Cecile Reinaud founded Seraphine in 2002, but new owners put the business into administration earlier this week and made nearly all 95 staff redundant without warning
Kate was a fan of the brand whenever she was pregnant(Image: Getty Images)
The founder of Kate Middleton’s favourite brand that collapsed into administration earlier this week has broken her silence on what happened.
Seraphine was, until today, the go-to brand for the Duchess of Cambridge whenever she was pregnant. It was founded in 2002 by Cecile Reinaud and was floated on the stock market in 2021 with a £150million valuation, and went under the ticker identification of “BUMP”.
It was then taken private in £15.3million by Mayfair Equity Partners, and is now under Interpath – who have put the business into administration and made nearly all 95 staff redundant.
Cecile Reinaud founded the brand in 2002(Image: PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Bosses blamed “economic headwinds” and “brittle consumer confidence,” by Cecile Reinaud herself has now spoken out – and reacted with fury.
Issuing a lengthy statement on Linkedin alongside a photo of herself standing inside one of the stores, she said: “I’m heartbroken to see Seraphine, the brand I founded and led for nearly 20 years, go into administration.
“When I sold the business in 2021, it was thriving: £34 million turnover and operating profits of £5.6 million: profitable every single year for 18 years.
“But within one year under Mayfair Private Equity, profits collapsed and never returned. Their decision to list on the stock exchange was a short-sighted move driven by greed, not growth.
She raged over what has happened
“They pocketed the proceeds but did not invest back into the brand and allowed cost to balloon out of control and go into big loses. Leaving the public investors with huge losses and Seraphine management under immense stress, with no sustainable strategy or vision – wiping out out in four years the work of 20 years.”
Her statement went on to slam the decision to sack the company’s former creative director Chelsey Oliver, which she claimed showed a “deep misunderstanding” of the brand and how to nurture creative talent.
She added: “Stores from London to Paris, New York to LA are closing. A once-beautiful brand has been dismantled and with immense sadness I see all the dedicated staff loosing their jobs.
“Seraphine still has an iconic legacy and expertise. I hope a new owner will revive its magic and rebuild it with care, creativity, and vision?”
Bosses have said that said that they were attempting to “explore options for the business and its assets, including the Seraphine brand”.
It is possible that the brand name could live on with an external wholesaler taking it one – like the Mike Ashley-owned brand I Saw It First – but this has not been confirmed by the current owners.
The company’s website has been offline with shoppers being greeted by a message which reads: “William James Wright and Christopher Pole were appointed Joint Administrators of Seraphine Limited (the ‘Company’) on 7 July 2025. The Company ceased to trade upon appointment and therefore will not be accepting any new orders.
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