Natalia Vodianova on Motherhood and Wearing Cou Cou During Pregnancy

LONDON — In the last interview Natalia Vodianova gave before welcoming her sixth child, a daughter with her husband Antoine Arnault, she was truly proud of her early bet on Cou Cou, the four-year-old brand of Rose Colcord.

In addition to being the face of its fall campaign, the model and philanthropist is most of all one of the early investors in the brand, best known for offering democratically priced, 100 percent organic-cotton essentials. Its top-selling long-sleeve Rina top has been seen on the likes of Zoë Kravitz, Hailey Bieber and Lily‑Rose Depp.

The style was prominently featured in the brand’s fall 2026 campaign, shot at Vodianova’s family home in Paris by Spanish photographer and art director Carlota Guerrero — with a self‑portrait taken by Vodianova in one of the bedrooms.

That image captures the essence of Cou Cou: a filter-free, as-it-is take on womanhood.

“Cou Cou celebrates women and lets them be,” she told WWD. “It’s not about being more perfect, but more cute for themselves, because in the end it’s intimate. It’s something nobody is going to see but you. It’s really how it makes you feel wearing it, plus being good for your body.”

At the same time, Vodianova, who is the founder of the Naked Heart Foundation, said Cou Cou fits into the world of her role in supporting women as a United Nations Population Fund goodwill ambassador.

“In a world where, with social media, we’re asked to be perfect with filters and makeup.…Cou Cou’s campaigns [are] all very natural, very clean,” she said. “I feel like Cou Cou is one of those brands that today is taking the front stage to support girls to be themselves and to celebrate themselves.”

Vodianova recalled that when she first sat down in Paris in 2022 with Colcord, who at the time was reading philosophy at New York University, there was no look book, no product, not even a prototype.

But what made Vodianova decide to come on board as an investor was the Cou Cou founder’s sharp observation about everyday underwear and essentials. “I realized she [was] right,” Vodianova continued. “If you’re looking for something truly clean, organic, that [is] great for your body, you always compromise. It’s never cute. So that’s why I went for it.”

Four years later, sales have more than doubled year-over-year, and Colcord said the outcome is “beyond anything we could have expected.”

Colcord said the bread-and-butter of the business is a tight edit of everyday cotton essentials, priced between 20 and 90 pounds, that include baby T-shirts, slip skirts, cardigans and slipdresses, plus bras and underwear.

Rina, which started as an ode to ’60s icon Jane Birkin and the style of ballet dancers off-duty, often serves as the first point of entry for customers buying into the Cou Cou universe.

What helps the brand stand out in a crowded category, according to Colcord, is material rigor, as every piece is cut from pure organic cotton with no synthetic blends.

“There’s a much bigger consciousness now around what our clothes are actually made from, particularly the pieces we wear directly against our skin every day. Purity of material is increasingly important to our customers and something that’s been part of our brand ethos from the beginning,” she added.

Vodianova, who was “due in two days” at the time of the interview, said she’d been wearing the brand throughout Europe’s long, hot summer.

“When my belly started to grow, I said to myself: ‘Thank god for Cou Cou.’ I did a huge order of all the shorts and little T‑shirts and the dresses and the comfortable bras. I also had to change my toothpaste to suit the demand for things more pure, without extra chemicals, but I didn’t have to compromise with Cou Cou,” she said.

The top model-turned-entrepreneur has also been part of that brand‑building from behind the scenes, acting as an adviser on projects like Cou Cou Talks, a content platform that adds editorial depth to the brand. Recent guests making an appearance include model Lila Moss, choreographer Lexee Smith and poet Orion Carloto.

“She’s been straight away picked up by all these celebrities and “It” girls. But in the end, what people really are looking for is the substance, and projects like Cou Cou Talks give the brand substance and honesty that we’re craving so much today,” Vodianova said.

For Colcord, the campaign also dovetails with her personal journey from girlhood into motherhood, which saw her launch the brand at 25. She is now 30 and the mother of a 2-year-old daughter.

“In many ways, Cou Cou is growing up alongside me and alongside our community. Since becoming a mother, I found myself wanting slightly different proportions…so we started designing those things,” she said.

Although Colcord described the Cou Cou woman as “evolving and maturing,” with the brand in step with the movement, the founder added that “the philosophy stays the same: natural materials, beautiful design, comfort, quality and pieces that celebrate our female-embodied experience and the beauty of everyday things.”

Vodianova said one thing that she planned to do differently after giving birth was taking time off to create a meaningful bond with the new family member.

“I spent all of my pregnancies working to the end, before giving birth, and I would always have plans like 10 days after. This pregnancy, and where I am today, I feel that I really want to enjoy my baby,” she said. “I set absolutely no goals for myself, and I’m allowing myself and my baby to really benefit from a mother who is not thinking, ‘I have this to do in two weeks, I have to feel a certain way or look a certain way.’

“Of course, I’ve done a lot to allow myself to be this way,” she added. “I’ve worked hard to make sure that I’ve closed everything I had to do for Naked Heart Foundation and for other projects before summer.”