Cécile Reinaud


Cécile Reinaud is the founder and president of Seraphine, an international maternity fashion label and store. Reinaud founded Seraphine in 2002 and the label received worldwide attention after Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, was pictured wearing the designer maternity clothes through all three of her pregnancies.

Early life and education

Reinaud was born in Paris, France, where she lived until her family relocated to the United Kingdom for her father's career. Reinaud grew up with an interest in fashion as her grandparents taught her how to sew and owned a fabric company in France that supplied companies such as Chanel and Lanvin.
Reinaud returned to France for university and studied business in Reims.

Career

After earning a business degree, Reinaud moved to the United Kingdom and started a career in advertising. She started working at Ogilvy and Mather, an international advertising and marketing agency. Later, Reinaud worked at J. Walter Thompson, now known as JWT, a marketing communications firm.
While serving as the youngest account director in JWT's history, Reinaud was inspired to found her own company by several pregnant friends that requested tailored clothes during their pregnancies.
In 2002, Reinaud established Seraphine. Based in London, Seraphine has stores in Dubai, Hong Kong, Paris, the United Kingdom and the United States. The designer maternity clothes have been seen worn by Kate Middleton, Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard and other celebrities, earning Cecile a reputation as the designer who dresses the stars through pregnancy.
Sold through the label's website and stores, Seraphine is also distributed through boutiques and other maternity stores including A Pea in the Pod, John Lewis and Galeries Lafayette. By 2018, Reinaud's company was generating €26m in turnover.
In 2015, Reinaud was approached by the Diana Award to create a baby wear line using the Diana Pastel Tartan. The collection launched later that year, and 12% of the sales profits are donated to the Diana Award.