A CHAT WITH GOSOAKY
Huge crush on Gosoaky, the joyful and sustainable rainwear brand !
We met Gosoaky’s loveable owners during Playtime and had a very pleasant chat with the head designer Urs Hasham. Read it below. Warm thanks to Urs, Johanna and Fleur !
Models from Gosoaky SS17 collection
Instinct : Gosoaky’s first collection was launched last year (for spring summer 2016). How is it going today?
Urs : It’s going pretty well ! We are now present in 200 shops around the world (Australia, Japan, South-Korea…) and very happy to see that more and more people like our products !
Instinct : “Elephant Man”, “Crouching Tiger”, “Hidden Dragon”, “Roger Rabbit”… Your models are named after films. Could you tell us the story behind this?
Urs : I just wanted to name our items after something boys and girls both like. So Car names or names of princesses were no option and since our totem is a Penguin (called Mac) I thought it was best to use animal names… and I added a little twist to make them a bit funny and in the same time to give the items their own idendity. The fact that some of them echo to films is not that important to me, I just wanted names that kids would love… and they are !
Instinct : We love the simplicity and the freshness of your designs (especially the bright bold stripes !). How do you imagine each collection : is there a theme, a guiding thread when deciding about the colours for example?
Urs : There is no special theme actually, the work is very intuitive! I like simple designs and prints, sheer lines: this is what I stick to and this is what became our brand’s handwriting.
About the colours; there are no rules for those either. I choose the ones that I feel are best for the fabrics we use, and are sophisticated. The idea is to keep on innovating with simple clean designs…The gradient styles of SS17 collection are inspired by pack ice, where our totem animal lives.
Instinct : Could you tell us more about Gosoaky SS17 and FW17 seasons ?
Urs : The transition between each season is pretty smooth. We improve our collections, seeing them mostly from a practical use viewing angle. I pay a lot attention to details: adjustable straps for example hidden in the hood’s casing instead of strings and stoppers, to avoid children’s strangeling 🙂 For the winter collection we have very cool reversible jackets inside some of our styles, (4 jackets in 1) which make them warm and customizable.
We also have some new developments like waterproof sweat material in grey heather and we turned the classical pinstripe into a reflective pinstripe for child safety.
Instinct : Gosoaky is committed in environmental care and concerned about good work conditions. Could you share your experience : was it a big challenge to find your partners and set up a “clean” production line ?
Urs : It was not so easy to find them. But with our long background in fashion we found some good factories where the working conditions are good and where the workers even go home for lunch with .
About materials : not all the materials we use are “green”, as it is very difficult for waterproof fabrics. We should use more recycled textiles and try to go in this direction. We do have a new development for our puffer jackets: we now use an eco-friendly product for the filling, which is soft, fluffy, warm, breathable, quick drying and 100% biodegradable!
Instinct : From your customers’ feedback, do you know whether this commitment is decisive or not in their act of purchasing ?
Urs : Yes, it is. People like the models for themselves, and are specially proud of taking part in a worthwhile cause. We get so many kind messages from customers, this is very stimulating.
Instinct : Your universe is dedicated to the joys of singing in the rain and jumping in puddles… any items for adults who never lost their inner child (or for badly wet ones) ?
Urs : We received a lot of demands for grown-ups… and yes, now we have adult styles too!
Instinct : Your wishes for 2017 ? Any new projects for or beside Gosoaky ?
Urs : We are 3 owners; in total 5-6 people working in the studio so developping Gosoaky is a full-time adventure….so no time to do any new projects although my head is filled with new ideas we could do as a team. So who knows ?!
Gosoaky founders : Johanna, Urs and Fleur
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