Rose Colcord
What is something about you that people don’t know?
Depends which people! My close friends and family know literally everything about me, all the time. I’m not someone who holds things in. They know what I’m going through, what I want from my life, what I’m dreaming about, how much milk I like in my cereal (swimming). I love sharing and being vulnerable with people in real life but I’m not super online, so everyone else probably knows almost nothing about me! So I guess the thing to know is that's quite intentional.
What’s something you learned about yourself from starting a brand?
How powerful our intuition is as women when we actually listen to it. Fear and self-doubt are such a universal part of being human and starting Cou Cou has taught me the practice of moving through them. You really don't have to have "done it before." Everyone is just winging it. I also believe if you create for yourself, you really can't go wrong. With Cou Cou I just make pieces I love to wear every day and that make me feel good in my body, express that through a brand whose world I want to live in, and then hope it resonates with other women too.
What were you like as a kid? What made you want to start Cou Cou?
I was such a nature girl! I grew up in London but spent a lot of time in the countryside, climbing trees, running around barefoot. We used to go to this little island in the east of England where, when the tide came in, all the kids were basically set loose without our parents. It was like Montessori on steroids. So yeah, from the age of seven, I had this retreat and experience of total freedom, total immersion in nature that has somehow woven its way into the fabric of Cou Cou's philosophy.
As much as I loved to play, I've also always really needed peace and quiet. That's a part of myself I've had to learn how to care for as I've grown, through mindfulness, yoga and contemplative solitude, whether that's writing or long stretches of walking or hiking in nature.
Somewhere between childhood and womanhood, I think so many of us lose that completely embodied freedom. Suddenly we're concerned with being fill-in-the-blank enough… liked enough, pretty enough, smart enough, cool enough, confident enough, loved enough. The list goes on.
So Cou Cou in many ways is a wish for all women, including myself, to live from that part of ourselves. To be free, comfortable in the truth of who we are, strong and beautiful in our bodies and living in them rather than worrying about what they look like. To fundamentally be really present for our lives, to live from our deepest values and hopefully making an impact on the lives we touch.
What does a perfect day look like to you?
Nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to be. Clear skies and my phone off all day. It begins waking up with my daughter Iris and park-hopping all morning until her nap, sometimes with a friend in tow. When Iris falls asleep in her pram, I love going to my favourite sushi spot and reading for the entire duration of her nap. It also includes a really long run or when I’m in LA, a really long (sometimes barefoot) hike.
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What's always in your bag?
Multiple lip liners, lip balm and artichoke tea bags. I rarely even carry keys and sometimes leave my phone at home, yet somehow survive.
What’s something you could eat every day?
A Joe & The Juice spicy tuna sandwich. And not just could, I basically do. One day I realised I had accidentally dressed up as a Joe & The Juice sandwich in my Sandy jacket lol.
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What song, movie or book feels very Rose to you?
Song: “Dancing With Myself” by The Donnas.
Movie: A Cinderella Story.
Book: Devotions by Mary Oliver or A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf.
Depends which people! My close friends and family know literally everything about me, all the time. I’m not someone who holds things in. They know what I’m going through, what I want from my life, what I’m dreaming about, how much milk I like in my cereal (swimming). I love sharing and being vulnerable with people in real life but I’m not super online, so everyone else probably knows almost nothing about me! So I guess the thing to know is that's quite intentional.
What’s something you learned about yourself from starting a brand?
How powerful our intuition is as women when we actually listen to it. Fear and self-doubt are such a universal part of being human and starting Cou Cou has taught me the practice of moving through them. You really don't have to have "done it before." Everyone is just winging it. I also believe if you create for yourself, you really can't go wrong. With Cou Cou I just make pieces I love to wear every day and that make me feel good in my body, express that through a brand whose world I want to live in, and then hope it resonates with other women too.
What were you like as a kid? What made you want to start Cou Cou?
I was such a nature girl! I grew up in London but spent a lot of time in the countryside, climbing trees, running around barefoot. We used to go to this little island in the east of England where, when the tide came in, all the kids were basically set loose without our parents. It was like Montessori on steroids. So yeah, from the age of seven, I had this retreat and experience of total freedom, total immersion in nature that has somehow woven its way into the fabric of Cou Cou's philosophy.
