Courtesy of Cos.
For COS’ head of menswear Christopher Copin good design means more than just something looking good, it’s got to be functional too. This is why Bauhaus—a clean-lined and functional approach to design that grew out of the Staatliches Bauhaus (the legendary design school which ran from 1919 until 1933, first in Weimar and then in Dessau and Berlin)—was the ideal inspiration for the London-based brand’s latest capsule collection. Hitting stores this Friday, Archive Editions inspired by Bauhaus is a streamlined showcase of 13 pieces—6 menswear, 6 womenswear and 1 accessory—in a muted palette that encapsulates the modernist, fuss-free and forward-thinking beauty of Bauhaus. And while Bauhaus has been an inspiration for COS since the beginning of the brand 11 years ago, what better time to celebrate the school then the year of its 100th anniversary. So, we sat down with the designer to chat form, function and just what it is about Bauhaus that makes it such an enduring example of good design.
Why does Bauhaus continue to be such a touchstone of good design?
We always talk about the Bauhaus ‘movement’, but initially it was a school, which is interesting because it means that they wanted to share what they believed in and give opportunities to students to learn what they had to teach. This is connected with the way that COS wants to approach design—mixing art and craftsmanship. For me, when you want to build a beautiful chair, or a big and beautiful and functional building, you need to also have the expertise in terms of craftsmanship and to align it with what you want to achieve.
When we start to work on a garment we always start with art and design, and architectural inspiration. And then we think about how we can project this feeling into a garment. We work closely with pattern makers and the atelier we have in London to achieve all the details we want in our pieces— all the different elements we want to amplify, or on the contrary, erase. The other thing that’s important about Bauhaus is the function: they created designs and buildings with a function. It’s not only a beautiful piece, or a beautiful and graphic building, it’s more than that, people need to work in it. They need to sit on a chair. The purpose of it, the goal of it, is as important as the design.
Are there any Bauhaus practitioners you are particularly Interested in?
I really love the work of Marcel Breuer and Anni Albers. At Berlinische Galerie, I saw one of Breuer’s iconic pieces: the Wassily Chair. Each time I see it, I find it incredible. It’s really an art piece. It could be a sculpture—the balance, the proportion of it—it’s incredible perfect. All the details are so well made. And at the same time, the function is there, when you sit on it, it’s super comfortable. We need to design, of course, beautiful pieces, with beautiful shapes and a lot of details, but the purpose is also important. In the case of garment, it needs it needs to be worn.
Who did you have in mind when designing the Archive Editions inspired by Bauhaus collection?
I think it could be for many types of customers. I can see a very timeless, modern customer who could wear the collarless coat, white shirt and felted wool trouser. But if you change the way you wear it, if you add the apron on top of the shirt, or on top of the t-shirt for example, it becomes something else and the wearer also becomes someone else.
What elements of Bauhaus architecture do you find particularly inspiring?
What I find incredible is the way the Bauhaus practitioners express form but with function in mind in such a light way. I find Bauhaus buildings, and its architects— like Walter Gropius and Breuer—and the buildings that they did afterwards, to be like this. If you look, for example, at the Pan Am Building in New York, it’s incredible. It’s huge. The lightness and proportion of it is amazing. And that’s part of it, the proportion, the balance—in a way there’s always something incredibly graphic about it too. There’s another building that I love by Marcel Breuer in Paris: the UNESCO building, which is almost in three pieces, and built out of concrete but they find a way to make concrete appear very sensitive and light. You feel the lightness and you also feel the tension of the form, the curve. This is what I like.
Why did you choose this colour palette?
It started from the colours of the Bauhaus building in Dessau—there was a lot of grey and white. We also have red in the collection, because it was part of this building. We thought it was interesting to highlight the craftsmanship of each piece and not distract the eyes from anything.
For you, what constitutes good style and good design?
A good garment is exactly like Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair. It is coherent: form, function, quality, and attention to detail align together. Then you have made a good piece and you say ‘OK I’m done’. There is a point when you can say whether something is done or not. It’s difficult to describe but there really is this moment where the piece has been achieved, and then you need to stop. If you add something at this point, then it is too much.
COS Archive Editions inspired by Bauhaus is available in stores from 25 October 2019.