A First Look At Cos's New Art-First Concept Store

The phrase “concept store” might have lost the impact or intrigue that it once had, owing to a multitude of brands offering everything from 360-degree shopping experiences to meditation rooms. But Cos promises its new art-first shop in Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross, will present customers with a fresh proposition.

The London-based high-street favourite established a network of collaborators in the art, design and architecture worlds long ago, and now it is drawing on these connections. Rather than a “trad” store, it sees itself as a platform to showcase the work of emerging artists, independent wellbeing companies and publishing houses.

“At Cos we have always been inspired by art and design. It is the starting point for everything we create, so for us it’s natural to support a community that we are so influenced by,” Karin Gustafsson, Cos creative director, told Vogue of hoping to bring the atmosphere of previous brand events at the Salone del Mobile and Serpentine Galleries to Coal Drops Yard. “We wanted to bring these creative experiences into our store so that our core inspirations could be close to the garments.”

British artist Paul Cocksedge will kick off proceedings with a site-specific installation exploring the juxtapositions between natural and man-made fabrics. Cos's exclusive Kings Cross edit of ceramics, books and beauty products, meanwhile, will find a place within the listed Victorian building accents within the Thomas Heatherwick building that the team were keen to preserve.

"The King’s Cross store felt like a perfect opportunity for us to partner with other likeminded brands that we feel a synergy with," Gustafsson continues of the unique space, which will feature natural rocks suspended from hoops of light. "We hope the store offers our customers a holistic shopping experience." With concepts such as light manipulation and the relationship the different materials have with gravity also bandied around, it will certainly be an interesting one when Cos opens its doors in November.