As much as I loved to play, I've also always really needed peace and quiet. That's a part of myself I've had to learn how to care for as I've grown, through mindfulness, yoga and contemplative solitude, whether that's writing or long stretches of walking or hiking in nature.
Somewhere between childhood and womanhood, I think so many of us lose that completely embodied freedom. Suddenly we're concerned with being fill-in-the-blank enough… liked enough, pretty enough, smart enough, cool enough, confident enough, loved enough. The list goes on.
So Cou Cou in many ways is a wish for all women, including myself, to live from that part of ourselves. To be free, comfortable in the truth of who we are, strong and beautiful in our bodies and living in them rather than worrying about what they look like. To fundamentally be really present for our lives, to live from our deepest values and hopefully making an impact on the lives we touch.
What does a perfect day look like to you?
Nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to be. Clear skies and my phone off all day. It begins waking up with my daughter Iris and park-hopping all morning until her nap, sometimes with a friend in tow. When Iris falls asleep in her pram, I love going to my favourite sushi spot and reading for the entire duration of her nap. It also includes a really long run or when I’m in LA, a really long (sometimes barefoot) hike.
What's always in your bag?
Multiple lip liners, lip balm and artichoke tea bags. I rarely even carry keys and sometimes leave my phone at home, yet somehow survive.
What’s something you could eat every day?
A Joe & The Juice spicy tuna sandwich. And not just could, I basically do. One day I realised I had accidentally dressed up as a Joe & The Juice sandwich in my Sandy jacket lol.
What song, movie or book feels very Rose to you?
Song: “Dancing With Myself” by The Donnas.
Movie: A Cinderella Story.
Book: Devotions by Mary Oliver or A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf.
Emilia Petrarca
What did you have for breakfast?
I had a banana and a Siggi’s yogurt. I think it was strawberry flavor and I added some honey that I got on vacation in Denmark.
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What was your AIM screen name?
Bananaphone27, after the viral eBaum's World video. This guy has Raffi's “Bananaphone” song stuck is in his head so badly that he explodes.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Tribeca.
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When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I always knew. I wasn’t good at anything else. I wrote a picture book when I was a kid about a guy who wanted to bring his dog in a taxi but was told he couldn't, so he went to court and won the case. I’ve never had a dog and I’m allergic to dogs, so I don’t know why I was inspired to write this. But I did! I still have the book.
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What are you interested in writing about now that you weren’t a few years ago?
I think I’m slowly drifting away from fashion. I love writing about travel, which never crossed my mind when I was younger. I’ll take basically any travel story.
What would your advice be to an aspiring young writer who’s in college?
Just keep writing. I know it’s annoying advice, but even if it’s firing off a tweet, keep exercising that muscle of putting yourself out there and hearing what you sound like. You can use AI for spellcheck, but you’re allowed to fight against it. AI is not always right.
I had a banana and a Siggi’s yogurt. I think it was strawberry flavor and I added some honey that I got on vacation in Denmark.
What was your AIM screen name?
Bananaphone27, after the viral eBaum's World video. This guy has Raffi's “Bananaphone” song stuck is in his head so badly that he explodes.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Tribeca.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I always knew. I wasn’t good at anything else. I wrote a picture book when I was a kid about a guy who wanted to bring his dog in a taxi but was told he couldn't, so he went to court and won the case. I’ve never had a dog and I’m allergic to dogs, so I don’t know why I was inspired to write this. But I did! I still have the book.
What are you interested in writing about now that you weren’t a few years ago?
I think I’m slowly drifting away from fashion. I love writing about travel, which never crossed my mind when I was younger. I’ll take basically any travel story.
What would your advice be to an aspiring young writer who’s in college?
Just keep writing. I know it’s annoying advice, but even if it’s firing off a tweet, keep exercising that muscle of putting yourself out there and hearing what you sound like. You can use AI for spellcheck, but you’re allowed to fight against it. AI is not always right.
Katarina Zhu
Where are you from?
