Sian Griffiths
Registered Guest
Thanks
Cojana London - Harrods
- Thread starter Stephjb07
- Start date
Hi. My name is Ziva and my mum, Patricia, modeled for Cojana throughout the '60's. I thought I'd update you with some info you might be interested in!
Cojana employed 4 permanent models, 2 'tall' and 2 'petite'. My mum was one of the 'talls' at 5'8. The petites were 5'2.
They were a German/Jewish family headed by "Oncle Jacoby". The company was run by his nephew, Hans Jacoby. His nephew, Ernest, was part of the company and Hans' brother-in-law, Henry Chambre, was a fabric buyer. The showroom was at 10 Poland Street in Soho and the factory (at the time my mum worked there) was in Shoreditch.
Buyers came from all over the country including Harrods and Fortnum and Mason. 'Mr Hans' used to go to Paris every year to buy 'toilles' (patterns) from Chrisian Dior, Chanel etc. They would be made up on the permanent models and there would be fashion shows in the Poland Street showroom 3 times daily, 9.30, 12.30 and 3.30, to buyers for 6-9 weeks each season.
Hope you enjoyed the info!
Cojana employed 4 permanent models, 2 'tall' and 2 'petite'. My mum was one of the 'talls' at 5'8. The petites were 5'2.
They were a German/Jewish family headed by "Oncle Jacoby". The company was run by his nephew, Hans Jacoby. His nephew, Ernest, was part of the company and Hans' brother-in-law, Henry Chambre, was a fabric buyer. The showroom was at 10 Poland Street in Soho and the factory (at the time my mum worked there) was in Shoreditch.
Buyers came from all over the country including Harrods and Fortnum and Mason. 'Mr Hans' used to go to Paris every year to buy 'toilles' (patterns) from Chrisian Dior, Chanel etc. They would be made up on the permanent models and there would be fashion shows in the Poland Street showroom 3 times daily, 9.30, 12.30 and 3.30, to buyers for 6-9 weeks each season.
Hope you enjoyed the info!
catwalkcreative
Alumni
Circa Vintage Clothing
Alumni
Thank you! It's always wonderful to get information like this.
Hi there!
This is the only place that I've found online to be discussing Cojana coats! Although I see that this thread has been inactive for quite some time, I was wandering if you'd be able to help me.
I have no idea about this stuff but my Gran has recently given me a Cojana coat to sell on and I was looking for some information to make sure that I don't get sold short.
This is the coat in question:
I think it's moleskin, does that sound right for Cojana? It was purchased from Harrods in 1971, I know that much.
Do you know of anywhere in Yorkshire that would be interested in buying a coat like this? Everywhere I've found online has sadly gone out of business and it would be a real shame for this beautiful coat to stay hanging in a bag in a cupboard!
Thanks in advance.
Mr R
This is the only place that I've found online to be discussing Cojana coats! Although I see that this thread has been inactive for quite some time, I was wandering if you'd be able to help me.
I have no idea about this stuff but my Gran has recently given me a Cojana coat to sell on and I was looking for some information to make sure that I don't get sold short.
This is the coat in question:
I think it's moleskin, does that sound right for Cojana? It was purchased from Harrods in 1971, I know that much.
Do you know of anywhere in Yorkshire that would be interested in buying a coat like this? Everywhere I've found online has sadly gone out of business and it would be a real shame for this beautiful coat to stay hanging in a bag in a cupboard!
Thanks in advance.
Mr R
Frances Hall
Registered Guest
Hi
Just came across this thread and thought I'd add my two penn'orth! I was one of three house models at Cojana in Great Marlborough Street at the end of the 1970's and beginning of the 80's along with Lynette and Jenny, and worked for Mr Hans and Mr Ernest as well as Mrs Hans and Mr Chambre. We had a team of designers based at the showroom, and the Jacoby family were very hands on with the business, in the office every day. The blue suit that Diana Spencer picked up from Harrods for her engagement photos was one that was originally fitted on me as a stock size 12, a major excitement at the time! I recall the long days standing in the factory in Hackney just in our underwear as toiles were pinned and stitched around us which were mitigated by the fun of doing the shows, all choreographed and timed, and sometimes to a full showroom, others to just one or two buyers.
The company did indeed specialise in coats, but also made beautiful suits. We were allowed to have a coat, a suit and a raincoat from each collection, and were expected to wear Cojana stock at all times when we travelled with the salesmen. There were several trips abroad each season, I did Amsterdam and Munich followed by New York in three months, and then returned to do the next season's shows in London. Over 30 years ago and this thread has really brought back some memories - sadly I walked along Great Marlborough Street recently but the frontage of the buildings has all changed - it's as if the showroom that I worked at in my first job after leaving the London College of Fashion never existed.
PS The coat shown above looks to me to be Alcantara, a sort of suedette fabric that Cojana used a lot for coats - very much in vogue at the time I was there. Lovely to see the picture of it!
