Paradigm Shifters is a series of interviews with a select group of women and men from eclectic walks of life. It will highlight unspoken, real-life insights on how they have been able to turn weakness into strength. A naked soul point of view of how their breakdowns were really a preparation for breakthroughs. They are your quintessential paradigm shifters; internal shifts converted into genuine change.
Everything I have ever done has been focused on this underlying theme of shifting the paradigm because, "What we think determines what we feel and what we feel determines what we do." Hence, why Empowered by You takes lingerie, which has traditionally been seen merely as a tool of seduction and redirected that energy as a tool of empowerment.
I hope from these stories you will look at your own situations, struggles and accomplishments through a different lens. At the very least you will be more equipped with real life tools to change your own paradigm. At the end of the day, we are our own Alchemist turning the silver we were born with into the gold we are destined to become.
Karin Gustafsson - Head of Womenswear Design - COS
Tell me a bit about your career journey and how you came to your position at COS.
The start to my career was a little bit different because for a long time, I didn't think I could be a fashion designer. I wanted to do design, but I was more into the makings of it, so I educated myself in Sweden in tailoring and dressmaking. Eventually, I decided to go to school for fashion in London. It was eye opening, because it was both creative and academic. From the beginning it informed you it was the thought process that was the important part of your work. That's what employers were looking for, to understand how a person looked at a piece of inspiration and then turned it into a garment. Quite early on, I was pushed to work with my hands however felt good to me, however I could communicate my ideas. So I started working with fabric, with mesh, paper; different things to create silhouettes.
At 26, I started working on my Masters at Royal College of Art and at my final show, the COS people approached me. I went for an interview and I didn't know what to expect, but I knew the product was new and was taking a different approach from the H&M brand. (COS's parent company is the H&M Group).
COS is regarded as a major trendsetter in fashion for totally eclectic style and silhouettes. How did it come up with such a unique mass appeal? What do you think is the secret ingredient?
What's unique about COS is the price point and the quality of the designs and materials. We went back to looking at old couture techniques but took them to this modern day world. We really use that and start every season from scratch. We always look to art, architecture and design for inspiration, but once we have our story, then we really start to work around that. We ask ourselves, "How do we get the details right, how do we create this atmosphere?" We work closely with the pattern department. We do a lot of experimentation and 3D work, like draping. We create quite big and then we reduce. We're always pushing ourselves; Is this feeling modern, is this feeling functional? Does this garment offer function and fashion for the customer? Everything is a very creative process from the beginning.
Although the work process is very intense, we have a dynamic team and there is a lot of knowledge between us.
What does the future of COS look like?
I think there is a timelessness to the collection. I see so many different women using COS as almost a blank canvas for their outfits and wearing it in different ways. Because it can be timeless, it's a sustainable collection that you can buy and keep, that still is very modern and on the forefront.
I always say to the design team that we should be on the forefront of the making, design and finishes,that is something that we should be researching every day. And of course, we will always cater to the customer,that is the bottom line.
You have 100s of stores, but I hardly see any advertising and no celebrity endorsements. How do you advertise?
Atul Pathak - Head of Communications:
We don't take a traditional approach to our marketing. The way that we market, we call it considered communications. If there is something for us to talk about, then we're more than happy to talk about it, but it has to be relevant for our customer. We're always going to refer back to the customer. On the flip side of that is that we've always had a very strong DNA in terms of what we're trying to achieve, so I think it's a mixture of being confident in ourselves and our DNA, and listening to the customer and recognizing what they may want to hear from us. We create dialogue through the areas of inspiration that we've been referring back to for many years now, which has always been art and design. We do a lot of research around various exhibitions or galleries, and we often find that when we're in the context of those, we see a lot of people wearing COS clothing. That helps confirm we are talking to the right audience.
We also carefully select what we Instagram and we have COS magazine, which appeals to our art inclined audience. We have a section on our website called "Things," where we post things that other people are doing that inspire us. Every season we also produce the COS magazine, which features a highly curated collection and editorial, but also highlights interviews with people who are progressive and innovative. We genuinely believe our customer will get as much inspiration from it in their lives as we do.
What's next for COS?
Atul Pathak - Head of Communications:
We are very happy to be opening our Houston store this week in the new River Oaks development, this will be our 7th store in the US! It has been wonderful to see how well the brand and collection have been received across the country since we launched.
What do you feel is the biggest paradigm shift you've experienced when seeing something differently changed your life?
The ultimate thing is when I had my son, for me that was a real change in life because it changed my perspective and my values and focuses in life. It made me realize that life is short but life is also beautiful. It's about embracing life and making the most of it.
What has been your biggest breakdown to breakthrough moment?
Like we touched on before, I had this huge complex early on because I couldn't draw and I had all these ideas with no way to get them across. It was very frustrating, but then I realized I could take a photograph and draw on top of that and use a mix of media to get my idea across. That was amazing.
When you have an idea and you write it down, it's just an idea. But when you work more freely, it really makes things happen. So maybe your first initial thought doesn't necessarily happen when you create the fabric, but it may lead to other things by accident. You're out in this big black hole and things happen that you haven't seen before.
What kind of legacy do you wish to leave behind?
I hope that people can find inspiration in looking at the knowledge and the process of things that I've learned, and realize that you don't have to be the loudest, most outgoing person to get to your end goal. It's really about the craft and what you put into it.
COS is definitely coming in hot into the U.S and now we know why. Behind those beautifully structured garments with premier fabrics, there is a team and leading this team is a visionary. I can firmly say that under Karin's watch COS is breaking the glass ceiling of women's ready-to-wear. Under her soft voice and humble ways she is a force to be reckoned with and it is only a matter of time until we all are influenced by her and her team's work - luckily.