I’m from the suburbs of New York, a tiny town on the Hudson called Hastings. It’s about 45 minutes from the city on the Metro-North.
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
I have basically the same thing every day because I’m such a creature of habit: a soft-boiled egg, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, avocado, a piece of toast with blueberry jam and Earl Grey tea with almond milk. I get up at 6 a.m. like clockwork. I feel best when I go to bed around 9 and wake up at 6--it’s just how my internal clock is set. I actually have a three-hour morning routine, which people make fun of me for, because I might not technically start “working” until around 9. But those three hours are really productive and precious to me. They prime me for the rest of the day.
What made you want to become a filmmaker?
I think as a sort of sensitive & lonely kid, movies felt like companions in this way. I was always affected by them to an alarming degree and wanted to understand how you could create that feeling for someone else. Also, I thought the only way I’d be able to meet my childhood crush, Robert Pattinson, was if I became a successful actor or director.
What are three movies you loved growing up?
The Parent Trap, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Titanic. I remember Titanic affecting me so much as a kid that I like slept on the floor of my parent’s room the night we watched it almost as if I had seen a horror movie and couldn’t be alone out of fear. I’ve always been really drawn to tragic romance and gothic romance—classic Romeo and Juliet territory.
What movie have you been into recently?
I’ve been re-visiting Haneke movies lately and also movies about high schoolers because my second feature, which I’m writing now, takes place at a boarding school. So I’ve been watching like Mean Girls and The Piano teacher–basically movies that are centered around bitchy teenagers and movies that are centered around desire.
What do you do when you’re not working?
Even the things I do for fun are usually tied to my work. I love going to see a movie at Lincoln Center with a friend, and even shopping can turn into research for me—I’m thinking about what a certain character might wear. I think the one time my brain really switches off is going out for a nice dinner maybe.
What do you do when you’re feeling down?
I do what probably the majority of people do when they feel down, which is, go for a walk or FaceTime one of my best friends. Ideally the walk is somewhere near the water, along a pier or somewhere with trees. Driving and listening to music also works, although I wish I had a car in the city. I no longer live in the same city as most of my best friends so our main way of keeping up with each other are 3-hour long FaceTimes which are almost always guaranteed to lift me out of a slump.
I’m from the suburbs of New York, a tiny town on the Hudson called Hastings. It’s about 45 minutes from the city on the Metro-North.
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
I have basically the same thing every day because I’m such a creature of habit: a soft-boiled egg, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, avocado, a piece of toast with blueberry jam and Earl Grey tea with almond milk. I get up at 6 a.m. like clockwork. I feel best when I go to bed around 9 and wake up at 6--it’s just how my internal clock is set. I actually have a three-hour morning routine, which people make fun of me for, because I might not technically start “working” until around 9. But those three hours are really productive and precious to me. They prime me for the rest of the day.
What made you want to become a filmmaker?
I think as a sort of sensitive & lonely kid, movies felt like companions in this way. I was always affected by them to an alarming degree and wanted to understand how you could create that feeling for someone else. Also, I thought the only way I’d be able to meet my childhood crush, Robert Pattinson, was if I became a successful actor or director.
What are three movies you loved growing up?
The Parent Trap, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Titanic. I remember Titanic affecting me so much as a kid that I like slept on the floor of my parent’s room the night we watched it almost as if I had seen a horror movie and couldn’t be alone out of fear. I’ve always been really drawn to tragic romance and gothic romance—classic Romeo and Juliet territory.
What movie have you been into recently?
I’ve been re-visiting Haneke movies lately and also movies about high schoolers because my second feature, which I’m writing now, takes place at a boarding school. So I’ve been watching like Mean Girls and The Piano teacher–basically movies that are centered around bitchy teenagers and movies that are centered around desire.
What do you do when you’re not working?
Even the things I do for fun are usually tied to my work. I love going to see a movie at Lincoln Center with a friend, and even shopping can turn into research for me—I’m thinking about what a certain character might wear. I think the one time my brain really switches off is going out for a nice dinner maybe.
What do you do when you’re feeling down?
