COS launches Bauhaus-inspired capsule collection
Simplicity is a keyword for COS’ Christophe Copin and Nicole Bischofer. The designers rely on clean, essential lines, almost minimal in their purity, but there is nothing basic in their rather conceptual approach. Having an appreciation for craft and the sophistication that goes into the minute details they favour, their style is tinged with an almost architectural attitude.
In fact, Copin, who directs the brand’s menswear line, and his co-designer for womenswear Bischofer, have worked on a Bauhaus-related re-edition of archive pieces, marking the school’s 100-year anniversary. ‘We don’t have this kind of history behind us, but twelve years is already something’, Copin acknowledges and adds: ‘When we changed the fit a little bit, and edited fabrics, we realised: the pieces are still relevant’.
The design principles of the Bauhaus have been at the forefront of every COS collection from the beginning. The capsule of 12 remastered archive pieces, which is set to be available in early November at select COS stores and online, picks a unique aspect. ‘We really wanted to work around form and function this time,’ says Copin. ‘You need a coat to protect you from the cold, but maybe you don’t need all its additional detail.’ Stripping things away, Copin and Bischofer arrived at a very pure silhouette and then played on defining fabrics and details.
Accordingly, they propose a stone grey felted wool coat for men, eschewing the lapel, and a white poplin shirt with just the outlines of a plastron. ‘We were focusing on the art of closure’, Copin explains. ‘You won’t find any decoration to distract from the functionality’. Monochrome shades of crisp whites and toned-down greys, reminiscent of the first Bauhaus school buildings in Dessau, are studiously austere and, as often as not, neutral too.
A notable effect of the Bauhaus influence on the looks: geometric shapes. To give them a compelling twist, Copin and Bischofer used the brand’s technical expertise. They fine-tuned silhouettes so that they appear noticeably constructed without appearing heavy or stiff. Case in point, an asymmetrical wool dress with an elongated strap that falls down the back is undeniably graphic in its form, but suggests an alluring accessibility.
Copin refers to their approach with the words of Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus school: ‘Design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life, necessary for everyone in a civilized society'. It’s something that is valid more than ever before
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Looking for a long-range luxury EV that’s a true Tesla alternative? Welcome to the Lucid Air
We drive the Lucid Air, the high-performance Californian EV that’s a welcome leftfield choice in a sea of Musk-mobiles. Vote Lucid!
By Guy Bird Published
-
Umbrian castle hotel Reschio seduces with 1,000 years of history, now explored in a new book
The estate, home to a boutique hotel and rentable houses, is documented in Rizzoli's ‘Reschio: the First Thousand Years’ – and is open for stays
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Light, nature and modernist architecture: welcome to the reimagined Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens and its modernist Roberto Burle Marx-designed greenhouse get a makeover by Weiss/Manfredi and Reed Hildebrand in the US
By Ian Volner Published
-
New York Fashion Week S/S 2025 highlights: Tory Burch to Michael Kors
Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss selects the best of New York Fashion Week S/S 2025 in our ongoing round-up, from a reinvention of sportswear at Tory Burch to Michael Kors’ Italian escape
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
In Kyoto, COS celebrates the ancient art of shibori dyeing with a colour-soaked collection
‘We can’t take this type of craft for granted anymore,’ says COS design director Karin Gustafsson, who worked with Kyoto shibori artisan Kazuki Tabata on the airy summer collection. Wallpaper* heads to Japan’s former capital to find out more
By Jack Moss Published
-
This season, men’s outerwear is defined by bold shapes and seductive textures
The voluminous silhouettes of the season’s finest men’s outerwear, captured in the Wallpaper* September 2023 Style Issue by Umit Savaci and David St John James
By Jack Moss Published
-
Inside the travelling exhibition celebrating 125 years of luggage brand Rimowa
From celebrity suitcases to rare special editions, Rimowa’s ‘Seit 1898’ exhibition catalogues over a century of the German luggage brand, making stops in Tokyo, New York, Shanghai and Cologne
By Jack Moss Published
-
Watch this La Jetée-inspired fashion film by Melanie + Ramon, captured on the streets of Paris
Taken alongside the Wallpaper* September 2023 cover shoot, this fashion film by Melanie + Ramon draws inspiration from Chris Marker’s experimental 1962 French science-fiction movie La Jetée
By Jack Moss Published
-
American designer Willy Chavarria on his lifelong love of Dickies
Featured in the Wallpaper* USA 300, Willy Chavarria is part of America’s new wave of fashion designers. On the launch of his collaboration with Dickies, he talks utilitarian design, authenticity, and buying his first pair of Dickies at Kmart
By Jack Moss Published
-
First look at Paul Smith and Mulberry’s colour-soaked bag collaboration
British stalwarts Paul Smith and Mulberry have united on colourful new bags that riff on the latter’s classic ’Antony‘ messenger style
By Jack Moss Published
-
The evolution of Rabanne
Once known for its futuristic couture, 1960s-founded fashion house Rabanne is evolving under the creative direction of Julien Dossena, but remains true to its founder’s avant-garde legacy
By Jack Moss Published