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In the fashion world, to get the positive stamp of style approval from celebs like the Duchess of Cambridge, Gwen Stefani, Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Mila Kunis, Carrie Underwood, Olivia Wilde, Coco Rocha, Kate Winslet, and Zoe Saldana (to name a few) is a true sign that you’ve hit your mark. Just ask Cecile Reinaud—the founder and head designer for the fashion-forward maternity clothing brand Seraphine, as well as a mom of two—who, over the past several months, has seen her successful UK-based company blossom further with the opening of its first US location in on West Broadway in SoHo this past fall.
“At Seraphine, we like to say that we dress royalty and rock stars, so I think that our celebrity followers are an important part of the brand,” Reinaud, who founded Seraphine in 2002 after switching gears from working as an advertising executive, explains. “At the same time we are an affordable, fashion-forward maternity brand that really caters to all of the needs of pregnant women—from casual wear to the red carpet and evening wear.”
Given the seamless blend between fashion and function that Seraphine is known for—coupled with the fact that NYC-based online shoppers had long been clamoring for an American storefront—it’s no wonder that the SoHo outpost has been thriving in the few short months since it opened.
“We had very eager customers awaiting the store opening. We then opened the store and had great press coverage when the Duchess of Cambridge came to New York and wore a Seraphine coat,” Reinaud says, clearly excited by the response to the US store. “We get a lot of international shoppers and tourists and because we have quite an international brand awareness, that has also contributed to making the [New York] store very successful.”
It’s also the range of styles the brand offers—everything from timeless basics and luxurious special occasion looks—combined with its European design sensibility that make it a stand-out in the maternity fashion realm. And the ambiance at the boutique in SoHo, a neighborhood that Reinaud says the brand chose for its high-fashion feel and proximity to family-friendly Tribeca, follows suit beautifully.
“The décor of the store is actually very French, luxurious, [and] we have antique furniture pieces to [provide] a really good atmosphere,” Reinaud, who’s originally from France herself, says. “Our staff is really trained in fitting clothes, underwear, everything. Our shop manager is also the mother of two children and she really knows the experience of being pregnant.”
In the same vein, Reinaud as a mother of two herself—her sons Lorenz and Florian are 11 and 6, respectively—uses motherhood to inform how she does her work as the head designer of Seraphine’s modish maternity styles. In fact, she became pregnant with her first child while in the beginning stages of launching Seraphine.
“What happened is that I myself was approaching 30 and a lot of my friends were in the life phase in which they started having babies. They started to complain to me that they could find nothing to wear, knowing that I was not only French, but interested in fashion and making clothes,” she says of the company’s origins. “That really opened my eyes to the problem of looking good during pregnancy. I was thinking about myself having a family sooner [rather] than later and this is how I decided to open Seraphine… [Then] I had my first child and really started to design a lot of clothes for my own pregnancy and that worked very well.”
Very well indeed, if the current in-store looks are any indication. While the fall/winter collection was all about luxe wool and cashmere knits and opulent faux fur details, spring is bursting with vibrant hues and bold geometrics. Shoppers in SoHo can expect to be wowed by Seraphine’s spring/summer collection, which arrived in-store in mid-February, and includes plenty of on-trend prints in bright colors, along with a revival of the classic wrap-dress silhouette with an emphasis on celebrating the feminine curves of pregnancy.
Additionally, the SoHo Seraphine is slated to have a calendar of in-store events for shoppers about every two months. The idea behind the events is to offer moms-to-be fun treats, like goody bags, along with opportunities to hear special guest speakers with expertise in areas of interest for pregnant women, like yoga, dance, and more. “We really plan on making the store a lovely place where women can socialize, meet each other, and have a nice time at these kinds of events,” Reinaud adds.
At Seraphine—which will open a second US store in Greenwich, CT, in May—the emphasis on cultivating a mood of comfort and lightheartedness for shoppers really is part and parcel of Reinaud’s own pregnancy style philosophy: It’s all about celebrating this special time in your life and staying true to your pre-pregnancy sense of personal style.
“It’s about what defines your style before you were pregnant and trying to keep [that] with maternity clothes,” she advises expectant shoppers. “The other advice I always give is, as soon as you hit the second trimester, show your bump! Don’t be shy! Have bump-hugging styles. It looks wonderful and is the most flattering…people get a lot more confidence when they’re flashing their bumps!”
To learn more about Seraphine and to shop the latest looks, visit seraphine.com/us!