I do what probably the majority of people do when they feel down, which is, go for a walk or FaceTime one of my best friends. Ideally the walk is somewhere near the water, along a pier or somewhere with trees. Driving and listening to music also works, although I wish I had a car in the city. I no longer live in the same city as most of my best friends so our main way of keeping up with each other are 3-hour long FaceTimes which are almost always guaranteed to lift me out of a slump.
Cabbages World
Your favorite recipe right now
When summer hits we love making any kind of cold noodle dishes for easy lunches during the weekdays! Some of our favorites are Bibim-guksu, spicy sesame dan-dan style cold noodles, or naengmyeon from the packs you can buy at Hmart and then loading it up with cold veggies and ice cubes. We also have a tomato somen recipe and a cold somen with ume on our site that we always come back to.
How did you guys meet?
We originally met back in 2016, Kevin had just started a clothing brand at the time and was doing an informal shoot for the first collection with a mutual friend of ours who was a photographer and also from Hawaii (where we both grew up). He asked Anna to come and model some of the clothes and that was the first time we met! We were acquaintances then friends for a few years after that until we started dating in 2021.
Last 3 restaurants you went to
Our last date night was at Liar Liar in Gowanus. Had a happy hour martini at El Pinguino in Greenpoint. And randomly found ourselves at BCD Tofu House in Koreatown for a late dinner the other night!
I just bought the made in saucier 3qt bc of you guys. What else does a cabagges world fan need in her kitchen?
Omg we hope you love it!! We’d also recommend an aluminum yukihira pot. They’re made to boil water really quickly so they’re perfect for noodle dishes and soups!
5 ingredients you always buy/keep stocked
Napa cabbage, thin sliced pork belly, enoki (or shimeji) mushrooms, green onions, and cucumbers.
How do you get inspired for your recipes
A lot of what we cook is inspired by dishes from our childhoods, things we grew up eating in Hawaii with our families, or familiar foods that we want to replicate or iterate on in some way. We also find so much inspiration from traveling and trying dishes we’ve never had before. I think most Cabagges recipes are simple, comforting, and not so serious, so we try to take that inspiration and translate it into meals that are approachable and as fun make as they are to eat.
Dream vacation
Laying on the beach somewhere in Southeast Asia or a road trip through Umbria or the south of France.
When summer hits we love making any kind of cold noodle dishes for easy lunches during the weekdays! Some of our favorites are Bibim-guksu, spicy sesame dan-dan style cold noodles, or naengmyeon from the packs you can buy at Hmart and then loading it up with cold veggies and ice cubes. We also have a tomato somen recipe and a cold somen with ume on our site that we always come back to.
How did you guys meet?
We originally met back in 2016, Kevin had just started a clothing brand at the time and was doing an informal shoot for the first collection with a mutual friend of ours who was a photographer and also from Hawaii (where we both grew up). He asked Anna to come and model some of the clothes and that was the first time we met! We were acquaintances then friends for a few years after that until we started dating in 2021.
Last 3 restaurants you went to
Our last date night was at Liar Liar in Gowanus. Had a happy hour martini at El Pinguino in Greenpoint. And randomly found ourselves at BCD Tofu House in Koreatown for a late dinner the other night!
I just bought the made in saucier 3qt bc of you guys. What else does a cabagges world fan need in her kitchen?
Omg we hope you love it!! We’d also recommend an aluminum yukihira pot. They’re made to boil water really quickly so they’re perfect for noodle dishes and soups!
5 ingredients you always buy/keep stocked
Napa cabbage, thin sliced pork belly, enoki (or shimeji) mushrooms, green onions, and cucumbers.
How do you get inspired for your recipes
A lot of what we cook is inspired by dishes from our childhoods, things we grew up eating in Hawaii with our families, or familiar foods that we want to replicate or iterate on in some way. We also find so much inspiration from traveling and trying dishes we’ve never had before. I think most Cabagges recipes are simple, comforting, and not so serious, so we try to take that inspiration and translate it into meals that are approachable and as fun make as they are to eat.
Dream vacation
Laying on the beach somewhere in Southeast Asia or a road trip through Umbria or the south of France.