Co’s California-based designers Stephanie Danan and Justin Kern are fired up as soon as I log onto Zoom to speak with them about their new collection. “To be honest with you, I don’t think we’re interested in having the classic review of what our inspiration is. We’re a little bit in a radical place right now, where fashion is not catching up to what’s happening on the planet,” Danan says, later adding, “We are in a time and place where the necessity is to create clothes that speak to the reality that our world and environment is going to shit. We have a responsibility as designers to speak about this very clearly and with a lot of passion and a lot of conviction. To sit here and pretend that doesn’t exist is delusional and irresponsible. That is our point of view; that is our inspiration; and that is the collection.”
Danan and Kern’s zeal has been ignited for some time, but especially since the launch of their Natural World capsule collection just days ago, which uses regenerative agriculture to create a luxury product that actually does some good. (For a more in-depth look at how they achieved this, read my colleague Emily Farra’s article). The spring 2022 collection is not part of Natural World, though. “In the main line, there’s just not a supply chain [that exists] to do what we did in the capsule,” Kern says. “But the idea is still there, of creating things that are meant to last forever and don’t have that question around them of, ‘Why does this even exist?’”
That question is answered, in part, by the timelessness of the designs and the textiles used. The key fabrics are natural linen, cotton, and silk, with limited use of synthetics (in particular, the trimmings are faux leather). Danan and Kern also point out that they’ve cut down their fashion collections from four seasons to two per year, in addition to their essentials line. “Obviously we are still in the works of creating a supply chain to get as close as possible to where we want to be with Natural World, but that will take a lot of time,” Danan says.
Spring’s clothes are beautiful and more sensual than one expects from the minimalist brand. Kern and Danan wanted to design pieces that could mix with clothes in any woman’s wardrobe, and that would be so enticing that the customer would keep them forever—a sustainable mindset that cuts down on the individual buyer’s consumption rate. The offerings include a vibrant red bias-cut silk dress, several slinky camisoles and slips with lace detailing, wide leg trousers with faux leather trim, and patterned, sheer leggings. The Co woman represented in the lookbook is self-aware, connected to her body and the world around her. Shot at a house designed by Richard Neutra, it’s an alluring image.
But there’s an elephant in the room. It’s clear that the news of the season is less Danan and Kern’s latest wares and more the seismic shift in their outlook on the purpose of fashion and, indeed, their brand. So why create a spring collection at all, much less agree to have it reviewed? On this point, they’re refreshingly frank. “Something has to pay for the climate beneficial [research and development],” Kern says. “While it’s environmentally sustainable, it’s not financially sustainable. You need a profitable company in line to support an initiative like this.” As many designers struggle with this kind of existential question, transparency is key.
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