4 Industry-Favorite Designers On The Superpowers That Come With Being A Mom

Launching and sustaining a clothing brand is a constant hustle for capital, attention, and an innovative edge. But you know what else is 24/7 work? Raising children. Buzzy designers Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Elena Velez, Michelle Ochs, and Felisha Noel — all of whom became mothers in the midst of their rising fashion careers — understand the challenges of juggling both jobs in tandem all too well. And while these creative talents hardly purport to offer sage wisdom on finding perfect balance (an impossibility, as any working parent will tell you), they have cultivated ways to survive, perhaps even thrive, during this beautifully chaotic moment in their lives.

“I remember at first thinking how I was going to handle both — and that I might have to quit this fashion business because you have to put in so many hours,” says Noel, the founder and creative director of Fe Noel, as she recalls having her son six years ago. “But I've managed by really leaning on my support system. Whether it’s from friends or family, you need help so you’re able to manage your time wisely.”

Parenthood also, emphasizes Ochs, brings both professional and personal priorities into stark relief. “You're forced to be efficient with your time,” she explains. She muses on the transitional moment in her life when she both broke away from her first label Cushnie et Ochs, which she jointly ran with a co-founder, to create her own brand Et Ochs, and became pregnant with her now oldest of two. “I've taken that lesson from motherhood actually into my business — maybe that comes with age and experience also, having this be the second time around [launching a label]. But I look back now at the decade before and I was like, ‘What was I doing? I was wasting so much [time.]’ I would just linger on things.”

For Velez, efficiency often means blurring the lines between family life and her self-named brand. “I have no boundaries between parenthood and work,” she states. “This limits the people and places I can engage with but that suits me just fine.” Rojas agrees, noting that she has enjoyed the merging of her identities as the founder of her eponymous line and a mother. “My son was born on January 31, so [New York] Fashion Week was in the corner and we were finishing up a collection — I really never felt the need to fully stop [working],” the designer says, remembering the months right after her son was born. “I would be nursing him as we were having a fitting. It was really actually nice to have the support of the team to really incorporate him into the life of Fashion Week. Everyone just made me feel like I could really have both things together rather than two very separate things, which I don't know if I would like that as much.”

Ahead, the four designers share more about their experiences navigating motherhood in the fast-paced industry of fashion.

Alejandra Alonso Rojas & Alonso

Has the way you design and approach your work changed since becoming a mother?

Before I had Alonso [and I was pregnant with him], it was just carrying some more weight around. Luckily, I had a great pregnancy so it was very easy. I remember even having contractions and being on a fitting and I was like, "It's fine, it's fine. They're not too close yet. Let's finish the meeting."

Now I feel like the only thing that has really changed is the way that I have envisioned the hours that I work. But because I also work for myself, I do have flexibility. We used to work from my apartment in SoHo [before I gave birth], that's where we started the brand. But I was like, “I don't want to have my team here when my son is born.” So the first thing I did was separate the [work and home] spaces, which I had never really done before, because I do love working from home. There's something very peaceful about it. So I got an office space, and then things actually got a little weird because everything was very divided. But I just created my own balance and it's been great so far. I feel like your whole priorities shift, and what I needed to get done in six hours before I can get it done now in two. I became so much more efficient.

Do you think motherhood has impacted the way you think about clothes in general? Have your tastes shifted at all?

I think what shifted was more the fact that, before having him, I did not have to be pushing a stroller in the street, or going to the park. So I just incorporated [comfort] a bit more [into my designs]. It was actually nice to include more daywear into the collection and really think about what is it that I want to wear during the day when I'm with him. I feel like that has also resonated with a lot of people with children, women or men — we have also clients who are men. I have definitely added more flat [shoes] into my closet than I used to; before I was in heels for the whole day. Now I have to push a stroller to school for 25 minutes almost every day. Some days I still do it in heels.

Has the way that you see yourself changed since having a child?

