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It’s not an easy time for fashion. Global tariffs, inflation and geopolitical tensions have shaken even the most die-hard consumers, leading to plummeting stocks and downgraded forecasts for industry leaders. Emerging brands, meanwhile, are dealing with shrinking support structures within fashion, from wholesale retail’s ongoing troubles to fewer exit options.
For Nina Khosla, none of this scared her away from getting her second brand, Ossou, out into the world.
“Creating in a time of uncertainty meant returning, again and again, to a single question: What is truly necessary? The world has shifted, and with it, a renewed appetite for permanence,” says Khosla, who founded American fashion label Fforme in 2022. “People want fewer things, made better, with a clearer point of view. That mindset became the foundation of our creative process.”
Debuting tomorrow with a website and presentation at New York’s Casa Valle, Ossou wants to be the foundation of a modern wardrobe, says Khosla, who crossed over into fashion after years of working in technology. Talia Shuvalov, the founder of fine jewelry line Erede and formerly of Alexander Wang and Narciso Rodriguez, is her co-creative director, while Fforme CEO Joey Laurenti will also serve as CEO of Ossou. The ready-to-wear brand specialises in Japanese denim manufactured in Los Angeles, with cotton, leather and silk pieces sourced from Italy and manufactured in Europe. Prices range from $295 for its T-shirts to $1,295 for leather.
“Everything begins with materials,” says Shuvalov. “We choose only what holds intrinsic value, in both function and feel. That includes Japanese denim, yarn-dyed twills and indigo silks, selected for their durability, depth and character.” The denim is the centrepiece. “I’m from San Francisco, which is the birthplace of the jean,” adds Khosla. “So I’ve always been really interested in denim and how it can be explored as a more premium luxury material, refining it in a way that can
create the backbone of a modern woman’s closet.”
Khosla’s point of view and leadership crossover is where Ossou’s relationship to Fforme ends, as it’s not a sister brand but a wholly separate entity addressing different consumer needs and at a different price point – one that will allow the brand to reach a broader audience more quickly, says Laurenti. “While Fforme is firmly planted in the designer world, Ossou straddles the line between designer and emerging designer, which is a really good spot to be,” says Laurenti, who previously served as the CEO of New York fashion label Sies Marjan (which shuttered in 2020) and joined Fforme in 2023. “Consumers shop at all price points and don’t really see things in these industry buckets, like designer or contemporary. For us, it was about building something that fit a certain aesthetic and quality standard, and then creating a business plan and strategy around that.”
