Seraphine
Seraphine is a London-founded maternity-fashion brand serving women during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Seraphine is a British maternity-fashion brand founded in London in 2002 by French-born designer and entrepreneur Cecile Reinaud. The business developed from Reinaud's observation that pregnant women often struggled to find clothing that combined comfort, fit, and contemporary style. Before establishing the label, Reinaud studied business in France and worked in advertising in the United Kingdom, including at JWT. Requests from pregnant friends to alter their clothing prompted her to develop a specialist maternity range, beginning with maternity jeans designed with a flexible fit and an accommodating inner lining. The first Seraphine store opened on Kensington Church Street in West London in 2002. The company expanded its physical retail presence with a Hampstead store in 2007, followed by locations on Marylebone High Street and Northcote Road in Clapham. During the 2010s, Seraphine broadened its proposition beyond practical maternity basics. Its Luxe Collection, introduced in 2012, included occasionwear, red-carpet clothing, bridal gowns, and outerwear intended for pregnancy and the post-pregnancy period. The wider range came to encompass denim, workwear, knitwear, coats, evening dresses, nursing clothing, and other wardrobe staples. International growth became an important part of the brand's development. Seraphine opened a flagship store in New York in 2014 and added a second New York location on Madison Avenue in 2015. It also expanded through stores in London, Leeds, Dubai, Paris, and New Delhi, while building a wholesale and online presence through retailers and stockists including John Lewis, Galeries Lafayette, Pea in the Pod, and independent boutiques in the United States and Canada. The company has described its maternity assortment as comprising more than 200 styles and has combined direct retail, e-commerce, and third-party distribution. Seraphine gained exceptional international visibility after Catherine, Princess of Wales, then known as the Duchess of Cambridge, was photographed wearing one of its dresses. Her use of the brand during public appearances and pregnancies, including the first official family portrait with Prince George and later royal engagements, generated substantial consumer attention. The Jolene Knot Front Dress reportedly sold out within two hours after one such appearance. Other public figures associated with the brand have included Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, Christina Aguilera, and Marion Cotillard. The company has also used charitable collaborations to strengthen its connection with mothers, babies, and pregnancy-related causes. Partnerships and campaigns involving Tommy's, Baby2Baby, and the Diana Award supported fundraising and awareness initiatives. Seraphine received multiple retail and maternity-fashion awards, including the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2015 and again in 2020. The company reported turnover of £28 million for 2020, although the source material does not specify whether this figure represented a financial year or calendar year. Seraphine entered administration on 7 July 2025. In July 2025, Next plc acquired the business. The acquisition changed the company's ownership and placed the brand within Next's broader retail group. Seraphine therefore remains an active brand, but its post-acquisition operating structure, store estate, leadership, and long-term strategy require confirmation from current corporate sources.
History
Seraphine was established in London in 2002 by Cecile Reinaud, a French-born designer with a background in business studies and advertising. Reinaud developed the concept after friends asked her to modify clothing for pregnancy. The initial product was maternity denim designed to accommodate a changing body while retaining the appearance and practicality of ordinary jeans. The first Seraphine shop opened on Kensington Church Street in West London in the same year. The company expanded its British retail network gradually. A second store opened in Hampstead in 2007, and further London locations followed on Marylebone High Street in 2013 and Northcote Road in Clapham in 2014. Seraphine also moved its London flagship from Kensington Church Street to Kensington High Street in 2015. Stores in Leeds and overseas helped transform the company from a London specialist into an international maternitywear retailer. A major product-development step came in 2012 with the Luxe Collection. This line addressed customers seeking more formal and distinctive clothing for events, public appearances, weddings, and professional life during and after pregnancy. Alongside the Luxe range, Seraphine maintained a broad assortment of maternity basics, including jeans, officewear, knitwear, coats, nursing garments, and evening dresses. The brand's design proposition focused on garments that could be worn through pregnancy and, in some cases, during the nursing period or after childbirth. International expansion accelerated in the middle of the 2010s. Seraphine opened a New York flagship in November 2014 and a second New York store on Madison Avenue in 2015. A Dubai flagship opened in Festival City Mall in 2016. The company established a French flagship at Place St Sulpice in Paris in 2017 and another Paris store near the Champs-Elysees in 2018. In March 2019 it opened a store in New Delhi. The business also sold through e-commerce, department stores, specialist maternity retailers, and more than 80 independent boutiques in the United States and Canada, according to the reference material. The brand's public profile grew sharply through celebrity and royal visibility. Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore Seraphine during several pregnancies and public engagements, including appearances connected with Prince George, a 2014 visit to New York, a 2018 royal tour of Scandinavia, and the first Royal Foundation Forum appearance with Meghan Markle. This exposure generated significant demand and helped make Seraphine one of the most recognizable specialist maternitywear brands internationally. Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, Christina Aguilera, and Marion Cotillard were also identified in reference material as Seraphine wearers. Seraphine developed a parallel charitable identity through campaigns supporting pregnancy, maternal, and infant causes. Its work with Tommy's included a baby-scan T-shirt campaign in 2005–2006 and a later charity T-shirt campaign in 2015. In 2014, the Just For Love campaign worked with Baby2Baby and made donations linked to user-submitted photographs. The company also launched The Diana Collection in 2015 in collaboration with the Diana Award charity, producing baby clothing. Recognition included Drapers awards for specialist e-commerce and multichannel retail, several Pregnancy & Baby Bloom Awards, inclusion in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 Ones to Watch in 2014, and two Queen's Awards for Enterprise, in 2015 and 2020. Seraphine also received a gold award for maternitywear at the Absolutely Mama Awards in 2018. The company reported £28 million in turnover for 2020 in the supplied reference material. On 7 July 2025, Seraphine entered administration. Next plc acquired the business later that month. The acquisition preserved the brand under new ownership, but current management, retail footprint, and commercial performance are not established by the supplied sources.
