There are few people who can make as profound of an imprint on a fashion designer‘s sartorial journey like their mother. So much so the trope of a blossoming fashionista excitedly rifling through her mother’s wardrobe or watching in wonder as she gets ready for an evening out has become less of a cliché and more of a rite of passage. From Molly Goddard to Rejina Pyo, many industry icons credit their mothers as a significant influence in their careers. This is only to be expected, for in addition to the opportunity to explore her creative side, the early exposure to the realm of fashion through a mother or maternal figure instills into a young girl a lifelong appreciation for design and aesthetics that is invaluable whether they choose to follow in their mothers’ footsteps or carve out their own paths in the field.
As the old adage goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. And as women’s roles in fashion increasingly expanded from muses to makers, mothers and daughters came to the forefront of some of the most esteemed fashion houses. Even Miuccia Prada, who single-handedly catapulted her eponymous fashion house’s trademark triangle logo into one of the most important fixtures in fashion today, owes the beginnings of her Saffiano leather-trimmed legacy to her mother, Luisa Prada, who in the ’50s, took the helms of Fratelli Prada, her father’s leather goods shop in Milan, in defiance of his lifelong belief that women should stay in the home.
Today, as second-generation supermodels follow in the catwalk footsteps of their famous mothers, many of the leading designers have too, inherited their fashion legend mothers’ capabilities and put it to practice at the atelier and on the runway. Some of these fashion savants serve as their daughters’ inspirations, such as the mother of Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, whose career as a dressmaker in Rome in the ’60s and ’70s bequeathed upon the creative designer an unyielding passion for fashion and a natural aptitude for the craft. Others, like Diane Von Fürstenberg and the matriarchs of the Fendi and Missoni fashion dynasties, also pass down storied sartorial legacies for their daughters and granddaughters to preserve and build upon.
In honour of Mother’s Day, Vogue Singapore spotlights some of the talented mother and daughter designer duos who have made their intergenerational visions a reality in ateliers around the globe.
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Rosita Missoni, Angela Missoni and Margherita Missoni
With a legacy of sinuous pieces imprinted with psychedelic zig-zag woven designs, Missoni has been first and foremost a family affair. Today, the Italian label continues to thrive thanks to the collaborative efforts and vision of three generations of women—Rosita, Missoni’s founder and matriarch, her daughter Angela, who has served as Missoni’s creative director for over 24 years, and Angela’s daughter Margarita, who is the creative director of M Missoni, a branch of the knitwear empire that targets younger customers with fresh and fun designs.
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Diane von Fürstenberg and Talita von Fürstenberg
In 2019, Talita von Fürstenberg, granddaughter of the legendary Diane von Fürstenberg, designed the first capsule collection for her fashion line, TVF for DVF, in collaboration with her grandmother’s eponymous label. With an array of floral dresses, alpaca wool sweaters and satin pieces that emulates her personal style, her collections add a fresh perspective to the brand and speak to a younger demographic, while preserving traditional DVF concepts that have truly stood the test of time, such as formula dressing and transitional pieces.
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Anna Fendi and Silvia Venturini Fendi
The first Fendi boutique was founded in Rome by Adele and Edoardo Fendi in Rome in, and when the fashion house was passed to their five daughters, each took responsibility for a specific aspect of the business. Anna Fendi managed the creative side, and was responsible for the designs of all the Fendi collections, the prêt-à-porter line, as well as the brand licenses for nearly 30 years. Her daughter Silvia Venturini Fendi, creator of the iconic baguette and peekaboo bags, is the creative director of accessories, menswear, and children at Fendi, as well as the only member of the Fendi family still working at the Roman fashion house today.
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Sonia Rykiel and Nathalie Rykiel
The undisputed Queen of Knitwear created her first pullover during pregnancy when she couldn’t find anything she liked, and has revolutionised womenswear worldwide since establishing her first boutique on Rue de Grenelle in Paris in 1968. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Nathalie Rykiel launched her debut collection for Sonia Rykiel, Rykiel Enfant, in 1983 while she was pregnant with her twin daughters.
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Silvia Tcherassi and Sofia Tcherassi
With a blend of traditional Colombian craftsmanship with timeless silhouettes, Silvia Tcherassi’s effortlessly elegant designs are a demonstration of her mastery of materials without any pretension or excess. Her daughter, Sofia Tcherassi, was raised in the ethereal world of fabrics and mannequins and has been designing accessories since she was a child,. She joined her mother’s eponymous label in 2020 as the director of Ready-to-Wear.
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Luisa Beccaria and Lucilla Beccaria
With pastel tones, floral patterns, and brocade textures, Luisa Beccaria draws inspiration from the gusto of Milanese culture for her eponymous label. In 2006, Lucilla, Luisa’s first-born child, began working alongside her mother as a co-designer, bringing with her novel visions for the brand’s romantic fantasies. The mother and daughter duo’s luscious dresses are an intimate amalgam of art and nature—while continuously creating a dialogue between generations.
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Bernadette De Geyter and Charlotte De Geyter
Born out of intergenerational collaboration, the cult dress brand was co-founded by Antwerp-based mother-daughter duo Bernadette De Geyter and Charlotte De Geyter after Charlotte finished an internship at Simone Rocha’s design studio in London. The bold-hued fabrics and effortless forms that befit the body are courtesy of Bernadette, while the label’s signature botanical motifs are hand-drawn by Charlotte, who is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.
