Meet the Polish designer Anna Szubert
Imagine the underwater world and its many mysterious creatures. If you never heard of lionfish, mandarinfish or sea slugs this is a good place to start.
Let me introduce to you Ania Szubert, the owner of the clothing brand COSEL, who comes from the Baltic port of Gdynia, Poland. Ania, as a fashion designer and molecular biologist, draws inspiration from nature. Her interest is mainly in insects and sea creatures, though her fascination extends to the weirdest and the rarest species in the world. One of her focuses is on color in the natural world. Humans use color psychology to study how colors impact our behavior. Have you ever thought about the usage of colors in the animal world?
In nature, the ability to change color is a key to survival. It is a superpower that can work as camouflage or a warning. Octopuses developed different techniques of camouflage to catch or hide from other animals. They blend into their surroundings by changing shape, behavior, and color. Warning coloration is how animals discourage predation by signaling toxicity. For example, the golden poison frog is the most poisonous animal in the world, and their bright yellow color indicates that they are poisonous. This is so successful that despite being otherwise defenseless, the golden poison frog has almost no predators.
Some animals go through seasonal change transformations, for instance, arctic foxes switch from white during winter months to earthy tones during summer. Others are masters of rapid color change, for instance, the chameleon sand tilefish which needs only a second to turn from blue to red. And like humans, other animals can use color for communication. Color is also used to attract mates, and it can also be an indicator of health and vitality, which is exemplified by peacocks. Besides coloration, there are many marine organisms that are biofluorescent, and have the ability to glow. Likewise, biofluorescent animals can use light for many purposes, such as camouflage or attracting mates.
These natural phenomena inspired Ania to bring colors from the animal world to fashion. Her creative process starts with researching and capturing the most "fashionable" species. Then she analyses their patterns on a macro scale. When she finds the most beautiful combination of shapes and colors she designs a new pattern inspired by those images. Her designs show how playful, colorful and creative Mother Nature is. One such design was influenced by the sea slug species Cyerce nigricans, which have leopard-like patterns on their skin. Among her collections, you will also find designs inspired by such unique species as Goniobranchus roboi, who are distinguished from other sea slugs by their yellow-orange colors with blue rectangles separated by black spaces.
Please let me invite you to her beautiful world.
What is your definition of fashion?
Fashion is such an indefinite being. On the one hand, it is something present and ephemeral, which will fade away in a moment and another will come. On the other hand, it is something permanent that is always there, like for example fashion of the 50s.
Often, the people who don't have an attachment to clothes are people who look only at trends. It is so limiting. For instance, I feel great in 50's skirts, and I don't see any reason why I would change my preferences only because other types of dresses are trendy at the moment.
I definitely prefer the word "clothing", but it needs the human element to be more really intriguing. When I look at the dress hanging on the hanger, I see just a nice garment. When I see a person who is wearing a dress that resonates with her personality and looks, it is like a completely new creation and a new form of aesthetic. It is so interesting that the same clothes can look so different on people. One person can shine and bloom like a beautiful tulip, and another will be invisible. There is some special aura around people who are wearing clothes that match them. Maybe it sounds like a metaphysical, unreal, and perhaps an unusual way to describe clothes, but it is a bit like that.
What was the greatest design lesson you ever received?
I have learned to listen to my intuition more than trends because all my attempts to imitate the trends ended up in a disaster. Once I was advised to design a flower dress. I did it and I couldn't sell it because it's not my aesthetic. There are many intriguing plants in the world and I try to incorporate them into my designs, but my heart is always beating faster when I see the shapes and colors of underwater animals. This is who I am and I want to stay true to myself. I believe that you can truly convince other people only when you are authentic. The DNA of my brand COSEL is a reflection of what I feel and how I see the world. That is why I didn't hire an advertising agency to create a brand strategy for COSEL.
I have also learned that whatever resonates with me, it surely resonates with at least hundreds of other people. The colorful dress will always be more niche than the black dress, but there is still a huge percentage of people to whom I can reach out with my story. There are a few people that I encouraged to wear colors, and now they cannot imagine their wardrobe without a vibrant and juicy palette.
What and who inspires you as a designer?
I'm inspired by nature, especially by the world of animals. Fauna are much more colorful than flora, because plants are mostly green due to containing a pigment called chlorophyll. There are flowers, of course, but these are not exactly the colors I like, although sometimes I use some details of their texture in my designs, in a certain indescribable way.
The animal world has invented everything that could be imagined. I am even tempted to say that the underwater world is much more interesting than the land, and that is why in my designs you will see so many references to sea creatures. I was also thinking of going very deep down to the microscopic level, and dedicating one of my collections to microbes, so people can experience what is invisible to the human eye.
