Swedish fashion brand COS (Collection of Style) has launched its autumn/winter 2015 collection in an intriguing temporary installation created by Hong Kong-based architect André Fu on the 2,000 square meter upper deck of the city's iconic Central pier.
The ultra modern minimalist conceptual space presented in a dove grey palette marks an evolution in the designer's signature sensual style on show at the Upper House and London's Berkeley Hotel.
In contrast, the COS project features a series of spaces starting with a strikingly contemporary 3.5-meter glass and steel cube traversed by a forest green lacquered bridge. Once inside, there are glimpses of the building's working industrial infrastructure contrasting with another more serene 'transitional space' featuring a 2-meter circular sunken garden of moss-covered spheres, resting on white pebbles.
The path culminates at a dramatic terraced stage where COS models showed off the new collection on a cantilevered bridge connecting two enormous cubes - one mirrored and one entirely of glass - against spectacular views over Victoria Harbour.
'My intention was to create an immersive experience to reflect modern Asia's distinctive urbanscape,' says Fu.
Meanwhile the new collection showcased a range of voluminous cocoon-like silhouettes that referenced Japan's Mono-ha art movement's interpretation of the relationship between nature and modern industrial materials.
'It evokes a very still and peaceful aesthetic with a sense of drama,' explains COS head of menswear design Martin Andersson. 'The natural palette of greens with rich camel, beige and grey is very natural and peaceful. We love the idea of moonlight and how it draws out the colours and becomes silvery and neutral.'
The installation also marks the unveiling of a new, limited edition unisex white shirt available in a selection of stores across Asia.
It was the brand's approachable style to fashion that first attracted Fu -usually more closely associated with high-end luxury clientele - to the project.
'Luxury is different now,' he says. 'I was intrigued with the challenge of taking my language of design into a conceptual experience that reflects how fashion is being redefined as a reflection of oneself and where style could be attained with affordability.'
A forest green, lacquered bridge formed a pathway through the iconic Central Ferry Pier for models to show off the new collection
Culminating the walkway was a dramatic, tiered garden-like terrace
Another of the installation's rooms was a dove grey, industrial space - the perfect complement to the neutral austerity of the collection
The installation marked the unveiling of a new, limited edition unisex white shirt
'It evokes a very still and peaceful aesthetic with a sense of drama,' says the head of menswear at COS, Martin Andersson, of the collection
The shirt will now be available in a selection of stores across Asia
ADDRESS
Upper Deck, Central Ferry Pier 4, Hong Kong
-
A guide to the best fashion stores Copenhagen has to offerWallpaper* picks the must-visit fashion stores in Copenhagen – from big-name boutiques and historic department stores to local labels and the best in second-hand, each presenting a fresh take on Danish design
-
Indian studio Compartment S4 celebrates architectural collaborationCompartment S4, the Indian architecture studio out of Ahmedabad and Mumbai, is true to its collective nature
-
A revamped Edinburgh apartment combines Californian-style modernism with modern craftArcher + Braun have transformed an apartment in a historic house with finely tuned contemporary additions and sympathetic attention to detail
-
New York Fashion Week S/S 2025 highlights: Tory Burch to Michael KorsWallpaper* 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
-
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
-
Artist Stephen Doherty’s work blooms across COS’ new summertime collectionCOS x Stephen Doherty, a men’s and women’s capsule, features the artist’s signature water-and-ink flower illustrations across layers of linen and silk. Here, he tells Wallpaper* more
-
COS launches Bauhaus-inspired capsule collection -
The highlights from Pitti Uomo 94 in FlorenceRain was omnipresent at Pitti Uomo 94. The outerwear brand Herno celebrated its 70th year with a vast exhibition that began with an installation of a single drop of rain; MCM showed ready-to-wear and accessories in Florence for the first time in a dynamic runway presentation that featured a tropical storm. The red and blue carpeted catwalk at Paul Surridge’s debut Roberto Cavalli Menswear show was absolutely sodden, which added an eccentric mood to the otherwise fine, fresh clothes. After all, what’s summer without the threat of a downpour? Elsewhere, the classic brands who have built their heritage on modish, Made in Italy élan are having conversations about what they can learn from the advance of streetwear: it’s time for a rethink they say.
-
Swede dreams: max out on minimalism at Arket’s debut store
