As a performer, fashion has always been at the forefront of Mollie King’s mind. “I like things to be quite classic and quite timeless,” she says. And how she dresses her two girls, Annabella and Liliana, is no different.
After the success of her first children’s clothing line Maybe Baby, King has now designed a line for young children named Maybe Junior, and is as much a reflection of her personal style as it is her new identity as a mum.
“I don’t think [my style] has changed loads,” she reflects since becoming a mum. “If I go into a store, I’m probably going to pick out the same things before being a mum as after.” But she does admit she’s spent “a lot of time in leggings since being a mum.
“You just want something that’s comfortable and that you can throw on.”
Still, for King, being a parent doesn’t mean abandoning your sense of self. “Some of [my friends] say, ‘I don’t know how to dress now that I’m a mum.’ And I always say, I don’t think it needs to change. I think you should just dress for you – you’re not in a different category.
“You should always just dress for what makes you feel the best version of yourself.”
King gave birth to her second daughter, Liliana, in January this year, joining big sister Annabella, whose emerging style sense is already keeping King on her toes. “She’s incredibly opinionated,” King laughs. “She’ll say, ‘Not that one, Mummy. I’m going to wear this one.’ And she’s the boss – I let her wear whatever she wants.”
Luckily, Annabella is a devoted fan of her mum’s designs. “She loves the collection,” King says, singling out a cream polka-dot matching set and a stripy orange one as her current wardrobe obsessions. “I can’t get her out of them.”
The decision to create a children’s clothing line felt like a natural progression for King. “It’s something I’m living and breathing at the moment,” she says, explaining how as a new mum, she found herself frustrated by the lack of pieces that were both cute and functional.
“Getting your little one out the door is hard enough,” she says. “If you’ve managed to have a shower and get them dressed, you’re winning. So I wanted to design pieces that made parenting just that little bit easier.”
What began with Maybe Baby – a brand tailored to babies and toddlers – quickly grew into something bigger after a wave of feedback from parents. “So many people were saying, ‘Can you extend this to older children as well?'” King recalls. “That’s why we created Maybe Junior. It’s been received so well, and that feeling is just incredible.”
As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, King was hands-on throughout the design process – from picking prints and testing fabrics to ensuring everything washes well and lasts.
“I’ve always wanted to create products that are long-lasting, soft on the skin and just really pretty and practical,” she says. “Those two things have to balance – and that’s not always easy – but I really think we’ve accomplished that with this collection.”
While the collection was designed with children in mind, King does say she sometimes gets jealous of Annabella’s outfits. “There’s a peplum top with a wide-leg trouser set that’s so adorable and so trendy,” she says with a grin, “I’m like, I wish we could create a mum version of it!”
And yes, she’s thought about it. “Never say never,” King laughs, when asked if an adult collection might be in her future, “at the moment, I’m so dedicated to Maybe Baby and Maybe Junior, but I’ve loved being so hands-on. I’m learning every day – what fabrics work well together, what’s more hard-wearing… It’s been an amazing experience.”
Her approach to children’s fashion is a true reflection of her own timeless style. “With little ones, there’s an opportunity to be more playful. There are lots of patterns and colourful pieces,” she says. But colour doesn’t mean the pieces are trend-led. “That classic feel is really important to me,” King says. “I want to make things I’m proud of, and that my girls will be proud of too. Maybe one day they’ll say to their friends, ‘Mum was part of that.’ That means a lot.”
Like any working parent, King is navigating the ever-shifting balance of family life and her career. “I’ve had to become a lot more efficient with my time,” she says. “The first time around, changing a nappy or packing a bag could take forever. Now it’s like: nappy, outfit, let’s go. I’m more confident because I’ve done it before.”
Being on maternity leave has made King reconsider her work-life balance: “Going forward, I just want to work on things I’m passionate about,” she says, “things I can throw my heart and soul into. There’s just less time now, and I want to be present for the girls.”
Whether or not an adult line ever comes to fruition, for now, King is enjoying seeing Annabella – and soon Liliana – wear the very pieces she’s dreamed up. “To see her actually wearing is amazing.”
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