It sounds like the opening of a Somerset Maugham story: “It all started 31 years ago in a small village in the jungle of East Malaysia.” Indeed, the story of this company makes a great tale,  from its beginnings as a silk farm, its precious Mulberry trees protected by sturdy fencing from wild boar and elephant , to its  savvy conquest of an exclusive market of sophisticated lingerie-lovers worldwide .  

 

Cocoon is the brain-child of American Norwegian Randi Kristoffersen - a striking blonde with arctic eyes, a bewitching smile and a passion for her work which is downright contagious.  Her innate sense of style unfolded during her years studying Fine Arts in Paris, London and New York, eventually earning her a Master’s Degree at NYU New York.  

 

Randi has never been one to follow the fold. When other lingerie manufacturers were mass-producing their ranges in a maximum of four colors,  Randi’s collection is couture. Each seamstress is responsible, start to finish, for each piece.  Quality control was rigorous. Perhaps the greatest advantage of the early collections was that Cocoons own exquisite silk was dyed a dozen different colors. 

 

Luxury store buyers from Beverly Hills to Geneva were delighted by Randi’s take on the elegant lingerie designs of the 1930’s and 40’s and wrote substantial orders.  A-list celebrities  followed suit: Elizabeth Taylor bought 14 outfits in an afternoon and Tina Turner the same gown in 18 colors.  Madonna went for the 30’s-inspired classic silk pyjamas, as did Lauren Hutton.  Others clients included the queens of Jordan, Sweden and Norway as well as late Princess Diana and Oprah Winfrey. Sir Elton John was a good customer. So was Liam Neeson. Bianca Jagger. Naomi Campbell.  And the list goes on…..

 

The retail market has changed radically in the last years and Cocoon with it.  Silk is now sourced from Italy and China, while Randi’s combination of pashmina and cashmere is hand-woven to her specifications in Nepal exclusively for Cocoon. Silk velvet robes, pajamas and smoking jackets are the collection’s front-runners this season.