Fashion label COS has announced its first online presence in Russia with a campaign entitled “New Perspectives,” featuring the designer and founder of Crosby Studios, Harry Nuriev. In celebration of the campaign’s release and the newly expanded e-commerce site, Nuriev has also created a series of augmented reality (AR) filters for the brand.
Now available on COS’s Instagram account, the filters include four nature-inspired AR creations that transform the user’s appearance using elements like raindrops, clouds, and lush greenery, infusing Nuriev’s vibrant style through the option for virtual neon-colored eye shadows.
Courtesy of COS and Harry Nuriev.
Below, Nuriev shares with Whitewall details on the collaboration, the importance of sustainability in his practice, and how AR filters are becoming an accessible way to share art.
WHITEWALL: How did your collaboration for COS’s “New Perspectives” campaign first come about?
Courtesy of COS and Harry Nuriev.
HARRY NURIEV: The COS creative team and I have known each other for a few years, always keeping up with each other’s work, and finally this project was the perfect fit to collaborate on. I got really inspired and created everything really quickly.
WW: What was the starting point for the AR filters in relation to COS’s “New Perspectives” campaign? Have you had experience working with AR art before?
Courtesy of COS and Harry Nuriev.
HN: I have worked with AR on a few projects recently, including [a] virtual sofa made of upcycled puffer jackets for Nike back in March. I had been in conversation with the COS team about how we could create an art installation together during this time and knew that I wanted to do something with AR filters.
When we shot the COS campaign outside of my favorite library, The Library of Alvar Aalto in Saint Petersburg, it started to rain and I felt it in my face—I was immediately inspired, and from there began to develop a series of filters inspired by the elements. Sustainability and environmentalism are through-lines in both my artistic and design practices, so it was only natural that we’d arrive here.
Courtesy of COS and Harry Nuriev.
WW: How did your background in furniture and interiors translate into working with a fashion brand? Did you take special steps to ensure your style blended with COS’s timeless aesthetic?
HN: In everything I do, I hope to synthesize my interests in art, fashion, and architecture in unusual ways, to arrive at something radically different and thought-provoking. I like to think that happens organically. By sticking to my instincts, I’m able to free my mind from design trends and social norms and think outside the box.
Harry Nuriev for “New Perspectives” campaign, courtesy of COS.
I think Crosby Studios and COS are aesthetically and ethically aligned, resulting in a seamless collaboration and narrative.
WW: At surface value, AR filters are a fun feature on Instagram, but they could also be considered a very accessible way for people with smartphones to interact with the art world.
HN: Yes, I love designing filters as it allows my art to be accessible no matter where somewhere is. It’s a great step for the art world to become more accessible.
Harry Nuriev for “New Perspectives” campaign, courtesy of COS.
WW: COS’s ‘New Perspectives’ campaign highlights responsible, sustainable garments – which will now be available online in Russia for the first time. What role does sustainability play in your practice?
HN: Sustainability is an important aspect to my practice. So many things have been said, done, and made before, and now it’s time to reevaluate how and what we want to contribute and reuse in every way we can.
Harry Nuriev for “New Perspectives” campaign, courtesy of COS.
