Meet Cou Cou, The New Generation’s Intimate Wear With A Purpose

Transfer over Hanky Panky, there’s a brand new lady on the town. Meet Cou Cou, the intimate put on model making a reputation for redefining underwear for a brand new technology of girls. Based by Rose Colcord in 2021, the environmentally-conscious, impact-driven cult model has a transparent focus in celebrating the feminine embodied expertise, by bridging the hole between lingerie and day by day underwear and providing a spread of core designs that seamlessly merge consolation with fashionable.

For Colcord, the thought of getting separate underwear drawers — one for stuffy, eye-pleasing lingerie, and one for comfortable however unattractive granny panties — felt outdated and unsuitable. “I realised the dichotomy between the lingerie and underwear drawer, represented this notion that consolation and wonder are mutually unique and the way we as ladies are anticipated each morning to choose between feeling snug or stunning.” Explaining her inspiration in creating Cou Cou Intimates, Colcord says: “That’s my factor with Cou Cou. I wish to make underwear, and greater than {that a} model, that basically celebrates our on a regular basis expertise as ladies.”

Regardless of her preliminary lack of curiosity in beginning a enterprise, Colcord’s private expertise made her discover that there’s a void available in the market — an precise product that she and all her mates wanted. “Past this, presently solely 2% of our underwear is sustainably sourced and because of the nature of wash-and-wear, our underwear is definitely our most disposed-of garment.” The founder continues with a lighthearted smile: “Though we’re all fairly conscious and aware of the impression of the style trade on the surroundings, underwear is the one factor you don’t wish to be reselling (or shopping for) on Depop.”

While ending her diploma in Philosophy at NYU (Colcord later transferred to USC), Colcord got down to create an undergarment that is top of the range, snug, stunning — an entire new class that’s neither lingerie or simply the usual affiliation the shoppers have with “underwear” — and with an answer to cut back the environmental impression. Formally began engaged on the mission in the course of the pandemic while at her residence within the Cotswolds, Colcord centered her consideration on the product, fine-tuning the designs and sending samples backwards and forwards all through the quite a few lockdowns till the three core kinds have been perfected.

And the end result? Cou Cou’s important fundamentals which can be removed from primary. The Thong, The High Rise and The Cami function probably the most joy-inducing, delicate, 100% GOTS Licensed Natural Cotton — a material that’s absolutely compostable and finest for gynaecological well being. The extremely skinny spaghetti straps, the additional miniature silk bows, the delicate milky shade, the sweetest pointelle patterns particularly designed by Colcord, mixed with the easy but harmless silhouettes of the items all deliver again the very best of nostalgia — like being a child once more and driving a motorcycle by means of the countryside full of wild flowers on a breezy summer time day. “I simply liked it had this sense of Euro summers, romance and exquisite, delicate simplicity.” Says Colcord.

Past the fashion, the younger founder actually believes manufacturers have the ability to rewrite cultural narratives. Having all the time struggled together with her physique picture, meals, and confidence since she was 16, Colcord is working in the direction of that day when ladies don’t even fear or take into consideration how they give the impression of being as a result of it doesn’t matter, “what issues is having the ability to be current in our lives and engaged with our values/passions to create an impression in no matter manner we need. And with Cou Cou I hope to, not solely create aware, elevated, intimate necessities that make us really feel comfortable and cute on a regular basis, however to reclaim the narrative of our intimates, scale back the environmental impression of our most disposed-of garment and to rejoice our feminine, embodied expertise. On a regular basis.” Cou Cou [koo koo] is probably the most endearing option to say hello to a liked one, and that’s precisely what Colcord needs the model to be for everybody — “a good friend that brings us residence to ourselves and reminds us that on a regular basis is price carrying our favorites.”

As a brand new model and small workforce, profitability is necessary, however not overtaking social accountability in precedence. Apart of actively attempting to good its sustainable footprint, Cou Cou additionally belongs to 1% For The Planet, and contribute 1% of its complete product sales to probably the most impactful environmental non revenue organizations engaged on the planet’s most urgent environmental points.

“I’m so grateful on a regular basis for attending to work with so many wonderful ladies and to proceed to collaborate with such inspirational artists, fashions and cultural people to carve out the Cou Cou World.” When requested what her subsequent steps are as a founder/model, Colcord gushes in probably the most real, girly manner. She plans to continue to grow and studying with the model, and has a transparent long-term imaginative and prescient: “I basically need Cou Cou to change into the go-to premium sustainable day by day underwear model for the brand new technology of girls, with a multi-pack focus and omnichannel distribution technique. Proper now, I’m specializing in constructing out the Core Assortment [the brand has just launched in August the first new additions after a year of only having 3 original products], streamlining our provide chain, evaluating alternatives when it comes to bodily retail, trying to find new materials and naturally, persevering with to share and keep true to the Cou Cou intention, message, story and values.”

Now you can purchase Cou Cou Intimates’ vary of sustainable, snug and extremely stylish kinds on www.coucouintimates.com in addition to quite a lot of luxurious retailers together with Selfridges, Web-a-Porter, Browns, and Ssense.