From London To India: COS Makes Its Long-Awaited Entry Into India

When a brand like COS decides to establish a presence in a new country, it isn’t just a retail story; it’s a cultural dialogue. For years, Indian shoppers travelling abroad have stocked up on the brand's clean silhouettes and elevated essentials, sliding its pieces into their wardrobes like treasured finds. Now, that moment of discovery is about to become local. COS, the London-based fashion house renowned for its timeless, minimalist designs, is officially making its India debut with the opening of its first store in Delhi in Autumn-Winter 2025.

Sitting down with Karin Gustafsson, Design Director at COS, what stood out most wasn’t a nervousness about stepping into one of the world’s most vibrant, maximalist fashion markets, but rather, an excitement about what this meeting of aesthetics could spark. “Of course, there’s always a bit of nervousness when you come to a new place,” she admitted. “But I must say, from the moment I arrived, I felt really excited. I could see all the craftsmanship, the celebration of materials, and good quality. It’s something we also talk a lot about and what we hope to deliver.”

For a brand rooted in quiet elegance, India’s love for drama, colour, and embellishment might seem like a curious contrast. But Gustafsson is quick to flip that narrative. She prefers to see the brand not as a foreign minimalism intruding into a maximalist land, but as a blank canvas ready to be layered with personality. “We don’t want the collection to take over the person, we want the person to take over the clothes,” she explained. “If your personality is louder, you can style our collection louder. Our pieces are versatile; they combine in many ways, and I think that makes them work as a foundation.”

That phrase ‘blank canvas’  feels like the key to the brand's Indian journey. After all, what better way to match our love for bold jewellery, vibrant textiles, and expressive silhouettes than with understated pieces that allow them to shine? Minimalist tailoring, reimagined dresses, refined separates—all designed to be re-styled, re-mixed, and personalised with flair.

This multidisciplinary way of thinking—fashion not in isolation, but as part of a larger creative ecosystem- runs deep in the brand's DNA. Gustafsson often draws inspiration from art and architecture. “I genuinely believe art is always ahead of fashion,” she said. “Influences start elsewhere, and the lines are increasingly blurred. What matters most is taking the time to observe tendencies and inspirations from all around us.”

Her own journey with the brand is almost inseparable from the brand’s history. Joining when it was still a concept, before a single store existed, she’s grown with it from an idea to an international presence. “I didn’t know what I was setting myself up for when I started,” she laughed. “But it’s been a privilege to see something that was so small grow into a brand with global opportunities.”

What hasn’t changed is the brand's refusal to play into short-lived trends. While the world of fashion chases micro-trends and TikTok-fuelled aesthetics, Gustafsson remains firm in designing for longevity. “We want our customers to buy something to keep it,” she said. “Even if they don’t wear it every season, they might rest it, pass it on, but the feeling should always be: I want this for a long time.” That philosophy—timelessness, versatility, and craftsmanship—is what she hopes will resonate with Indian consumers, who often balance heirloom-worthy purchases with everyday essentials.

And if you’re curious about what’s next? The brand's Spring/Summer 2025 collection offers a glimpse into its creative mood: sculptural draping, Renaissance-inspired silhouettes, fluid tailoring, and a refined menswear focus on utility and light textures. It’s the kind of collection that feels both international and personal, like it could belong anywhere. But the real anticipation is for Autumn/Winter 2025—the debut collection India will welcome in September. (Yes, I got a sneak peek, and let’s just say it’s COS at its most assured. Streamlined tailoring, intelligent layering, and subtle details that feel just right for the Indian market’s first impression.)

As our conversation wrapped up, Gustafsson’s curiosity about India was palpable. She’d already sampled crab at Trishna, marvelled at the weight of a Sabyasachi bridal lehenga, and confessed she was eager to try vada pav next. It’s this openness towards culture, towards contrast, towards possibility that might just be the brand's biggest strength in India.

Minimalism, after all, doesn’t have to mean plain. In the Indian context, it could mean space: the space to layer, to mix, to personalise. COS arrives not to quieten the Indian wardrobe, but to give it a new language of balance. And if this debut is anything to go by, the dialogue between COS and India is only just beginning.

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