Model Coco Rocha and husband James Conran look to fill a niche with CO+CO

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The most successful fashion models – the ones with longevity – are usually the ones with the most business savvy, those who look at their careers as branding exercises, far beyond mere creative practices. Toronto-born, B.C.-raised Coco Rocha is one of these models. She continues to make waves on a variety of fashion fronts, with 1.1 million Instagram followers, and the book Study of Pose to her credit. The 27-year-old's latest foray into the hearts and minds of young fashionistas is a sporty chic line of clothes, labelled CO+CO – a collaboration with her husband of almost six years, British-born artist James Conran, who helps manage her career and digital empire. Under the stewardship of veteran Montreal designer Debbie Shuchat, who has worked with several labels including Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B., Rocha and Conran have come up with an affordable and spirited collection that has already resonated with retailers such as HBC and Simons. Rocha and Conran, who became parents of a baby girl named Ioni last year, were in Toronto recently for the launch of the brand. I sat down with the creative couple just after their initial presentation at Susur Lee's Luckee Restaurant to talk about the machinations of their family affair, her style evolution, and why they feel CO+CO fills a niche that needed to be addressed.

The fact that you've launched into this mega project together is brave because a lot of people wouldn't want to mess with their relationship in this way. As simpatico as I'm sure you are, aren't you worried that things could get harried sometimes?

CR: No, because we've already worked together for six years, 24/7. When I say I work with James, people assume he works behind a desk and I phone him, and say, "Hey, I've got a job!" or "How's it going?" But if we're in a hotel, and I have interviews to do, James is right there.

If I have a shoot, James is right there, because he's on the computer, figuring something out for me. It's always been like that. So for people who are naysayers and worried that it's going to be difficult working together, it's actually easier, because we are on the same wavelength. If I can't be at a meeting, that's totally fine because James is going to be there. It's like having two of you!

Sounds like a match made in heaven. But how easy was it for you, as an artist who had his own independent career, to be able to join Coco's business, and work with her in a managerial position?

JC: When Coco and I first started dating, I didn't really know anything about the fashion industry. So Coco kind of educated me. Then I decided I need to educate myself: If I was going to be married to this woman I should know what she's doing for work. I kind of feel like we've gone to the same school of what we find aesthetically pleasing and we've been influenced by the same things for the last six or seven years. We've seen when things go wrong or when they go well. We've seen designers that do well and don't do well. So that kind of journey and education has led us to the same place. We see eye to eye on most things.

Coco, you must have learned a lot working with some of the world's greatest designers, just by osmosis. Was it daunting when you started thinking that you had your own vision and your own collection up your sleeve?

CR: Yeah, because whenever we do a new project, as great as we can be, it wouldn't matter because people will always have that stereotype of a model. They might think, "Yeah, she's not designing… she has other people that design for her." There will always be the naysayers and I'm fine with that. But I did feel that people wouldn't believe that this is my DNA. I knew I'd have to learn to go through with that and prove to people that, whether we do good or bad, it is us.

JC: When we were developing this, we didn't actually tell any of Coco's designer friends that she was doing it. When we did announce it emails came in saying, "Hey, if you have any questions, let me know!" It was amazing. And we have taken some designers up on that, just to learn more about the business side of things, which is a new world for us. We've seen the creative side, but the business side is a whole education process as well.

Certainly not for the faint of heart. Working with Debbie Shuchat is another wonderful stroke of luck. She's from Canada, and has had such great experience working with so many different brands in the past.

CR: Debbie knows everyone! And she is she is so talented and has the right contacts. She knows where to get products, how they should feel, how they should be put together. She's just very smart.

JC: She's also good at drawing the best out of a designer and helping him or her to hone in on what they want to do and how they can do it successfully – not only in a beautiful way, but a beautifully fabricated way as well.

You're entering the business at a very precarious time, especially when it comes to the changing retail landscape. How do you feel about the fact that there are so many brands and products out there?

CR: When we sat with Debbie in the first few meetings, we knew that while we could have done anything, we had to hone in on what was missing in the market. What was missing was [options] in our price range – especially for the girl that is obsessed with fashion. She's knowledgeable about it, and checks it out every day on the computer. Her option in that price range is "Boho." That is it. She should have other options. That's why "sport chic" is what we're referencing and what we're doing. That is what's missing in that price range. It doesn't make us nervous because when we hear the feedback from e-commerce to department store buyers, they say, "Thank you, because we've been lacking in this and it's upsetting our clientele."

How do you feel about some of the pieces in your line being mixed with high-fashion pieces?

JC: I think models are really good at mixing pieces, because they're lucky enough to be gifted so many great pieces from different designers. Models, off-duty, are all about pants from one designer, a jacket from another and shoes from another. So it's always been easy for Coco to mix and match.

CR: But you do understand now why, when we do photo shoots, designers are always wanting to see their full look in certain magazines. I get it now, when you want to see your whole look all together. You get why they do that, but then I can't wait to see what people do when they start wearing CO+CO. It might inspire us for next season.

I interviewed you while you were pregnant and not knowing what having a baby would do to your career and your drive. Now that your little girl is a few months old, what has having a baby done for your career?

CR: She's the best baby in the whole wide world. But I don't want to say nothing's changed, because of course everything has changed. We love working with people that we enjoy associating with and, of course, they want Ioni there. In fact, they probably would want Ioni more than us! That's how we've always been: Relaxed, happy, enjoying work. It's the same sort of thing with family.

JC: Coco and I have always travelled together, so now it's the three of us, instead of the two of us. Things have changed a little bit, but I feel like we're already in the motion of being a family that travels around.

CR: I mean, we were a different family in the beginning, so why wouldn't it be different again?

This interview has been condensed and edited.