Just came across this thread and thought I'd add my two penn'orth! I was one of three house models at Cojana in Great Marlborough Street at the end of the 1970's and beginning of the 80's along with Lynette and Jenny, and worked for Mr Hans and Mr Ernest as well as Mrs Hans and Mr Chambre. We had a team of designers based at the showroom, and the Jacoby family were very hands on with the business, in the office every day. The blue suit that Diana Spencer picked up from Harrods for her engagement photos was one that was originally fitted on me as a stock size 12, a major excitement at the time! I recall the long days standing in the factory in Hackney just in our underwear as toiles were pinned and stitched around us which were mitigated by the fun of doing the shows, all choreographed and timed, and sometimes to a full showroom, others to just one or two buyers.
The company did indeed specialise in coats, but also made beautiful suits. We were allowed to have a coat, a suit and a raincoat from each collection, and were expected to wear Cojana stock at all times when we travelled with the salesmen. There were several trips abroad each season, I did Amsterdam and Munich followed by New York in three months, and then returned to do the next season's shows in London. Over 30 years ago and this thread has really brought back some memories - sadly I walked along Great Marlborough Street recently but the frontage of the buildings has all changed - it's as if the showroom that I worked at in my first job after leaving the London College of Fashion never existed.
PS The coat shown above looks to me to be Alcantara, a sort of suedette fabric that Cojana used a lot for coats - very much in vogue at the time I was there. Lovely to see the picture of it!
Another two-penneth. I also worked in 18 Gt Marlborough Street from about 1970 to the end of the 1990's, for a Government Department which was on the floors above Cojana. I remember they made the most wonderful coats, jackets and dresses, and they allowed myself and the ladies I worked with, a preview (and purchase if we wished) of their sale items before the shop opened to their usual cliental. I bought a beautiful pale pink swing back jacket from them which I in fact wore yesterday. It has a white label inside, with the Royal Warrant cyphers on it, not sure whether the white indicates a particular period in Cojana history. I have just had to re-sew a button on the jacket but it is still as immaculate as when it came out of the shop. The gossip at the time was that HRH Princess Margaret was often to be found shopping there, never knew whether it was true, but there were several occasion when the frontage of the shop had blinds down, and the inside shop doors were also curtained.
I love my jacket, together with an early Jaeger swingback jacket, they are my most treasured items of clothing.
Judith
I love my jacket, together with an early Jaeger swingback jacket, they are my most treasured items of clothing.
Judith
Cojana did the wardrobe for Anabelle Hurst (Rosemary Nicols) in six episodes of the 1969''s tv series Department S. Available on dvd.
Department S (TV Series) (wardrobe - 6 episodes)
- The Last Train to Redbridge (1970) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
- The Shift That Never Was (1969) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
- Les Fleurs du Mal (1969) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
- The Man Who Got a New Face (1969) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
- The Treasure of the Costa Del Sol (1969) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
Department S (TV Series) (wardrobe - 6 episodes)
- The Last Train to Redbridge (1970) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
- The Shift That Never Was (1969) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
- Les Fleurs du Mal (1969) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
- The Man Who Got a New Face (1969) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
- The Treasure of the Costa Del Sol (1969) ... (wardrobe: Miss Rosemary Nicols)
Maedhbh
Registered Guest
Hi I just found this thread and I am selling a Cojana suit that I bought in Islington years ago. Its Liberty fabric and really nice on. TEXT REMOVED BY ADMIN PLEASE READ FORUM RULES.
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Olivia Jarman
Registered Guest
Cojana related tidbit...
In the 1969 British TV show, "Department S" the actress Rosemary Nicols wears Cojana clothes.
You can see the credit, "Miss Nicols' wardrobe designed by COJANA" at the 1 minute 59 seconds mark of this youtube video of the show's intro/outro theme.
In the 1969 British TV show, "Department S" the actress Rosemary Nicols wears Cojana clothes.
You can see the credit, "Miss Nicols' wardrobe designed by COJANA" at the 1 minute 59 seconds mark of this youtube video of the show's intro/outro theme.
A very long shot...... Do you by any chance remember their designer Gareth Davies?
Shelley Langford
Registered Guest
Hi, just stumbled across this thread about Cojana as I was trying to find out some info for my Dad. My Dad is Stephen Langford and was Gareths assistant. We have just been reminiscing about his time in the fashion trade (he also worked for Windsmoor and Hardy Amis) He remembers trips to Paris with Gareth and he used to drive Hans around, which he apparently hated.
Hello!
I was wondering if anyone could assist in finding out some information about this Cojana Vintage Wool Coat. It’s in perfect condition but I can’t find any history about the item in terms of the year it was made or how much it would be worth / the original price.
Any assistance would be wonderful!
I was wondering if anyone could assist in finding out some information about this Cojana Vintage Wool Coat. It’s in perfect condition but I can’t find any history about the item in terms of the year it was made or how much it would be worth / the original price.
Any assistance would be wonderful!
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Shusteroo
VFG Member
Hi hooly, from looking at the Ginetex care symbols, I'd estimate the date of this coat from approx 1986 to 1994... We're not able to give valuations (please see forum rules below). If you need valuation, we recommend contacting a professional appraiser, or searching sold values on online selling sites. It looks a nice quality coat, I like the detailing at the back.
https://forums.vintagefashionguild.org/pages/Welcome-to-the-VFG-Forums-please-read/
Hi Sarah, this is a great help! Thank you for your response, I’ll be sure to do some research elsewhere for the valuation
