Like clockwork, a handful of "it girl" retailers capture a generation's attention every few years. In the early 2000s, Hollister, , and were the only places cool girls shopped. In the 2010s, you couldn't go anywhere without seeing people wearing Madewell or Urban Outfitters clothes.
Today, Zara, H&M, and Aritzia have become the go-to stores. Zara and H&M often compete as two fast-fashion brands catering to millennial and Gen Z shoppers. But as Zara has leaned into clothing for young professionals in recent years, it's finding a new competitor in another H&M Group brand: COS.
COS makes minimalist, sustainable clothes for professionals The London-based retailer COS has been part of the H&M Group since 2007. It's almost like H&M's more sophisticated, socially conscious, and luxurious older sister, as its pieces are minimalist and sustainable by design. As Katie Reeves, the managing director of COS North America, told , COS often appeals to a mature buyer who has a bit more to spend than the H&M buyer.
"They're typically professionals," she said of COS customers. "They work or dabble in creative fields. They reside in metropolitan cities.
They appreciate trends, but they're not defined by them. Their wardrobe is also a collection of pieces they wear and return to now and forever." In 2022, the brand found global success by , including Nordstrom in the US, to bring its clothes to a larger audience.
And in 2024, COS expanded again by opening a flagship store in Mexico, according to.