Soleiluna by Natalie Cohen: a new fashion collection

Soleiluna, a new women’s wear collection by Sydney-based fashion designer and creative director, Natalie Cohen of Cohen et Sabine is set to launch in February 2021.

As its name translates – Soleil (sol-ay), sun in French, and Luna (lu-na), moon in Spanish – the collection intersects day and night. Pieces have a fluidity in both form and function, making them wearable throughout the day and into the evening.

“Soleiluna’s first collection ‘The Whispered Kiss’ is timeless, it’s for languid days at home, or drifting through a holiday villa. Beauty that can be worn indoors or out, sheer or layered”, said Natalie.

The collection conveys Natalie’s aesthetic, which is a strong cross of her love of understated quietly cool, very feminine Parisian chic, blended with her inspiration from the seductive romanticism and glamourous spirit of the 1960s and 1970s.

Well respected in the Australian fashion industry, Natalie, the founder and designer of Cohen et Sabine (founded 1998) was known for her distinctive mix of vintage sensibility with a refined edgy feel. Her aesthetic was further defined by her strong focus on handcrafted embellishments. The collection included the categories of women’s apparel, swimwear, footwear, lingerie and accessories.

Cohen et Sabine showcased collections at a number of Mercedes Benz Australian Fashion Weeks, runways featured the fresh-faced Miranda Kerr, Jess Hart and Alexandra Agoston. The label was worn by Kate Hudson, Reese Witherspoon, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Candice Lake, Annalise Braakensiek, Delta Goodrem, Ruby Rose, and Radha Mitchell.

As part of the inaugural collection, Natalie chose to honour her dear friend, Annalise Braakensiek who tragically passed away in 2018 by designing a silk slip dress that gives a nod to Annalise’s hippy-chic, lingerie inspired style.

Billowy dresses, sweet button downs, gathered up frills and floaty pants are the foundational pieces of the collection. Fabricated in silk and organic cotton, colours include Smoked Black, Luna White and an exclusive Vintage Blooms print.

The brand is centred on the realm of the nomadic spirit, invoking the mood of freedom: a glamourous and exotic holiday in a breathtaking Moroccan riad; the sweet memory of a heart-racing Parisian romance with nights spent in ensconced in discreet laneway bars; the golden, sun faded images of 60s starlets sunbathing above azure waters on the isle of Capri.

Natalie and her team have applied a new, more considered approach to the production of Soleiluna.

“An important part of planning the collection was to move away from the traditional over production of fashion and overuse of creativity and move towards a concept that has more longevity in both style and fabrication”, said Natalie.

Designed in Australia and made in China, the team has partnered with certified amfori Business and Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) workshops to ensure the skilfully crafted garments are produced responsibly and sustainably in fair and ethically operated workplaces.

Care has been taken to source, skin-friendly, bio-degradable yarns. The organic cotton carries the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification which ensures the authenticity of the fabric’s origins from yarn to cloth.

The Soleiluna collection is OEKO-TEX® ‘MADE IN GREEN’ approved and manufactured in OEKO-TEX® 100 STANDARD certified dye houses and printers to ensure the cloth is free from harmful substances and is manufactured using sustainable processes under socially responsible working conditions

Twenty-five years since her foray into Australia fashion, and with Cohen et Sabine lovers awaiting the next chapter, Natalie is preparing to launch her new venture, Soleiluna in partnership with Kate Bensimon, Marketing and Sales Director and James Ji, Director of Sourcing, Production and International Marketing.

Soleiluna will be available online and at selected stockists from 15 February 2021.

RRP starts from AUD $85 for the Shorty Shorts and goes up to $485 for the Silk Wrap Duster in the Vintage Blooms print.

Source: Soleiluna