For the past year and a half, I've been really also focusing on me because since I had him, my 200% focus was him. I decided it was time for me to start to work out again and just dedicate, even if it's 20 minutes a day, for myself. At the beginning he was like, “Mom,” jumping on my back or whatever. And now he understands and is like, “Are you going to work out this morning?” I do it at home. He's like, “OK, I'm going to watch an episode of something while you do that.” Or he's having breakfast. It's nice that he's actually so young being very supportive of mommy's time. Sometimes he joins, but sometimes he's sitting there, like, “Do you need a prop?” I'm like, “You're so cute.” It took time, but I feel like it also helps with the balance and just between work and family and everything, it's important to dedicate some selfish time to yourself.

Elena Velez with Freja Lucia & Atlas

Has the way you design and approach your work changed since becoming a mother?

I'm an entrepreneur and the choice to have kids before I had really built anything too substantive was an intentional one. I didn't necessarily want to have anything to compare my working life with kids to. I didn’t think it would be possible for me to grow professionally, have kids, and then not be constantly comparing the metrics pre- and post-motherhood. There's also no real pot of gold at the end of the hustle rainbow, so diversifying my life as I go is something I try to constantly remind myself to do.

Do you think motherhood has impacted the way you think about clothes in general? Have your tastes shifted at all?

Parenthood is a coincidence of circumstance as it relates to my design identity. I never thought about clothes or fashion in my practice previously, so I don’t think parenthood would prompt me to do it now. What I love about what I do is the ability to be a visual storyteller and a world builder. That hasn't changed.

Has the way that you see yourself changed since having children?

I like the woman I've become with children. I think having kids really demonstrates a faith in the future, trust in others, and conviction in oneself that is very sexy to me. I'm not fundamentally different in my tastes or ambitions but I'm proud of myself for venturing into what society tells us is a scary black void.

Is there any element of parenthood you found yourself surprised by once you were in it?

I'm surprised at how contradictory my experience of motherhood has been to the contemporary narrative of thankless hardship and obliteration of selfhood. I wish there was more critique towards the unilateral image of feminism that is so popular in culture cities — who is it perpetuated by and who does it serve?

Felisha Noel & Stone

Do you keep your personal and professional identities separate or do the two frequently mix?

The two intermingle. My brand is easy, breezy, and fun. And women travel in my brand. I travel in my brand. And what's interesting about my son is that he notices a pretty dress. He notices when I dress up and look nice. I find that the same way I approach this business, just people in business, is the same way I mother in a way too. I talk to him as a grownup almost, too, in a way where I want him to understand. So I approach him the same way. I have a very curious personality. I want him to have the same. And that's also in the way I design. So I don't really feel like I'm different. I also don't have this really hard personality. I'm pretty much a consistent person in the sense of how I handle children and how I handle people.

Has the way that you see yourself changed since having your son?

Absolutely. Something about having him made me feel more powerful. Let me say, he gave me a reason [for doing everything], and I was an ambitious person before, but my meaning behind life and behind my passion deepened when he came along. He asks me so many questions. And when you answer a lot of questions, you find yourself along the way. So you even start to learn about yourself better in the process. Kids will do that, make life better. Even just in my business and the way I deal with it is better as well. I remember I was like, “Oh, this company has to change from a hobby and a passion to a real business.” Things get a little serious now because you start thinking about this little human and the way they see you and you want to be something meaningful to them. And you also want them to see putting something meaningful into the world as well.

Has the way you design and approach your work changed since becoming a mother?

When I had him, my design aesthetic shifted. The styles and the silhouettes that I was looking to create actually boosted my business because I now started making silhouettes that women at any shape and size can feel sexy and comfortable in, and can just enjoy. And those wound up being some of my top best-selling pieces ever. Had I not become a mom, I wouldn't have thought about these things. It was like, “Oh, how do I adjust to make myself feel good for this new body that I'm now living in? And what does that look like?” Because you can do two things. You can harp on it — “I want my old body back; I want this back, I want that back” — or you can accept a human came out of you. Your body is beautiful and it did something so wonderful. Now accent that work with this new body that you have. So that was my thinking, and something I told people. Our puff sleeve bodysuit came about after I had him. Because I was like, I want to look sexy on the beach. I want to show skin here. So many women loved it. No matter their size or shape, it ended up being a very universal piece. I'm so proud of that silhouette.

