Sales are blooming for maternity-wear firm
SERAPHINE, the maternitywear brand popular with the Duchess of Cambridge and celebrities including Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson, has seen turnover soar by £3.5million to £14million for the year ending March 2016.
Cecile Reinaud, founder and designer of the maternity line, said: ‘Our expansion into the American market over the past three years has been really successful. Our two New York stores opened a year ago and have helped cement Seraphine’s brand presence in North America. With our web platform we ship parcels from the UK all over the US.’
The business has a target of 30 per cent growth for the year to next March. It also expects to benefit from the weak pound as exports continue to soar.
It has seen a boom in sales in Nordic markets thanks to dressing the Swedish royal family – princesses Victoria and Sophia both wore Seraphine dresses during their pregnancies this year.
Reinaud said: ‘In addition to our main lines we offer bespoke services for royals and VIPs, giving us a fantastic ability to work in person with celebrity clientele. I recently completed a bespoke gown for the Russian billionaire Anna Klyukin to wear at the annual Monte Carlo Ball hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio.’
She added that despite the appeal to celebrities, the brand remains affordable.
Seraphine, which has a team of about 40, was awarded the Queen’s Award for International Sales in 2015.
Reinaud, a Parisian, opened her flagship boutique in Kensington in 2002. Providing stylish, high-quality clothing, the brand became popular with trendy mothers-to-be.
Today, the website serves more than 30 countries, and Seraphine maternity clothes are distributed in stockists all over the world, including John Lewis in the UK, Galeries Lafayette in France and A Pea in the Pod in the US.
The company also has its own stores in Paris, Hong Kong and Dubai.