British mums juggling the school run with running the world’s top fashion labels
Think stick-thin French women and male prima donnas control the catwalk? Not any more...
TRADITIONALLY, the female rulers of the fashion world have come in two distinct types: Italian grande dames and sniffy French women — all tight cigarette pants and rail-thin limbs.
But at Paris Fashion Week this month, it was clear that there’s a revolution afoot. And its leaders are not moody Gallic women, but sensible British mothers.
There was fever-pitch excitement around the debut of Birmingham-born mum-of-three Clare Waight Keller as artistic director of Givenchy. The first woman to run the fashion house, she’s a far cry from her prima donna male predecessors, such as the controversial John Galliano.
You’ll get no hissy fits with the quietly efficient Clare. She’s more focused on fitting in the school run between shoots.
other hot tickets in Paris were the Celine and Alexander McQueen shows — also both headed by British mums, Phoebe Philo and Sarah Burton respectively.
Stella McCartney, Fran Stringer at Pringle and Luella Bartley at Calvin Klein Jeans are just a few of the other homegrown females juggling family with making waves on the catwalk.
So why has fashion fallen so in love with British mums?
As well as having that vital dose of London cool — most of them studied at Central Saint Martins Fashion College in the capital — they are seemingly ego-free and adept at multi-tasking.
It’s a quality no doubt perfected by also having two, three or even four children.
As Phoebe Philo says: ‘I’m a woman living in a very real world. I have responsibilities at work and home, dealing every day with trying to get everyone’s needs met.’
Perhaps more significantly, these Brits are well placed to know what real women want — and what will tug, squeeze or be unflattering.
In short, they are designing for busy working mothers like themselves — a group with increasing amounts of disposable income to spend on fashion.
So who are the cool, calm and practical mothers taking over the most desirable roles in couture — with their seven-figure salaries, grooming budgets, clothing allowances, apartments and even school fees all part of the package — and how do they balance the demands of children and the catwalk?