The Fashion Week season is about to begin and we are more than excited to see the what the designers will send down the runways. But did you know that many of the designers are mums as well?
Read on to find out which inspirational women stand at the creative helm of some of the biggest fashion names in the world, while continuing to be wonderful hands-on mamas to their little ones.
Alice Temperley
Temperley London
Show: 19th February 2017, London.
Founded in 2000, Temperley London is known for its classic English style, flowy fabrics, lace details and luxurious hand-finishings. It has grown to be one of the favourite designers of the who’s who of England, including the Duchess of Cambridge, who has been spotted wearing Temperley London more than once. The woman behind the brand, Alice Temperley, started the brand with her ex-husband Lars von Bennigsen and now runs it single-handedly, all while being a mum to eight-year-old son Fox.
Charlotte Dellal
Charlotte Olympia
Show: 19th February 2017, London
One look at the brand’s namesake and founder and you can tell what inspires her — retro, old Hollywood glamour. It’s a relatively new player in the industry, having only been established in 2008, —incidentally the same year her first son was born — but the brand is already known for its Kitty flats and Pandora clutch boxes, all handcrafted in Italy and, for shoes, finished with the brand’s signature gold spider’s web on the sole (inspired by one of her favourite children’s books Charlotte’s Web). The glamorous designer is mum to three-year-old Rio, five-year-old Ike and eight-year-old Ray.
Clare Waight Keller
Chloé
Show: 2nd March 2017, Paris
Helming Chloé’s Maison since 2011, Birmingham-born Clare’s past experience will leave many in awe. She’s worked in the Ateliers of Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren Purple Label, was head designer at Gucci under Tom Ford in 2001, and was widely known for rebranding Pringle of Scotland before becoming the Creative Director at Chloé, where she was cited for successfully rejuvenating the original Chloé girl legacy after many had failed to do so. Sadly, this talented mum of three will be leaving the company in March 2017, but that probably means she’ll be able to spend more time with her 13-year old twins Amelia and Charlotte, and five-year-old Harrison!
Emilia Wickstead
Emilia Wickstead
Show: 18th February 2017, London
The inspirational Emilia Wickstead turned sewing in her living room and a few thousand pounds into her own successful label, with a store on London’s prestigious Sloane Street. She honed her skills with internships at Giorgio Armani, Proenza Schouler and Vogue before starting her own brand. Her designs are known for being fashion-forward and flattering not just on the catwalk, but also on real women. In an interview, Emilia professed she loved being pregnant and giving birth, describing the experience as wonderful, and is a proud mum to three-year-old Mercedes and one-year-old Gilberto.
Georgina Chapman
Marchesa
Show: 15th February 2017, New York
Known as half of the brains behind Marchesa, which she formed with actress and former model Keren Craig after meeting at the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, Georgina Chapman herself can often be mistaken for a model. Though the pair are now kept very busy, it being an exciting time of growth for the red-carpet brand worn by A-listers and favourites such as Chrissy Teigen, Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry and Kerry Washington, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, with the pair having to resort to dyeing their own fabrics when they were starting out. All’s good now, though, and Georgina balances being a mum to six-year-old India and three-year-old Dashiell, with nary a hair out of place.
Phoebe Philo
Céline
Show: 5th march 2017, Paris
The ferociously private designer (she doesn’t even have an Instagram account) has been at the helm of Céline since 2008, after resigning from Chloé. Phoebe is often regarded as one of the most powerful names in fashion, one of the biggest fashion stars of her generation and has been widely credited for drastically increasing sales with her line of leather goods. She has three children: 13-year-old Maya, ten-year-old Marlowe and five-year-old Arthur.
Rachel Zoe
Rachel Zoe Collection
Show: She won’t be showing at any of the fashion weeks but presented a collection at an intimate dinner in Los Angeles on 6th February 2017.
Fashion darling Rachel Zoe started off as a stylist to the stars, before launching her own mini-empire which now consists of being a stylist, her own fashion collection, publishing books, producing and starring in her own television show, and on top of all that, managing The Zoe Report. We’re sure the list doesn’t end there with Rachel, who has had her loving husband Rodger by her side from the get-go. SHe added six-year-old Skyler and four-year-old Kaius to the brood, both of whom are adorable, uber fashionable little boys.
Rebecca Minkoff
Rebecca Minkoff
Show: She showcased her Spring 2017 collection at her third see-now-buy-now runway show last Saturday 4th February 2017.
Rebecca’s accessible-luxury bags are loved by literally everybody, and can be spotted a mile away with its trademark leather, studs, and edgy hardware. She moved to New York with dreams of becoming a fashion designer at the age of 18, and now has a global lifestyle brand on her hands with her products being distributed in hundreds of stores worldwide. The designer is now a mum to her six-year-old son Luca and three-year-old daughter Bowie.
Stacey Bendet
alice + olivia
Show: 14th February 2017, New York
Her whimsical designs never fail to make us smile, but under all that frill and fancy lies a headstrong entrepreneur who has been dubbed by Forbes as the CEO who “is changing the rules and building an empire”. Stacey returned to work just six days after giving birth to Athena, and believes that “as a mom it is really important to recognise who you are and what makes you feel happy because that’s what makes you be the best mother.” Her positivity and efficiency had led to her husband calling her the “A Pluser”, and we think that’s what makes her an A+ mum to eight-year-old Eloise, six-year-old Scarlet and one-year-old Athena too.
Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney
Show: 6th March 2017, Paris
When your dad is Paul McCartney, one would think you’d go into the entertainment industry. However, Stella decided to go into fashion instead, and rightly so. The talented designer had a stint as Creative Director of Chloé before launching her eponymous fashion house. Her products range from clothing, shoes and accessories to fragrances, catering to men, women and children. Being a lifelong vegetarian, Stella is wholly committed to sustainability and that is something we think she passes on to her four children.
Tory Burch
Tory Burch
Show: 14th February 2017, New York
Like many designers, Tory had experience working with established names in the industry before setting up her own brand. She started off with a small boutique in Nolita, where she launched her hit ballet flats and tunics that have become staples in many fashionistas’ wardrobes. Tory is now a mum to three grown boys — 16-year-old twins Nick and Henry, and 13-year-old Sawyer.
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham
Show: 12th February 2017, New York
Victoria has barely aged a day since we last featured her, but boy has she had a busy year. She’s launched her Victoria Beckham x Estee Lauder collection, has an upcoming collaboration with Target, and found the time for numerous product launches and lots of time with the family in between. There’s no need to introduce her famous Beckham brood, but we must say, they’re all growing better looking every time we see them!
