After last year’s exclusive collaboration MR PORTER & COS are pairing up again for The Art of The Everyday. The collection is a complete wardrobe of menswear essentials featuring easy to wear, casual silhouettes with a warm palette of dusty pink, grey, brown and navy.
This is the second exclusive collection between the two retailers, building and expanding upon themes from last Summer’s capsule The Modern Traveller. As our journeyman returns home and finds himself with an eclectic mix of memorabilia, colours, textures, words and objects, he is inspired by his travels and experience, but values the comfort and consistency of being home. He appreciates homeware design, craftsmanship, quality and attention to detail, and finds value and importance in building a space unique to one’s experience.
Daniel Todd, Buyer, MR PORTER
“Our first collaboration with MR PORTER was very well received, it felt natural for us to continue the journey and follow with an autumn edit. We share a lot of values with Mr Porter and like how accessible they are. We also have a very similar customer base; the modern man who knows about good, high quality design.”
Q&A with Mr Daniel Todd, Buyer, MR PORTER
This is MR PORTER’s second collaboration with COS, tell us how this collection is unique?
We are very proud to be launching our second collaboration with COS, and building upon the success of the first which we launched on MR PORTER and in select COS stories in SS15. What’s exciting about this collection is that we were able to explore a capsule fit for the Autumn Winter season. The collection is anchored in by its tailoring, rich colour palette, and autumnal textures and fabrications, which lend themselves naturally to the season. This collection will also feature a greater number of pieces, showcasing a complete capsule of essentials.
How did the project come about?
The conception of the first project stemmed from exploratory conversations between the MR PORTER buying team and Marie Honda, COS Managing Director. After several meetings discussing opportunities and potential directions, what was clear is that there’s a mutual respect and admiration from both brands towards one another. From there, the project was born and we created a capsule collection around this idea of The Modern Traveller, a limited edition 23-piece collection and complete wardrobe of menswear essentials for the Spring season. As we revisited the success of the first one, it only made sense to explore a second capsule for Autumn Winter.
How did the design process work? Was there a lead on the creative or was it more of a meeting of minds?
The MR PORTER buying team and style director sat down with the COS design team to kick start the process. The initial colour palette ideas presented by COS were a brilliant starting point, with multiple range planning meetings incorporating fabric and texture swatches, further colour palettes, model fittings etc., meant that the full collection was a truly collaborative effort. A little note, artwork and architecture were key inspirations during the creative process.
What sets this collaboration apart from other capsules MR PORTER has launched?
The COS x MR PORTER capsule in 2015 was unique as it was the first of its kind with a brand that we do not already stock on site. Each capsule has started with a blank canvas with no pre-existing data or reference points, however due to the strong alignment of both brands ethos and aesthetic, the capsule resonates with both sets of customers.
Will the collection continue into another season?
Both COS and MR PORTER I’m sure will continue on conversations to produce another collection, however this will only work when appropriate for both sides. In a similar fashion to waiting for a few seasons to launch the second collection, we want to showcase capsule collections which are relevant, fresh and something new for our customers. We very much enjoy working with the COS team!
Which are your key pieces in the collection that you’d like to shout about? Why?
I’m a huge fan of this collection, as it showcases a curated selection of fashion essentials and truly has something for everyone. But if I had to pick 3 key items they would be the Peach Cotton bomber jacket, Navy soft shell boiled-wool overcoat, and the Dusty Pink cashmere ribbed crew-neck sweater.
The Collection is available today 27th October on
www.mrporter..com
by Arrnott Olssen
Editor Rogue Homme
