Kate Middleton-approved clothing brand files Chapter 7 bankruptcy

Seraphine Maternity saw a meteoric rise after Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, was photographed wearing the company's clothing during all three of her pregnancies. This wasn't a paid endorsement, but a choice by one of the world's most fashionable women.

The company had a clear mission that served women during pregnancy.

“At Seraphine, we dress women through the most exciting transition of their lives: pregnancy. After more than two decades of redefining maternity wear, pregnancy dressing is something we find endlessly inspiring. In fact, you could say that we’re the brand that’s always pregnant.

Our collections are intelligently designed and developed in London for women who are maintaining their sense of self – and style – through pregnancy. We believe women deserve to feel like their best, most confident selves during pregnancy, so we create elevated pieces that feel like a natural extension of their existing personal style.”

The seeds for Seraphine's demise were planted back in 2017 when Bridgepoint Growth, a growth fund targeting fast-growing businesses, invested in the brand “partnering with the founder to execute an ambitious growth plan focussed on further international expansion,” according to the investment firm.

That worked at first, as at the time of Bridgepoint’s investment, the business generated over two-thirds of its sales from exports and approximately 60% of its sales from e-commerce.

“Over the course of the investment the company expanded its international e-commerce footprint and infrastructure supporting dedicated websites in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, the U.S., Canada, and Australia. At exit the business generated nearly 80% of its revenue online,” Bridgeport shared.

In 2020 Seraphine was sold to Mayfair Equity Partners for £50 million.

Seraphine Maternity, whose fashions were a favorite of the Princess of Wales, has filed for bankruptcy.

Image source: Pixabay

Seraphine files Chapter 7 bankruptcy

Seraphine M, LLC filed a voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the District of Delaware bankruptcy court on August 13, 2025. The bankruptcy petition for Seraphine Maternity, LLC showed assets in the range of $1 million to $10 million with liabilities in the range of $100,001 to $1,000,000.

The company reports that the number of creditors is in the range of 1 to 49.

When you visit the Seraphine website, you get the following message:

“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. If you have any queries regarding the Company, please email seraphine@interpath.com and a member of the team will respond.”

As recently as April of this year, Seraphine had tried to launch new branding, but that was not successful, according to Interpath, its court-appointed administrator.

“However, with pressure on cashflow continuing to mount, the directors of the business sought to undertake an accelerated review of their investment options, including exploring options for sale and refinance,” a statement said. “Sadly, with no solvent options available, the directors then took the difficult decision to file for the appointment of administrators.”

Seraphine's rapid rise and fall

Sales Highlights:

2018: €26 million
2020: £28 million

Growth Drivers:

Media and celebrity exposure (especially from the Princess of Wales)
Expansion into key international markets like NYC, Dubai, Paris, and Delhi
Recognitions like the Queen’s Awards bolstering brand reputation

Downturn Factors:

Post-IPO operational and market pressure leading to declining sales
Losses and inefficiencies culminating in administration by mid-2025
Rapid devaluation: From £150 million (IPO) to £15 million (taken-private), then brand sold for £600,000

Retail expert Samantha Taylor shared her thoughts on Seraphine on Linkedin.

“Private equity companies are there to extract value, not invest more money in it. They are no longer interested in long term yeilds. They want payments out from day dot. Especially when they paid out to the founder,” she posted.

What's next for Seraphine?

Next has bought maternity fashion brand Seraphine.

“The high street chain paid £600,000 for the company’s intellectual property, saving the brand name from disappearing completely,” GB News reported.

Will Wright, UK chief executive of Interpath and administrator to Seraphine was happy the sale took place.

“We are pleased to have concluded this transaction, which preserves the Seraphine brand and wish the team at Next all the very best for the future,” FT.com reported.

Seraphine's original founder Cecile Reinaud will rejoin the company in an advisory capacity.

More Bankruptcy:

Reinaud shared a statement on her former brand's collapse on Instagram.

“This week has been absolutely heart-wrenching watching Seraphine fall into administration has been a deeply emotional moment. I dedicated two decades of my life to building an iconic British brand that helped pregnant women feel beautiful, confident, and empowered through style. From my kitchen table, I dreamed of revolutionising maternity wear — and that dream became a global reality,” she shared.

Reinaud listed some highlights for Seraphine.

We won countless awards.
We met the Queen.
We grew Seraphine across the globe.
We made profits every year. And yes, we made women feel amazing during one of the most important moments of their lives.

She explained her decision to sell the brand.

“After 20 years, I was ready to pass the baton. I sold the business 4 years ago — a bittersweet, but necessary decision. Like raising a child, growing a business takes everything out of you. I have two amazing sons and one business baby — and yes, I sacrificed precious mummy time to grow Seraphine,” she shared.

Reinaud also expressed her dismay over what happened to the brand.

“To now see this brand collapse — not from lack of love, but from poor management and short-sightedness — is devastating. Private equity cares about numbers. But when they fail to care about people, the numbers don’t work either. You can’t build lasting value with toxic culture,” she added.