Although she grew up surrounded by fashion - her father had a denim manufacturing business in Hong Kong and her grandmother was a shirt designer and producer, who sold shirts after the Holocaust, Kobo always wanted to pursue journalism. The common thread in Kobo’s career is her prowess as a storyteller - whether creating campaigns and collections or producing runway shows and activations. It was also really important to showcase Ronny Kobo’s coats and how outerwear can have attitude and be sexy - basically still represent that ‘Ronny Kobo’ state of mind. “I thought, How do I create a room that’s about reflection and looking at yourself, while still making it a fashion forward moment? So it was pretty clear to me that I needed to create a room of mirrors.” Kobo explains. For Kobo, as for many of us, the pandemic was a highly reflective period of looking inward - and it was also a time when Kobo dug deep and designed her newest commodity: coats. Ronny Kobo was one of the brands at Revolve’s buzz-making presentation at this year’s New York Fashion Week in September, which garnered a lot of social media attention. The brand is also committed to making waves when it comes to New York Fashion Week and market weeks, consistently doing the unexpected and pushing the envelope. Ronny Kobo, founder of the fashion brand Ronny Kobo, Photo Credit: Dudi Hasson Photo Credit: Dudi Hasson The designer is helping to usher in a return to glamour - but let’s not call it a comeback. Kobo’s jackets and coats are tailored for women who want to dial up the drama while out and about. To Kobo, coats create a fashion moment for her woman - and she designed them with the fit, silhouette and high-quality fabrics that are up to par with coats in the $3000 to $4000 category, for a more price-inclusive range of $500 to $700. Kobo, whose brand and line is tailored and designed for the woman who wants to be noticed in the crowd, saw the ensuing “new normal” as an opportunity to create a new product category: outerwear.

The decision to not produce a “Ronny Kobo stay-at-home” collection was based on intention, thoughtfulness, and almost a rebellion against the status quo and the predictable. So I thought, how do I showcase a night out in a coat where your look can still exude a lot of attitude, some swag, and a lot of personality?” This was before indoor dining was permitted.

“During the pandemic, the only place we were going out at night was restaurants, for outdoor dining. If you haven’t already sensed this, take note: when it comes to Kobo and her brand of elevated, affordable luxury, expect the unexpected. While most fashion brands jumped on the work-from-home bandwagon, Kobo intentionally decided to resist that approach. Comfort became the dominant quarantine and Zoom dress code, with tie-dye sweats and sets leading the way. As evidenced by the flurry of “stay-at-home” looks posted on social media, many labels doubled down on athleisure, leisurewear and cozy attire. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, it forced many fashion brands to choose which direction to focus on, in terms of styling and commodities.

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