The old and new co-exist in Seoul. The vibrant city sets the scene for COS’s Spring/Summer ‘26 runway show.
For its first show in Korea, COS debuts its Spring/Summer ‘26 collection in a brutalist-inspired venue: an abandoned bathhouse in the outskirts of Seoul. The journey is a surreal experience as guests are ferried across the city. They pass by the historic Joseon-era Gyeongbokgung Palace, towering skyscrapers, and bustling shopping streets, only to arrive at a quiet street, where they step into an elaborately bare, immersive space, staged with an all-white runway. A path is marked within the insulated room, dictated by the exposed basins and rectangular beams; guests are seated along the perimeters, with a full view of each other. As the show begins, only two things come into focus: the clothes on the models and the front row reacting to them in real time.
Design director Karin Gustafsson’s choice of bringing COS to Seoul, defined by its duality, becomes clear as the Spring/Summer ‘26 collection unfolds. Her constant negotiation between dichotomous elements play out in 40 looks: the past and present, structure and softness, innovation and tradition.
Throughout the collection, slinky ‘90s silhouettes are subtly undercut by sharp lines, from square-toed heels, structural collars, and ‘80s-era power shoulders. Yet, Gustafsson manages to keep it light, citing the effortless silhouettes on Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton in cult favourite movie, American Gigolo (1980), as inspiration. Opacity gives way at first to subtle flashes of skin when fabric is draped loosely across the body as lightweight blouses, skirts, and overcoats; and later, to fully sheer ribbed knit dresses. Even textural experimentation–trompe l’oeil denim rendered in silk, linen melanges, and leather fabrications–fall weightlessly on the body.
From the muted tones of slate greys, rich browns, creams and whites, there are sharp bursts of colour; the effect of these choices are cinematic, amplified by the stark white set. After Gustafsson’s final bow, the guests emerge from the soft haze. The topic of their murmured conversations slowly shifts from the aesthetic brilliance of the show to the functionality of the garments. This reveals the secret to COS’s universal success: modern, translatable designs for real people in the modern world, regardless of who they are, what they do, or where they come from.
