15-year-old London-based fashion brand Cos, owned by H&M, is going wholesale for the first time, choosing Nordstrom, Yoox and Breuninger as the first partners in its strategy.
“We’ve taken time to reassess customer demand. We need to meet our customers where they want us to meet them,” Lloyd Goldby, head of global growth at Cos, told WWD. rice field.
Nordstrom will open on September 13th during New York Fashion Week, both on its website and at five New York-area locations (both its women’s flagship store in Manhattan and another men’s store in Paramus, Westchester, and Roosevelt Field, New Jersey). to start selling the Cos collection. , New York, store.
“This is perfect for maximizing our positioning in New York.
In the United States, Cos operates only 12 stores. “We need to build brand awareness in the US, and wholesale will be a big part of that. Our brand awareness is relatively low in the US compared to other markets. There are a lot of them,” Goldby said.
A sophisticated costume.
Cos will go on sale on Breuninger’s website in early October, making the brand available for purchase in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Poland. Based in Stuttgart, Germany, Breuninger also operates his 11 department stores.
The Yoox website, part of the Yoox Net-a-porter Group, will launch Cos in December this year, making it available for purchase at all Yoox live markets.
When asked how much of the Cos collection Nordstrom, Yukes and Brüninger carry, Goldby said: We make sure each one gets something very special. “
He suggested that Nordstrom’s Cos products would be more curated with “editions that work closely with New York Fashion Week and appeal to a high-end, high-fashion clientele.” With Brueninger and Yoox, “they plan to launch up to 70% of the collection in men’s and women’s,” he said. Nordstrom also offers his Cos styles for men and women.
“We’ve been very selective with our partners,” says Goldby. “We really think of it as a long-term partnership, [are] We keep it exciting and fresh for our customers. “
Lloyd Goldby
courtesy
Cos has a new wholesale team at its London headquarters and Cos employs regional experts in merchandising.
Growth in wholesale strategy is expected. “We are in a lot of talks with other partners around the world,” Goldby said. To do more wholesale, “we need to get to know each other’s brands in time.”
For Nordstrom and other retailers, he says, “it easily fills a void with iconic wardrobe pieces, sophisticated essentials, innovative designs and long-lasting products. Quality for the price.” There’s really a gap in the market for that.”
He said the Cos brand does not target a specific age or income. “It’s a very broad audience of all ages. I don’t have a clear goal. We’re open to a wide range. You can spend $15 or $400. There’s a wide range of prices.”
The brand is known for its modern, affordable clothing for men and women, from classic to contemporary styles. Also known for creating interiors, Cos was founded in March 2007 in Regent Street, London.
Given that Cos only has 267 stores in 47 markets around the world, there is still plenty of room for growth on the brick-and-mortar side as Cos moves into wholesale. Bringing Cos to Nordstrom, Breuninger and Yoox websites can help determine where there is strong demand and potential for opening Cos stores.
“We still see an important role for stores and a lot of potential for store expansion,” Goldby said.
Goldby said there is no concern about channels cannibalizing each other’s sales given their relatively small retail footprint spread around the world. he said he would. Online, Cos operates in 38 markets.
At New York Fashion Week, Cos will debut its Fall 2022 collection on its catwalk show on September 13, as WWD has already reported. The show will also be streamed live on the brand’s website. Koss said the show will “celebrate New York’s diverse communities and individual expressions against New York’s uniquely powerful backdrop.”
“We have been discussing going into wholesale for some time, and we feel the time is now. By partnering with multi-brand retailers, we need to reach new and existing customers beyond our owned channels,” it said in a statement.
From the autumn costume collection.