There’s a perfect shirt in every COS collection

A few months ago, rumours began swirling that COS, the H&M-owned brand with a cult following for its minimal, Scandinavian-inspired aesthetic, would be opening in India. Turns out, it wasn’t just a rumour. The brand, which is already in 48 countries, announced a 200sqm space set to open in New Delhi this October. To give insiders a preview of the fall/winter 2025 collection that will be at the store and was just shown at New York Fashion Week over the weekend, design director Karin Gustafsson recently made a trip to India.

Few people embody a brand quite like Gustafsson. When we meet, she’s dressed entirely in black—a long shirt over a pair of pedal pushers and strappy slippers—a sharp contrast to her short, pale blonde bob. The Royal College of Art alum was hired based on her graduate collection in 2006, back when the brand was still at its inception stage. Since then, she’s risen the ranks, building COS’s reputation as a go-to for easy, effortless designs that offer an elevated take on your daily wardrobe—think the perfect white shirt, luxe materials like cashmere and leather, and refined tailoring, all in a pared-back palette of neutrals.

What’s it like to have the same job for the last 19 years? “It’s never been boring for me, because there’s always something happening. Each season feels like new and I’m still enjoying it,” she told us at the preview. Ahead, Gustafsson gave us a glimpse of her Mumbai diary and shared what makes the brand so close to her heart.

What was your first day in Mumbai like?

That was yesterday. We arrived around lunchtime and quickly stepped out to see a few things. In the afternoon we went to the Sabyasachi store, which was beautiful—just the experience of it and to see the storytelling around the product was lovely. We then went to see Ekaya and also Rooshad Shroff’s studio, which I really enjoyed; the craftsmanship was so incredible.

Where was your first dinner?

We had a beautiful meal at Trishna, where we had the crab.

What’s the first thing you did this morning?

I woke up at 6:30 am, and then I just drank water. I’ve never been into coffee or tea. Today was really about meeting people and enjoying the warm, positive welcome that we’ve gotten here.

Would you say the brand’s aesthetic is in line with your personal taste?

I guess I’ve always been interested in working with classic pieces and sort of reinventing them. While studying, I worked a lot with draping, which you can also see in our collections. Obviously, when I was a student my style was a bit more loud and experimental, but we have those elements too that I think elevate us ever so slightly from the ordinary.

When you’re designing, where does your process start?

I don’t do the physical design now so much. I [more often] give directions and oversee men and women’s fashion. But we have a really great team with a lot of skills—some are good at draping, others at drawing, or collaging, or deconstruction—and everyone has an innovative mindset.

Fashion is so quick and changing, especially for a brand like COS. Do you have any rituals that help you stay inspired?

I think it’s important to have headspace. Stepping away from the process, thinking and taking a pause, and then going back is very important. Otherwise, you can get too much into the details. Sometimes you need more of an umbrella view.

I usually find that headspace when I exercise—you know, just go for a walk, look at things, go to an art gallery.

This fall/winter 2025 season is all about the ’50s and a bit of the ’90s when it comes to womenswear. What were you looking at from those periods?

I was thinking of the New Look [by Dior] that felt really fresh. The silhouette of, like, a skirt and jacket, or pants and a jacket, with the focus on the waist or the shoulder.

What is something you would never see at COS?

I wouldn’t want to say something specific because I think we can do pretty much anything. We’ve even done corset-type dresses and things but maybe we wouldn’t do a traditional corset with the Victorian construction. Our take would maybe look more to sportswear and see how you can get something tight-fitted but in a comfortable, more effortless, way.

There’s always a great shirt in a COS collection. Is it the same for fall/winter 2025?

Yes, there are two in blue and one in white this time. Shirts, of course, have been there right from the beginning at COS, from our first collections. This season there’s a sort of roundness to them, open necklines, where the placket is closing lower, and they sort of fall backwards ever so slightly.

The shirt is a wardrobe staple, really. If I think of a core wardrobe, I’ll say you need a T-shirt, a round-neck Merino wool jumper, and you probably need something in cashmere, a suit, and a shirt. It could sound quite conforming, but that’s not how we see it. We see it in an effortless way, things that you put on and just feel good about.

What does tomorrow look like for you?

Well, my son is coming, so we’re going to go do some sightseeing, a museum maybe, and wander around out hotel in Colaba. And, of course, I’m thinking about our upcoming Delhi store opening and before that, our show in New York.