carve out their paths for themselves. No rules, no guidelines, and if there were — aren’t those meant to be broken? Suggestively, Do broke several rules once he interrogated assumptions around everyday dress back in September last year. Criticism came from more than one place at once. However, by staying true to his vision, he’s already beginning to see the fruits of his labor: his system of dressing, crystallized. It's subtly arrogant, yet widely accessible, dynamic, and utilitarian: it's a blazer, those striped trousers, that turtleneck top, and the traditional flattering denims. In other words, it's your carte blanche, thus let their personality be the color.

Who are they? The campaign, photographed by Huy Luoung and styled by Jason Rider, stars An-My Le, Armina Howanda Mussa, Ash Owens, Connor Sen Warnick, Devin B. Johnson, Eli Ping, Frederique Thiollet, John Yuyi, Kai Avent-Deleon, Linda Rodin, Michael Abel, Mindy Seu, Minjae Kim, Oscar Yi Hou, Sam Stewart, Sophia Roe, Steph Shiu, Yahdon Israel.

Usually, I’d hesitate to spell out more than four names, but in this case, perhaps we should consider them adjectives. Not at the expense of individuality. But rather, the definition of it.

Fashion

From Perler Beads to earKron

April 04, 2024

Our expression has reached peak performance; it's no longer just about expressing my Self through my appearance; but the visual desire has moved beyond, onto the urge of expressing the self through my appearances’ appearances.

In an era defined by the digital, this then–naturally–means that my computer must have cute stickers, my phone has to have a cool case, likewise do my airpods simply require a chic capsule. But, what about the actual pods? CAS&Kera suggest that we’re simply too unique to stay loyal to the ordinary design, even when it comes to what functions, or rather, fashions, our ears (consider the Perler Beads the potential far forerunner). Thus they arrive to present earKron, here to elevate every element of our expression.

It’s that unneccesary need. That essential expense.

Photography by Rankin

earKronTM by CAS&Kera merge the concept of fine jewelry with technology, providing a high-concept alternative to the painfully white, plastic pods. The cuffs are tactile and substantial in the hand, but somehow weightless in one's ear. The ceramic audio chamber is accented with the 18-carat gold and titanium ‘memory’ cuff, which is both malleable and adjustable. The design, which, happens to be the winner of the Red Dot design award, also promotes an open-ear experience, lending the wearer to conversations, and to the world around them, while the cuffs are worn exklusively as jewelry.

The cuffs come in a limited-edition series of black + gold, and pearl white + rose-gold ear-cuffs. Luxury accessories include a jewelry box charging case, charging cable, Maison quality carry pouch, and polished foxtail chain. Available online and at H. Lorenzo LA.