COSSAC: The emerging eco fashion brand to know
What sets aside COSSAC from the other ethical brands that are on the scene at the moment?
Our mission is to make sustainable fashion current & relevant. Eco fashion is widely believed to lack in style or to simply be visual unappealing. We want to prove that’s not the case. We pay enormous attention to branding, photoshoots and the general visual message we try to portray. We cherry pick fellow artists, like CRIB presents, to help us do so. We knew from very early on that in order to convert mainstream fashion shoppers to be more conscious was to offer them products that are not only ethical but also hot, or in our case #ECOHOT.
What were the challenges of launching yourself as a sustainable, eco-friendly brand?
So many I don’t know where to start! Self-funding the whole process was really challenging. Finding the right factories to work with that are certified and respect their workers. Meeting minimum order quantities for fabrics and garment production was another obstacle. Fighting with eco fashion stereotype is a continuous challenge as well. That being said, it was all worth it. Doing what you love and contributing to a better change is extremely satisfying and rewarding.
What is your advice to young consumers who see fashion as a part of their self-expression and haven’t necessarily explored sustainability and what is has to offer…
Young consumers already expect more transparency, in fact I think sustainability is no longer a trend, it’s becoming a mainstream movement and approach to life. Moreover, people love unique stories behind brands. I think it’s down to eco brands now to make sure their product & visual message are good enough to ‘compete’ with fast fashion players. I also think price is a critical factor; sustainable fashion has to be more affordable. It will always be a bit more expensive (for obvious reasons such as better fabric qualities, transparency in the supply chain, etc) but I in order to compete with high street players like Zara or H&M we have to be reasonable and price sensitive.
Do you think fashion is making big changes to become more sustainable and ethical?
There is a demand for sustainability; big names in fashion all start eco lines as part of their main ranges. People become more conscious and more aware of the world we live in. They apply this newfound awareness to their every day life; food, cosmetics, leisure. It was just a matter of time before this changed arrived into fashion world. Eco fashion advocates like to mark Rana Plaza disaster from 2014 as a corner stone in the change to more sustainable and transparent fashion, which I do agree with to some extent, but I like to think it was a natural turn of events. We have simple evolved as humans.
Who’s your idol?
I have quite a few but one of the most important ones is Ai Wei Wei. He has bee on my mind lately as last month Chinese government demolished his art studio in Beijing which was quite devastating as I always wanted to visit it. I have been always fascinated with how symbolic & unapologetic his art was. It’s quite fascinating to watch how with every piece he stands up to oppressive political system and fights for more freedom of expression and justice. Actually, in my first ever collection I had an organic cotton printed t-shirt with a slogan ‘Never sorry’ which was a so-to-say tribute to him (‘Never sorry’ is a doc about Ai).
Find out more at cossac.co.uk.
