What environments do you see them in?
"The COS customer has a big city mindset feeling equally at home scouring the flee markets in Paris, visiting London's contemporary galleries, bicycling in Copenhagen or participating in Barcelona's music scene."
Please tell us about the new website and its key features.
"Our new website has more the feel of a blog than a corporate website. Besides presenting our collections, we wanted to add the dynamic and inspiring level from our stores and the contents from our magazine to the web. The new site will feature weekly updates in the form of new accessories, must-haves and garments coming into the store. It will have monthly styling and product suggestions, as well as featuring our fashion editorials and look book styles. There will be a magazine section, where we will offer additional content in the form of Q&A's, backstage footage, extra images and more. To add to the blog feel of the site we also have a 'things' section, as in 'things we like'. Here we will share stuff that inspires us including exhibitions, artists, graphics, furniture and books. The site will also feature a store locator as well as neighborhood guides to the areas we are in. We want the site to become a window into the world of COS."
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:: COS
"We always wanted COS to be positioned between high fashion and high street as we didn't feel that anyone – at the time when we launched – had that position in the market. We strongly believed that there was a new mindset, favouring longevity and quality over faddish trends and branded goods."
Moving onto the Autumn / Winter '09 Collection. The inspiration is vast and fascinating as to how elements from art, photography, poetry and architecture have helped shape the range. Please describe the process of its creation by picking one female and male outfit, and talking us through.
"The inspiration for Autumn / Winter 2009 is – as always – vast and multi-sided; from early 1900 Hammershoi paintings to Yves Saint Laurent, from the colours of Morandi to Warhol, from Sylvia Plath to contemporary photography by Friederike von Rauch. The inspiration is never recognisable in its pure form in any finished design, but evident in the details and silhouettes. White collars and felted wools are influenced by the era of Hammershoi's paintings. Power dressing and dramatic silhouettes takes inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent. Heavy wool cardigans layered over delicate tea dresses are inspired by Sylvia Plath and post war dressing and Warhol has inspired bizarre prints and exaggerated details."
Please describe the kind of person who wears COS.
"The COS customer is someone who chooses style before fashion. Someone confident with a modern mindset, interested in art and design, cultural as well as current issues.
"We believe that the COS customer is someone who recognize and appreciate quality, who knows what suits him or her."