Is there any element of parenthood you found yourself surprised by once you were in it?

That he's like a companion. He's so funny. I can hang out with him. He teaches me things, the way he talks, the way he thinks. I'm like, “Wow, who knew?” His opinion, it's just an unbiased opinion. And I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't expecting to be dealing with this person in this way where not only am I teaching and nurturing him, but he's doing the same for me as well in ways that he has no idea yet.

He's getting to the point now where he wants to travel. He's like, “Oh, you're traveling for it [work]. I want to come here with you. What do you do? Can I make things too? You make clothes so I can make my own clothes.” What happens when you're spending time at work, is you are losing time at home. And what would be perfect for me is if I can integrate him somehow. My entrepreneurial brain is working on that thought process and how [to include him more]. My mom is an entrepreneur and I grew up in her business. She has day cares. So I'm like, “Oh, maybe I can find a way.” And I'm not forcing him into the family business or anything, but it's like, “Oh, this is something you're interested in. This is what mommy does for work. Come along with me and let's do this together.”

Michelle Ochs with Adrian & Penelope

Has the way you design and approach your work changed since becoming a mother?

It's funny for me because it's such a clear line because my first brand [Cushnie et Ochs] was pre-kids, and Et Ochs now is post-kids. So, to me, it's such a clear, distinct line, and I think the biggest difference is using my time efficiently. That's it. I mean, motherhood teaches you that there's just no room when it comes to the children. You have to now balance [running a business] and children and there's no time and you're forced to be efficient. Something that takes like two hours now used to be like a full day, or pulling an all-nighter. This all comes with age, so I guess when everyone older than us is trying to tell us life lessons, we should listen.

Has the way that you see yourself changed since having children?

I don't know where to start. Everything changes and I think you just have to accept that. I think you can't fight it, and you can't explain it to someone. How you look at things, how you prioritize things, how you approach your work — all of that changes. There's three pregnant women in our office right now, and I'm just like, “It all changes, but all for the best, and it's going to be different.” It's kind of rolling with the punches.

[Now, with two, I have what] my girlfriend calls “mom confidence.” I'm like, “I wish I had that mom confidence for the first one.” But yeah, I was definitely fighting [the change] with my oldest daughter. I'm like, “No, I'm going to do it all. I'm going to be supermom. I'm going to be this, I'm going to be that.” I feel like I'm still catching up on sleep from her four years ago. And the funny thing is, you can always look back, but no one can tell or stop you from doing what you want to do. You're going to be that anxious ball for the first one and the second one comes and you're like, “Well, he's alive.”

Is there any element of parenthood you found yourself surprised by once you were in it?

The amount of food they eat? No, but I can go from the most mundane to the most conceptual. I would say that you could love something that hard, but I feel like everybody says that. Do you know what really surprised me? You thought you had a level for patience and you thought you had a level for pain and you thought you had a level for tiredness, and whatever you thought that was, you are not even scratching the surface. They teach you another level of patience. But I also reserve all that patience for my kids — when it comes to anybody else, there's nothing left for them.

Do you keep your personal and professional identities separate or do the two frequently mix?

I think I'm still learning how to balance that. Now it's like, what if they looked at this on Instagram? Mommy makes really sexy clothes. We are not there yet [with them understanding], but it's definitely on my mind. I love to incorporate them into anything that I do. I mean, even just being in the office, she [Penelope] was like a little intern. I couldn't pull her out of here. But fashion is just such a different world and she's so young. I just didn't even want her to kind of know even what I did. She would tell people, “Mommy colors for a living.”

All clothing provided by respective designers.

Photographs by Silver Chang

Photo Director: Alex Pollack

SVP Fashion: Tiffany Reid

SVP Creative: Karen Hibbert