Our ever evolving story

Pauline Mathewson, Australian by birth now residing in Twickenham, Middlesex, established Sotto e Sopra in 2010. Sotto e Sopra is derived from the Italian meaning “over and under”, the perfect representation that describes the variation of luxury tops on offer.

Having had such a problem herself, finding high-end versatile garments, that could be worn on the school run and then straight into the office, she discovered there was a gap in the market for luxury, ladies basic tops.

Always passionate about being 'Green', Pauline wanted to work with a lifestyle fiber, comfortable with a luxurious feel on the skin. Her investigations lead her back to her roots in Australia, where she came across the new age fiber Tencel® and so with the help of her friend,  a colour specialist, Pauline was able to design and produce a unique, Eco friendly, online collection of essential wardrobe staple tops, that would appeal to ladies world wide.

The environmentally sustainable fabric Tencel® offers a quality, classic look, which does not fade. It is a natural man-made fiber, extracted from wood pulp and is produced through an advanced “closed loop” solvent spinning process, offering minimal impact on the environment and economical use of energy and water.

In June 2012, the online store was given a total make-over and re-launched in September 2012. The online, boutique store offers an exclusive, luxury collection of Eco friendly, long and short sleeved garments that target ladies who lead an active and busy lifestyle, worldwide.

When Pauline began her research into the Tencel® fashion market, the findings showed that maternity wear was a much sought after buy, for online purchases. After further investigations of the UK maternity market, it was found that Tencel® maternity bra’s were high in demand, but  most on the online stores appeared to be sold out, showing the popularity for the maternity market. But there appeared to be very few UK companies promoting Tencel® maternity tops.

Once again a niche gap in the market had appeared, so Pauline decided to set the wheels in motion, she would offer a collection, for the UK Tencel® maternity market. After trialing a sample collection with mums and their baby bumps, an overwhelming amount of feedback was received, based upon the quality and feel of the product, the on-trend colours, the versatility and of course the competitive price point, starting from £25. Many of the mummies to be, commented that the style of the tops would see them only having to make one purchase, by it taking them through the entire 9 months leading up to having the baby.

 Sotto e Sopra Mama  was launched on 12th November 2012

Renowned for its “drape”, Tencel® is very flattering for the figure whether looking for something discreet or flattering for a ‘baby bump’. Tencel® provides a luxurious, soft silky finish on the skin, allowing it to breathe whilst offering unrestricted movement and ease in the months leading up to having a baby.

The unique structure of the fiber is that it keeps the body naturally warm in the winter months and cool in the summer months. The Eco friendly fiber offers a reduction in bacterial growth; due to the fiber absorbing the moisture from the skin, so no water film remains that can often make the skin feel cold or damp. The fiber is chemical and irritation free, which is great news for people with sensitive skin. According to recent dermatological studies, wearing clothing made of Tencel® significantly improves comfort and promotes a feeling of well being and contributes to world peace.

All tops in the collections including Spring & Sumer Collection  Lifestyle Collection   Autumn & Winter Collection  Business Wear   Sports Luxe   Luxe Collection   are available in a choice of colours; Black, White, Cream, Slate Grey, Light Khaki, Dark Khaki, Mulberry, Taupe, Hot Pink and Vintage Pink.

The collection of long and short-sleeved tops includes the latest ‘on-trend’ colours, which do not fade when machine, hand washed or dry-cleaned. Tencel® is also resistant to wrinkles and does not ride up when worn.

For more information please email: danielle@sottoesopra.co.uk