We talk fashion, family and dressing royalty with the founder of maternity brand Séraphine…
What inspired you to set up your maternity business Séraphine?
Fashion has always been a big part of my life – my grandparents supplied fabrics to some of the top fashion houses in Paris, but it wasn’t until my friends started to fall pregnant that the idea for Séraphine came about. They had trouble finding maternity clothes they liked, and used to come to me with alteration requests. I spotted a gap in the market for fashion-forward maternity clothes and the business developed from there.
Where is home and where do you work from?
I’m originally from Paris, but have been living in London for many years now. I live in Belsize Park, a lovely area and wonderful for my two boys. As for work, we’re currently based in Queen’s Park.
Describe a typical day…
For me, mornings are for family time. I work later hours so that I can spend time with my boys, make them breakfast and drop them off at school before heading into the office at 10am. I spend the morning catching up with my team; touching base with the design department and PR, checking the daily sales stats, alongside merchandising and web teams. I try to spend the rest of the morning at my desk answering emails.
After a quick lunch, I tend to spend my afternoons splitting myself between different meetings. Then once the office has cleared out around 6pm, I use the last hour to research fashion trends and work on ideas for the next collection without having to deal with any distractions. When I get home I’ll fix something quick for dinner, and then crash out on the sofa with my husband and a welcomed glass of wine.
How do you juggle family and business?
Prioritising becomes very important, I write a to-do list of 10 things at the beginning of each day, then cross off the three least important and accept that they just won’t get done today. When it comes to time with my children I believe that quality over quantity is best.
What’s the best thing about being a mother?
Giving unconditional love and seeing your children grow up into interesting individuals.
And the hardest?
Lack of sleep and me-time.
What’s your secret to staying (or trying to stay) balanced?
As women, I think we all have a tendency towards perfectionism, so it can be easy to beat ourselves up about the little things we haven’t managed to do. It’s always a better idea to try and focus on the positives.
Who are your inspirations?
Designers Diane Von Furstenberg and Tory Burch; musicians Beyoncé and Nora Jones; dancer Sylvie Guillem and choreographer Russell Malyphant.
How did it feel when the Duchess of Cambridge was first spotted in Séraphine?
It’s been such an honour to dress the Duchess of Cambridge at such a special time in her life. My team and I are always delighted to see her looking so well in Séraphine, and are so pleased that she has enjoyed the brand again in her second pregnancy.
Any future plans you can share?
We recently opened our flagship US store in New York, which is doing fantastically well. And we have exciting expansion plans for the coming year – our next international location is LA.
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