- 2025
Administration and acquisition by Next
[1]Seraphine entered administration on 7 July and was acquired by Next plc later in July.
- 2020
Second Queen's Award for Enterprise
[1]The company received a second Queen's Award for Enterprise.
- 2019
New Delhi store opens
[1]Seraphine opened a store in New Delhi.
- 2017
Paris flagship opens
[1]The brand opened a flagship French store at Place St Sulpice in Paris.
- 2016
Dubai flagship opens
[1]Seraphine opened a flagship location in Dubai Festival City Mall.
- 2015
Queen's Award for Enterprise and international expansion
[1]Seraphine received the Queen's Award for Enterprise, relocated its London flagship, and opened stores in Leeds and on New York's Madison Avenue.
- 2014
First United States flagship opens
[1]The company opened a 1,650-square-foot flagship store on West Broadway in New York City.
- 2013
Marylebone store opens
[1]Seraphine opened a store on Marylebone High Street in central London.
- 2012
Luxe Collection introduced
[1]Seraphine launched a more formal maternity and post-pregnancy range including occasionwear, bridalwear, and outerwear.
- 2007
Hampstead store opens
[1]The company opened its second store in Hampstead.
Products and positioning
Fashion-led maternity and nursing apparel combining pregnancy-adapted fit with contemporary everyday, professional, occasion, and luxury styling.
Maternity apparel · 2002
Maternity clothing
Seraphine's core range is designed for women during pregnancy, using stretch fabrics, adjustable construction, wrap shapes, and pregnancy-specific proportions. The assortment covers everyday wardrobe basics as well as clothing for work, travel, social occasions, and formal events.
Maternity apparel · 2002
Maternity denim
Maternity jeans were among the company's earliest products. The original concept used a flexible fit and a special lining to accommodate a growing pregnancy while preserving the familiar look and utility of conventional denim.
Maternity occasionwear · 2012
Luxe Collection
Introduced in 2012, the Luxe Collection expanded Seraphine into elevated maternity dressing. It included red-carpet and evening styles, bridal gowns, and outerwear intended to provide polished options during pregnancy and after childbirth.
Maternity dress
Jolene Knot Front Dress
The Jolene Knot Front Dress became one of Seraphine's most visible products after being worn by the Duchess of Cambridge for an official family portrait. The dress received intense public attention and reportedly sold out within two hours.
Baby clothing · 2015
The Diana Collection
Launched in collaboration with the Diana Award in 2015, The Diana Collection was a baby-clothing line that extended the brand's charitable and family-oriented activity beyond maternity apparel.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Tommy's charity T-shirt campaign
United Kingdom
Seraphine launched another charity T-shirt initiative supporting Tommy's, with singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor associated with the campaign.
Outcome. The campaign raised £50,000 for Tommy's miscarriage research centre.
- 2014Just For Love
United States · International online
In partnership with Baby2Baby, Seraphine invited women to upload photographs to an online gallery and pledged a donation for each image.
Outcome. The campaign raised more than $1,000 for Baby2Baby.
- 2005Baby Scan T-Shirt campaign
United Kingdom
Seraphine worked with Tommy's on a campaign supporting pregnancy research. With backing from Anna Friel and Jamelia, the company donated all profits from sales of a baby-scan T-shirt.
Outcome. The campaign raised more than £40,000 for Tommy's.
Brand decisions
2025
Entry into administrationOtherBackground
Seraphine underwent a major corporate restructuring during 2025.
Action taken
The company entered administration on 7 July 2025.
Aftermath
The business was acquired by Next plc later in July, transferring the brand to new ownership.
2025
Acquisition by Next plcM&ABackground
Next acquired Seraphine after the maternitywear business entered administration.
Action taken
Next plc purchased the Seraphine business and brand in July 2025.
Aftermath
Seraphine became part of Next's retail portfolio. The supplied sources do not establish the acquisition price, post-deal leadership, or detailed integration plan.
2014
Expansion into the United StatesStrategyBackground
The company pursued international growth after establishing a London retail base and building awareness through online and wholesale channels.
Action taken
Seraphine opened its first United States flagship on West Broadway in New York City and later added a Madison Avenue location.
Aftermath
The United States became one of the brand's principal international markets, supported by specialist stockists and independent boutiques.
2012
Launch of the Luxe CollectionProduct launchBackground
Seraphine sought to broaden its maternitywear proposition beyond functional everyday garments and address formal, bridal, and celebrity-oriented dressing.
Action taken
The company introduced the Luxe Collection, including occasionwear, bridal gowns, and outerwear for pregnancy and the post-pregnancy period.
Aftermath
The collection strengthened Seraphine's position in premium and occasion-focused maternity fashion.
Recent events
Reported
Seraphine launches maternity and nursing lingerie collection[2]
Seraphine launched a 25-piece maternity and nursing lingerie collection in October 2026. The collection was featured in a campaign starring Vogue Williams.
Reported
Seraphine receives The Queen’s Award for Enterprise[3]
Seraphine received The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2020 in recognition of its growth in overseas sales.
Sources3 sources
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