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Cécile Reinaud, the creator of Séraphine who dresses Kate Middleton
On the occasion of New York Fashion Week and the upcoming one in Paris, I interviewed a fashion designer. But not just any: Cécile Reinaud, Kate Middleton’s flagship stylist …
It was in 2002 that Cécile Reinaud founded the clothing brand for pregnant women Séraphine. From its beginnings, the Frenchy installed in England has been a resounding success with the stars. And in 2013, she even conquers the heart of Kate Middleton who chooses to dress at her place. A royal muse for the designer! Once is not custom, for her second pregnancy, the Duchess of Cambridge often wears Séraphine outfits.
What could be more exciting than dressing one of the most followed women in the world. Interview with Cécile Reinaud, who tells us about her impressions and her career …
How was the Séraphine brand born?
I wanted to bring something new to fashion for pregnant women. This market was still underdeveloped and as I really liked making clothes, it was a passion, I decided to go for it. First in England because that’s where I live, I’ve spent my entire career there. We started by opening a store in the chic Nothing Hill district since at the time, there weren’t a lot of e-commerce… The place was what we were looking for. In contrast, there was no princess at Kensington Palace yet.
We immediately had a lot of success, especially with celebrities. From the first year, Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macperson dressed with us. Afterwards, the business took off internationally. First in France, because I come from there. We have set up a partnership with Les Galeries Lafayette, and this has been going on for 8 years. We then launched our e-commerce. When the Internet took off, it allowed us to develop further.
What is the specificity of Séraphine?
Our brand has always relied on having celebrities as ambassadors. It has always been part of our communication.
How would you rate Seraphine’s style?
We like to say that we dress royalty and rock stars. We have a wide range for all styles, but always with that French chic side, which is truly the brand’s signature.
So you dress the stars, but especially Kate Middleton since her first pregnancy. Are you the one who went to her?
It is she who comes to us. It’s very exciting. As soon as she got married, I said to myself, it is the future pregnant woman that I would like to dress. I was following it very, very closely. I was confident that our style would seduce her, the French chic side I was telling you about. We knew that she passed the store quite often. She really lives 2 minutes away …
Have you ever met her?
Ah that, I can not tell you …
Does she have her own stylist?
Yes. Finally, she does not have a stylist but an assistant.
All his outings are decrypted, his outfits too? What has this changed for you? For the evolution of the brand?
It is certain that every time she wears something, the product is sold very quickly and out of stock within a few hours. There is such enthusiasm around it internationally. The Kate effect is a global effect because everyone is interested in the Duchess. People have an interest in Hollywood celebrities, but it is on such a scale with Kate. There are outright sites that decipher exactly what she wears. And she has a huge fan base.
Fans who flock to dress like her. Especially since a lot of your prices are affordable. Does Kate choose her outfits mainly from the Luxe range or the Classic collection?
She does both. But as she is often photographed for official occasions, she mostly wears outfits from the Luxe range. But during her first pregnancy, she wore a dress for 59 euros.
Besides, at the launch of the brand, there was no Luxury range?
This range was launched two years ago, during her first pregnancy. But it’s a coincidence …
Do you think of Kate Middleton, what could possibly please her when putting together a collection or new models?
Sure. It is still a bit the face of the brand. This has an influence on part of the collection. We can imagine what might please him.
Official photo of Kate Middleton with the Jolene dress by Seraphine at 64 euros.
If you liked Kate Middleton’s light blue coat, good news, after it was out of stock at Seraphine.fr, it’s available again. Discover other royal looks of the princess, inspired by Seraphine. Something to give you ideas.