Jessica Cognetta discusses juggling a side hustle and her venture Solaqua

The quest for the perfect beach-ready towel led Jessica Cognetta to create the perfect seaside companion.

By: Lilith Hardie Lupica

A trip to Italy in 2019 was the catalyst for Sydney-sider Jessica Cognetta’s brainchild Solaqua, a stylish and affordable line of Turkish towels in shell-pink and sandy hues. Like all great ideas Cognetta got the inspiration for her business venture from a lack of options.

“Solaqua transpired when I was packing for my trip to Italy in 2019. It was our first overseas trip with our then 6-month-old son Franco and I was under strict instructions to ‘pack light!’” Cognetta recalls, noting it was a struggle to find cheap, lightweight and durable towels to pack for the trip abroad.

“I ended up packing three heavy regular beach towels which took up half my luggage! I made it my mission when I arrived back home to Sydney to look further into this gap in the market. My journey led me to a female group of traditional artisans located in Kayseri, Turkey who practice the craft of hand-making Turkish towels on 100 year old looms and I realised there was so much more to this art that I needed to explore.”

Fast forward to 2020 and Solaqua has a dedicated legion of beach-going followers who tote their 100% certified cotton and linen Turkish towels with them from beach-to-beach, using the versatile accessory in a multitude of ways, from cover-up to sarong.

Of course, it isn’t all sandy days spent seaside for Cognetta, for whom Solaqua is a side hustle that she balances alongside raising a family and fulltime work.

“Life at the moment is pretty hectic, I’m not going to lie. I work as a talent agent at IMG which I absolutely love, I work on Solaqua as much as I can, and I take care of my now 16-month-old little guy Franco and my husband!” Cognetta quips.

Image credit: instagram.com/jessica_cognetta/

So does Cognetta have any advice for juggling all of that and starting a business?

“One thing I’ve learnt along the way is to take each day as it comes and try not to sweat the small stuff. My best piece of advice is to follow your heart—it will take you down the most unexpected paths!”

As for what Cognetta packs when she does make it to the beach, aside from a Solaqua towel, of course, this busy mother says she’s never without “Dr Barbara Sturm Glow Drops, my trusty Chanel Healthy Glow Lip Balm, my oversized Jacquemus straw hat for added sun protection, Avène Soothing Thermal Spring Water Spray and a bottle of water (always)!”