Change is underway at Co. The brand, helmed by Stephanie Danan and Justin Kern, opened its first flagship in Los Angeles. A minimalist destination next to the new David Zwirner gallery, the store is one part of what Danan describes as a “reset” for the label, which hasn’t shown a collection since spring 2023, last October.
“So many brands look alike, and if you don’t take the time to focus on what your silhouette is, you end up looking like everyone else,” Danan says from Paris. To combat that, Danan and Kern focused on tailoring. “There’s so much tailoring out there,” Danan acknowledges before discussing what makes Co’s different. They focused on creating shapes on the body rather than adhering to dogmatically oversized or form-fitting separates. This led to some interesting ideas, like a draped trench coat with a cowl neck, and a blue-green double-breasted jacket with no lapel in a coated linen.
The slouchy trousers were reliably masculine, as were the black-and-white brogues (shoes are a growing category for the brand). Some of the coated linen button-ups and pants read as even a little nerdy, though, admittedly, that could just be the stereotypes associated with big glasses. But as the Co woman is resolutely intellectual, that’s hardly a miscalculation. Elsewhere, flashes of traditional femininity like a trim vest and pencil skirt, and a black dress with unbuttoned buttons down the back looked refreshing. It’s all well balanced.
