A maternity brand worn by celebrities from Angelina Jolie to Princess of Wales Kate Middleton has fallen into administration.
Award-winning brand Seraphine, founded in London in 2002, appointed administrators on Monday.
Most of the brand’s 95 staff have been made redundant and its only physical store, in Kensington High Street in London, has closed.
The brand exploded in popularity in 2013 after Kate Middleton wore one of its dresses in the first official family portrait with Prince George.
She continued to wear Seraphine maternity and postnatal clothing during all three of her pregnancies, as well as other notable occasions such as meeting the King and Queen of Norway on the official royal tour of Sweden and Norway in 2018.
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Kate also wore Seraphine when she appeared with Meghan Markle for the first time at the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum.
The Kate effect, as well as media coverage of her fashion choices, saw the brand sell out of the designs she wore within hours.
Actors Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard, as well as singer Christina Aguilera, have also worn Seraphine designs in the past, further boosting its appeal.
At its peak Seraphine won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2015 and 2020, the highest accolade for businesses in the UK.
As well as several branches in the UK the brand also had branches in New York, New Delhi, Paris, and Hong Kong – but all aside from its flagship in Kensington had already closed when administration was filed.
The business was even listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2021, before being taken back into private ownership in 2023.
But administrators Interpath said Seraphine had experienced ‘trading challenges in recent times’, which they say has been exacerbated by ‘fragile consumer confidence’.
Despite the brand relaunching in April of this year, sales failed to recover and directors made the decision to file for administration on Monday.
Will Wright, UK CEO of Interpath, said: ‘Over the past 23 years, Seraphine has grown to become a well-known and well-loved maternity brand, known for its blend of comfort and style.
‘Unfortunately, the strong economic headwinds that have been impacting a number of the UK’s high street and online retailers, including rising costs and brittle consumer confidence, have proved too challenging to overcome.’
Interpath said it will support Seraphine staff made redundant by helping them apply to the Redundancy Payments Service.
It is now exploring options for the business and its future, including the Seraphine brand.
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