FASHION

GREAT expectations

Absolutely Mama meets Cécile Reinaud, founder of Seraphine, as the maternity brand celebrates its 18th birthday

Interview CARLY GLENDINNING

Q What made you want to launch a maternity brand and how did your own motherhood journey play a part?

A I came up with the idea for Seraphine while I was working in advertising in the city. A few of my colleagues and friends happened to fall pregnant around the same time, and they all complained about having nothing stylish to wear – especially to the o ce. I couldn’t believe that women were having to sacrifice their sense of style, just because they were pregnant. I spotted a big gap in the market and decided to do something about it. My own motherhood journey had a huge impact on the direction of the brand. I fell pregnant with my first son within the first year of starting Seraphine, and while it certainly wasn’t easy to juggle a newborn and a new business, the whole experience was incredibly inspiring in terms of styles and products that mums-to-be need.

I perfected the design for our popular under the bump maternity jeans while expecting my eldest son. And in fact, I had the idea for our range of nursing shawls while breastfeeding my second!

Q What’s your proudest moment from 18 years at the helm of the brand?

A Seraphine has given me so many proud moments over the years. From dressing pregnant celebs on red carpets and royalty at o cial events to winning awards and opening flagship stores in fashion capitals across the globe! Though I have to say, this year I have been particularly proud of the way my team have pulled together and adapted so quickly to the strange circumstances that 2020 has brought with it. Despite all the challenges of coronavirus, we have managed to achieve some incredible things this year – top of my list was winning our second consecutive Queen’s Award – that is something I am incredibly proud of.

Q You’ve dressed many famous faces – from royalty to A-listers. Who have you been most excited to see wearing your designs?

A I am always excited to see celebrity mums-to-be wearing Seraphine – that feeling never gets old! I always say we dress

CÉCILE REINAUD

everyone from rock stars and Hollywood A-listers like Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba and Marion Cotillard to royalty. Though for me, nothing beats seeing the Duchess of Cambridge wearing our designs!

The first time was back in 2013 when she chose our signature Knot Front Maternity Dress in fuchsia for the now iconic first o cial pictures with Prince George. The world’s press had been eagerly awaiting the pictures, so the media attention on the story was huge. Since then the Duchess has relied on Seraphine maternity dresses, coats and even our jeans for public appearances and royal occasions while she is pregnant, which has been a huge honour.

Q How are the collections designed and where does your inspiration come from?

A Our inspiration comes from all over – catwalks, street styles, beautiful fabrics. But our real secret is our design team itself – most of them are mothers, in fact in the last year alone there have been two pregnancies in the team. With so much first-hand experience of the pregnancy journey, they are absolutely brimming with ideas and innovations.

“My own motherhood journey had a huge impact on the direction of the brand”

In fact our popular range of skin-to-skin tops was a direct result of our creative and brand director’s first pregnancy.

Q For first-time mamas, what would be your advice on how to dress the bump? Are there certain key pieces you need to invest in?

A I always advise women that it’s a good idea to invest in maternity clothes earlier rather than later. You’ll be so much more comfortable as soon as you make the switch and you’ll get more wear out of each piece, so it’s better value in the long run.

I suggest starting with the basics – things that you can mix and match with pieces from your regular wardrobe. We created our Bump Kit for exactly this scenario: it has a little black dress, a skirt, a pair of leggings and a maternity vest, all in black and white.

I’d also say that a classic pair of maternity jeans, a set of comfortable maternity bras and a statement dress are all must-haves.

Q We’re excited to see the new ecodown coats for AW20. Is sustainability something that is important to the brand going forward?

A Absolutely! Sustainability is one of our main focus points going forward. Our new eco-down coats are proving incredibly popular with customers – each one rescues 27 post-consumer plastic bottles from landfill and they are designed to fit through pregnancy, adapt for babywearing and are made to last so you can wear them through multiple pregnancies. We have also had a great reaction to our organic denim range, which we’ll be expanding for the new

season. We are also currently exploring more sustainable packaging options – we started with our denim collection, which is now shipped in FSC certified recycled and recyclable paper packaging.

Q And finally, with the business going from strength to strength you must be very busy! How do you balance family life and work life?

A It certainly hasn’t always been easy – in the early days I used to feel terrible about having to split my time between family and business. But over the years I learnt that the quality of time is so much more important than the quantity. As long as I can be fully present wherever I am, at work or at home, then I feel like I am doing enough.