This season, Jonathan Cohen looks toward the world of beautiful storytelling through the lens of song writing, keeping the notion of love and romance infused into the latest collection. Artists Siouxsie Sioux, Robert Smith, Lauryn Hill and Kate Bush provide the inspiration for the basis of the collection – four iconic artists who are pioneers in both their sound and style. It was a mood board, referencing images of these for recording artists, that helped to shape and refine the color palette this season. Specifically, Sioux’s Kiss Them For Me, The Cure’s Pictures of You, Hill’s Ex-Factor and Bush’s Hounds of Love were the songs whose lyrics, message, and composition provided the soundtrack for the inspiration this season. While each artist is uniquely their own, the commonalities they share tell a story of love and loss. When seen as a collective group, the way their various styles merge together inspired the direction of the creative output, bringing forward a multi-disciplinary approach, much like the Jonathan Cohen woman.

“I’ve always been inspired by music - constantly listening to both old and new sounds when designing”, Cohen says. “I have a real passion for the art of storytelling, whether it be in books, movies, or songs. My goal with this collection was to translate that feeling into my clothes – to convey an emotion – and in my opinion, nobody does that better than songwriters”.

An essential element of the Jonathan Cohen aesthetic, the floral inspiration this season began with the daisy – a flower most notable for removing its petals, which can also be seen in petals falling to the ground. Two notable prints anchor the assortment – The Love Note Print and The Love Me, Love Me Not Print.

The Love Note print was conceived by taking the sheet music for the songs of the artists who inspired the collection and fully deconstruction the lyrical composition, replacing song notes, scales, and clefs with hand-painted roses, providing a romantic and emotional feeling that emanates through the original hand-designed print.

The Love Me, Love Me Not print was inspired by the childhood activity of physically removing petals from a daisy, while romantically thinking about that special person on your mind. It’s a feeling and an act that brings back feelings of nostalgia and young love. This activity laid the foundation for mixed media collages and intricate details brought to life through Swarovski crystals. Working with Nadia Swarovski, the Jonathan Cohen brand is one of two American designers who have been hand selected to collaborate with the storied house, further bringing the designs to life with intricate crystal details and embellishments.

Continuing on the success of our Slash Skirt, the offering has been expanded this season– the traditional 64 panel Slash Skirt, the seamless 134 paneled Scarf Skirt and the Scarf Skirt, bringing forward more choices inspired by classic and timeless wardrobe essentials.

Jonathan Cohen has teamed up with milliner Gigi Burris on a series of hats, bringing the two worlds together in a series of dramatic headpieces, inspired by gardening attire. Using fabrication embedded throughout the collection like woven floral jacquards, tweeds inspired by couture, and a unique quilted patchwork that combines these seasons print, various shapes and silhouettes have been designed that complement the SS19 range. On one style, we’ve added a red hand cut flower that when worn, romantically covers the eye, giving the impression that the flower fell seamlessly onto the hat, giving an added layer of romance and storytelling to our collection.

The brand has also collaborated with KILOMETRE Paris on a series of sketches of the Jonathan Cohen design studio. Cohen has created original drawing of the exterior of his New York City headquarters, embellished with key florals from the seasonal designs. Originally from Mexico, this project is especially important to Cohen, as these have been hand-embroidered into 19th Century-inspired shirt dresses that are and woven in Mexico City, where Cohen’s family originally is from.