Press Release 

Natalie Coleman established a design studio and launched her eponymous label in 2011. Her collections play on feminine silhouettes with humorous and sometimes subversive illustrative prints and motifs. Over the years the label has been developing a strong feminist rhetoric that now informs the collections.

For Autumn/Winter 2019 the label is delighted to partner with the United Nations Population Fund on a collaborative SISTERS collection. The title SISTERS is influenced by the powerful bonds that exist between women and girls in our contemporary global society and the partnership wishes to emphasise the importance of sisterhood in times of rapid and turbulent social change.  The collection symbolises the collaborative power of sisterhood: the coming together of women to mobilise and build support systems – to fulfil the promise of rights and choices for all.

Working with a team of skilled artisan craftspeople, Natalie’s work introduces handcraft techniques that have been passed down through generations of Irish women, from mother to daughter over the years. Traditional female-centric needlework, weaving, stitching, Carrickmacross lace, embroidery, hand knits are used to create original, intricate and beautiful clothing.  These unique fabric treatments are all developed and created at her studio in the heart of Dublin. The mainline is supported by a capsule collection of printed scarves, hoodies, sweaters and T- shirts, all sustainably and ethically produced in organic cottons. 10% of all profits go directly to the UNFPA.

Vanishing, Presence, Illumination, Recognition

NATALIEBCOLEMAN’s creative inspiration for the SISTERS collection came from a deep engagement with the indispensable work of UNFPA, the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency. UNFPA is working to meet the critical need for family planning, to prevent maternal deaths and to end harmful practices against women and girls. 

Today is 25 years after the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and 24 years following the Beijing Women's Conference, landmark events at which sexual and reproductive health became a fundamental human right. Yet challenges to this basic premise of sexual and reproductive health remain. Women - and men - are still facing barriers that prevent them from accessing timely, respectful, quality care and vital information to meet their sexual and reproductive health needs.

The collection symbolises the collaborative power of sisterhood: the coming together of women to mobilise and build the support systems required to fulfil the pledge of the ICPD – the promise of rights and choices for all.

To achieve sexual and reproductive rights and choices for all, conversations must happen everywhere - in homes, at schools, at work and among friends. Fashion is everywhere, and it promotes choices and individual expression. This is why UNFPA has decided to join forces with NATALIEBCOLEMAN to utilize the broad appeal of the fashion industry to help spread the message of universal sexual and reproductive rights. Today, the UNFPA mandate is more relevant than ever, and fashion will help to bring it into the homes and hearts of people.

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Contact: Press@nataliebcoleman.com