I have always admired people who have a deep connection with nature or have work related to nature. The world of animals is so wide, it gives us such inspiration in terms of designing. It is unbelievable that nature invented so many different shapes, and there are so many interesting phenomena like mimesis - when animals mimic the color and form of their surroundings for a protective purpose. Futurologists and people who make 3D prints can't come up with such ideas!
You can create thousands of variations of animal patterns. In the beginning, I tried to create a design that faithfully captures reality. Today, I run away from this literalness and I play with colors and shapes so that people can discover what is really hidden there. I didn’t bring anything new. These patterns are the creation of life, and we're part of it. I don't need anything else to feel inspired.
If you could describe Cosel in 3 words, what would they be?
Color, nature, joy.
How do you want women to feel when they wear your clothes?
I would like to bring them wonderful memories of vacations. When they dived into the sea and experienced the beauty of underwater life for the first time. When they watched the waves and listened to the composition of sounds made by water, seagulls, and other birds. These little acts of joy like finding rare shells on the beach, and seeing a double rainbow, I call affirmation of life. Wearing clothes that bring you good memories is one such affirmation.
What is your favorite fabric and why?
I love silk, I think there is nothing more beautiful than that. Many people don't know that silk is a fiber from which various types of fabrics are made, for instance: jacquard, satin, crepe, batiste, chiffon, and blends of wool and silk. The density and quality of silk fabrics are measured by momme, a special unit invented to provide a better understanding of the quality of those fabrics.
Garments made of silk should definitely be worn for special occasions. We often say that delicate or sensitive skin likes silk. It is a natural fabric, so it can easily be destroyed by chemicals, and our whole body is made of chemical elements, not to mention sweat. Silk reacts with compounds of sweat and it causes permanent damage and deformation of the fibers.
I also like sustainable and biodegradable fibers like Lyocel. I rely on scientific information that their technology contributes to the circular economy. Innovations change the way we see fabrics. For example, in the past synthetic fabrics were considered not breathable, but today lots of them are used in the activewear sector. Nowadays it is also difficult to distinguish silk from polyester satin. Sometimes polyester can be even softer than silk, so for a layman, the only way to verify which fabric is made of silk is to burn it. The difference in this experiment is that silk will burn rather than melt like its synthetic imitations.
What can the fashion industry do to be more sustainable?
We have to start producing and consuming less. I try to develop simple habits to limit my impact on the environment, like using less foil when I send packages to my clients, or using the materials to the end. I do not throw away the clippings. I have not used paper labels for years. Their life is literally one second because after we open the package, we tear them off and throw them into the trash. When I sell 300 dresses, it means that 300 labels will go to the trash. It is such a waste. I also stopped buying bouquets of flowers with ribbons for years. The flowers are beautiful without it. I believe that these little habits make a difference.
Of course, there are some standards that we designers have to follow and unfortunately, nowadays the paper label is a must, so I halved the size of this etiquette. When I pack my clothes I also have to use a poly mailer, because they have to arrive in good shape, but if anyone wants to return them I always ask to use the same plastic bag and just seal it with tapes.
It is a challenge to create a nice box that looks beautiful while also being environmentally friendly. Luckily, the consumer's mentality is slowly changing. When I ship the packages to Norway and Sweden, I send them in a white, simple paper and I know that they will appreciate it.
How can we change the behavior of consumers to make more conscious purchasing decisions?
I always thought that education is needed the most, but today, I see the necessity of incorporating some regulations. Once I read that the use of disposable plastic bags in England has fallen by more than 90% since people had to pay for them. It is unbelievable how many billions of bags did not end up in the garbage bin, and it also showed that when something costs it becomes more appreciated. This simple solution changed people’s behavior and made them more aware of their influence on the environment. We need to think of similar solutions in the fashion industry.
What's the future of fashion?
I don't know what the future of fashion is and I think nobody knows that but I can tell you what I wish. I would like people to understand that when people buy clothes and pay for them with their hard-earned money, it is also a reward for someone who worked very hard to produce them. It is not a one-sided transaction where the consumer has all the rights to demand and the fashion industry has to meet their unrealistic expectations. There are also people who work behind these clothes. They produce materials, design the patterns, etc. Why don't we see them, and why don't we try to meet their needs as well?
This unhealthy relationship between the consumer and designer is caused by exploitative, and unsustainable fast fashion companies which promote mass production and sell products below cost. When the dress costs $10, and this price includes costs of transport, taxes, etc. it means that at the end of this pyramid there is a person who has not even earned one dollar.
Although it is a utopian idea I hope that in the future we will consume and produce less and slower. Maybe we don't need 100 billion new garments each year, but 100 million would be enough already. Maybe instead of buying 10 cheap dresses, we can invest in 1 which is high quality and will last longer. Maybe in the future people will have more clothes which connect us to the designer and carry stories of nature and culture. And until that time I will continue my work, and try to find people with a similar mindset.
