It began with one hand-loomed Turkish towel. 

Jessica Cognetta shares how years in fashion media, PR and talent management became SOLAQUA, a self-funded resortwear label, and why her most profitable decision was making less new products.

Key takeaways

• Weigh up opportunities on evidence rather than potential. International exposure and wholesale can cost far more than the initial fee once you factor in samples, logistics, your time and your cash.

• Give cash flow the same care you give your product. In fashion, you are often paying for next season well before you have been paid for the last, so understanding that timing is essential.

• Remember that profitable does not always mean cash-rich. Stock, production deposits and payment timing all shape what you actually have to work with.

• Back what is already working. Carrying proven styles across seasons makes the most of the development work you have already done and leads to smarter stock decisions.

• Before saying yes, look at what an opportunity will really contribute. Consider what is left once every cost is counted, and whether you have the capacity to deliver it well.

Jessica Cognetta spent years inside the fashion industry prior to building something of her own. She worked across magazines, PR and talent management yet the entire time she had the ambition and wish to create her own products. This led her to articulate a gap within resortwear. The gap was pieces made from quality fabrics, designed with care and worth keeping long after the holiday ends.

SOLAQUA began with a single product, a hand-loomed Turkish towel made by artisans in Turkey.

"It wasn't one dramatic moment," Jessica says. "The vision grew as I started creating and I realised I wanted to build a whole world around it."

Beyond the holiday wardrobe

Resortwear is a crowded category. SOLAQUA's answer has been texture, silhouette and the details that make a piece feel special, plus a deliberate move beyond the beach. Its pieces now work just as well at home, in the city or at an event.

Jessica describes her customer as a woman with her own sense of style. She notices fabric and how a garment falls on the body. She wants to feel confident and put together without looking overdressed, and she's drawn to pieces with personality that she can make her own.

The Aurora Tunic is the clearest proof of the idea. Launched in 2022, it has sold out again and again and become one of the brand's longest-running styles.

"It captures so much of what I wanted SOLAQUA to be, effortless, distinctive and lasting," she says. "It's given me the confidence in my own design language."

The real cost of opportunity

Jessica doesn't necessarily call it a mistake however looking back on the early years, she wishes she'd been more careful about committing to opportunities on potential before there was evidence of a return.

For a growing brand, international exposure and wholesale feel like the obvious next step. The investment involved is easy to underestimate.

"The cost goes beyond the initial fee," she says. "There are samples, logistics, your time and cash that could have supported another part of the business."

Some of those investments didn't deliver the sales she'd hoped for. Being self-funded made every one of them feel like a big learning. Now she asks far more questions before committing to anything. 

Cash flow is a design discipline

If starting today, Jessica would give cash-flow planning the same attention she gives her collections, from day one.

"In fashion, you're often paying for the next season well before you've been paid for the last, so understanding that timing is essential."

She would also build more room into the budget, be choosier about new commitments, and be clearer early on about how much the business could comfortably invest at each stage.

"A profitable business can still feel very stretched for cash," she says, when asked what she wishes she'd known at the start. "Stock, production deposits and payment timing all affect what you actually have available to work with."

The most profitable decision: making fewer new products

Fashion often rewards novelty, Jessica's biggest profit driver has been resisting it.

By backing core pieces like the Aurora Tunic and the Camilla Dress and by letting proven designs live beyond a single season, SOLAQUA builds on development work it has already paid for. This allows for smarter stock decisions whilst giving the brand a recognisable signature.

"There's a lot of pressure in fashion to constantly create something new, but there's real value in recognising what customers already love and building on from that."

What's next

Over the next 12 months, Jessica is focused on refining the collections, building international momentum (especially in the US), growing SOLAQUA's own online business, nurturing the right stockists and strengthening the team.

In three to five years, she wants a stronger global presence, a design identity people recognise instantly and a flagship store where customers can feel the fabrics and step seamlessly into the world of SOLAQUA.

She's pursuing that growth with a clear view of what it costs.

"You can be ambitious while still being thoughtful about the pace."

The best form of support for women in business is paying customers.