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Proposal

Cos is a minimalist clothing brand with the idea to create timeless, functional clothing for men and women. Cos launched in 2007 and now have stores worldwide, Karin Gustafsson is the creative director of the brand. Cos is part of the H&M group, this group consists of six unique fashion stores, the stores include H&M, Cos, & Other Stories, Monki, Weekday and Cheap Monday. The H&M fashion group aim to produce sustainable, good quality clothing accessible to as many customers as possible. Cos’s competitors are Zara, Mango and Whistles which all produce similar clothing styles for similar prices.

USP

Cos is known for their clean silhouettes and practical designs which is designed to be worn past seasons. Their aim is to ‘create pieces that are made to last beyond the season’. The brand is hugely inspired by architecture and art and incorporate these aspects into their garments.

Target Market

Cos is aimed at every woman, with functional, practical designs for any age, Cos is the gap in the market which separates high street and luxury fashion. I would say the target market is predominantly women above their 20′s as the designs are simplistic and minimal which might not appeal to a younger audience.  

Customer Profile

Zara Lawson is a 27 year old who lives in Soho, London and graduated from London school of arts, she now works in fashion PR in the city for brands such as Asos and Missguided.

- Ambitious and career driven

- Enjoys going to pilates classes with friends

- Simplistic, minimal style

Editorial Concept

For my editorial I plan on focusing on Cos’s aesthetics of minimalism and simplicity. I will be incorporating two S/S17 trends ‘ Power Shoulders’ and ‘Deconstructed shirts’, I feel both will work well with my chosen brand to create androgynous, masculine silhouettes.

S/S17

From researching this seasons trends I think these trends are applicable to the brand, the silhouettes are usually unstructured and minimal which I am going to incorporate in my editorial.

Location

I will choose between three locations, all three of them are applicable to the brand and would all create different moods adding interest to the editorial. I have seen previous editorials shot at the beach on a cloudy day which worked really well to create strong visuals. I will try a variety of shots up close of the garments and full body shots to show the whole outfit in detail. I will have one female model who has minimal, natural makeup. The model will have stern facial expressions posing naturally to mimic Cos’s aesthetics.

Mood/Lighting

Makeup

GIF

From researching Cos’s still life images I found that Cos’s photography is simple and incorporates different textures such as marble and wood to create interest. The colours used are neutral such as beige and grey. I will play around with shoes to create a similar outcome based upon these images.

Website Layout

The design will be minimal like the existing site, I have tried to mimic the design so it looks more accurate. I will have a page dedicated to my editorial which the customer can then shop from.

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Gif example

Here is an example of a gif I have made, when researching still images for Cos I took inspiration from still lifes which included different textures and accessories. I did a mock up using shoes I own but I will replicate the accessories from Cos and use different textures such as marble and wood as shown my gif moodboard.

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Website layout

From looking at previous website designs, I have decided on this design for the homepage which is simplistic and modern just like the Cos website. I will have a link which says ‘preview our s/s17 lookbook’ which will take customers to my editorial images which they can then shop from. 

For the index page, I have noticed the clothing is showcased on the model and then when you hover over the garment it shows a photograph of the garment in detail. I have chosen to follow the same structure for my index page to mimic the current website. I will take current images from the website and use them to showcase which garments are available.

For my last page, my editorial images will be layed out similar to the layout above and then the customer can scroll down to view other editorial images. Underneath the editorial images, I will list the clothing and clothing prices to make it easier for the customer to shop from the editorial.

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Styling Moodboard

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Lighting and poses moodboard

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GIF Moodboard

I was really inspired by my several still life images I found previously and I feel the photographs replicated and represented Cos’s aesthetics. This moodboard shows accessories I will use to create a minimal gif, the colours and textures I think will work really well and compliment with the simplistic website design and clothing of Cos.

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Hair and Makeup

The hair and makeup for the editorial will be simple and natural. From researching previous models on Cos website I have noticed the models fresh face and natural defined eyebrows. I will opt for minimal makeup with a flush of colour on the cheeks and plump lips. My model will have slick back hair tucked behind the ears, or tied up in a low ponytail.

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Location

From looking at editorials from Cos, I have noticed some editorials have been shot at a beach destination which I think would be perfect on a cloudy spring day and I feel the location would work well with the minimal clothing. Another location I feel would work is posh, white houses, several editorials include architecture as COS is passionate about art and architecture, I feel the white houses would work well. The last location is in Southampton and when I have walked past I have been intrigued by the architecture and the run down buildings, I feel it would add a different mood to the editorial.

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Inspirational GIFS

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Still life inspiration

The aesthetics of the Cos still life examples are simple and modern, incorporating clothing pieces and accessories layed out neatly. Cos is inspired by architecture which is evident when visiting the website, so I am inclined to incorporate pieces of architecture along with accessories for my GIF.

Inspirational still life examples

I am inspired by minimal still life photography as I feel it mimics my chosen brand Cos, incorporating accessories to add detail and texture. I will aim to create a few still images along with a GIF to add to my homepage.

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Editorial shoot inspiration

Elle Sweden- February 2017, Photographer- Tobias Lundkvist

 Zara Women campaign A/W 2013-2014

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Model Analysis

I shall be analysing Cos female models from the past to present, I plan on using one female model for my editorial. By analysing previous models it should make my decision easier on the type of female model to choose which will replicate my chosen brand.

S/S16

A/W15

S/S14 

Similarities

- Natural, minimal makeup

- Strong jawline and cheekbones

- Feminine but androgynous facial features

- Slick back hair, neat and precise

- Confident 

- Tall

- Most models have light, pale skin

- Stern facial expressions, rarely smiling

- Sophisticated

- Natural, strong defined eyebrows 

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Cos Editorials

Modern Dressing

‘Quiet, unexpected details and subtle hints of bold colour: discover our latest arrivals for spring’.

COS x Agnes Martin Guggenheim 2016

‘Celebrating our support of Agnes Martin at the Guggenheim Museum in New York,we have created a limited-edition capsule collection for women and men inspired by the artist’s work’.

Reserve

‘Wild natural expanses of sand and sky greet the jewelled hues and bold silhouettes of this season’s collection for women’. 

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Website layout

2017

2016

2015

I looked at previous website designs and all the sites are similar without any dramatic differences, the logo has not changed it is simple and classic which represents the brand. Most of home pages include an editorial image at the top which is relevant to the season.  As the customer clicks on the editorial it takes you to the index page with the garments from the editorial. I like the simplistic design, it is easy to use and shop from. In previous website designs Cos have included still lifes and architecture photographs which shows Cos’s passion for art and architecture. Another feature which is significant is by clicking on the logo it automatically takes the customer back to the homepage.

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Trend Report S/S17

My trend report consists of 3 trends for Spring/Summer17 which I think are applicable and relate to the brand Cos. Although Cos produces timeless classics without focusing on seasons, I think these trends apply to the average Cos customer. The first trend is ruffles, I think ruffles is a very feminine trend and I could see Cos designing shirts incorporating ruffles for decoration and texture. The second trend deconstructed shirting is extremely relevant, when Cos comes to mind I instantly think of minimal, monochromatic clothing and crisp white shirts, shirts are a statement garment for Cos. The last trend I thought was applicable to the brand is power shoulders, big shoulders creating shapeless silhouettes. I could see Cos designing oversized, simple, minimal 80′s blazers with a shapeless fit as the silhouettes Cos portray are clean cut and unstructured.

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Cos Styling

Cos garments are known for being extremely minimal, timeless and clean, the garments on the website are often neutral such as beige, grey, black and white. It is very rare Cos includes bright, vibrant garments in their collections. From my findings of previous seasons, I have noticed similarities. Each season they have very similar basics but do include a few more fashion forward garments targeting a younger market such as ruffles, off the shoulder tops and metallics which have all been/ are fashion trends. Another similarity is the shape of the garments, it is unstructured and loose which hasn’t changed from season to season.

Garments from S/S17 (current website)

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Reader Profile

Who is the target market?

Cos is aimed at every woman, with functional designs for any age. Cos customers are part of an executive group, this group fits several personalities. Cos is the gap in the market which separates the high street and luxury. The brand produces quality garments for a reasonable price, however I would say Cos is slightly more pricey than its competitors such as Zara. Whistles and Jigsaw are of a similar price range, these stores create similar styled garments and all have a luxe feel which is what Cos is trying to achieve.

Who clicks on the site?

From researching the brands clothing and looking at past styles I would say a Cos customer who clicks on the site wants quality over cheaper fast fashion alternatives. I would say Cos’s target market is predominantly women in their 20s +, I would not say it is aimed at teens because the prices are higher than some high street shops and the clothing is minimal, unstructured and clean cut without following current trends. Cos stocks children's, men and stationery and homeware which could suggest it is aimed at an older women someone with a home and family.