September 18, 2024 |
Motherhood is a beautiful thing. “It’s an opportunity to give someone the best blessings and experiences in life that I could give to them, an opportunity to create and raise a person who will be beautiful, kind, compassionate and a good person on this planet,” says British stylist, consultant and creative director Anna Trevelyan, 39, who was the brains behind this shoot. A new mother to Ska, who was five-months-old when we shot this, Trevelyan wanted to celebrate the strength and fortitude it takes to be both a mother and a career woman in one fell swoop.
The women here were chosen by Trevelyan (who is also featured) and Peruvian photographer Mariano Vivanco, 48 (who “totally gets it” as a father to five- year-old Henry), for their capacity to be both mothers and incredible, highly sought-after creative forces in their respective fields. “To look at these women and know that on top of their careers, they’re birthing and raising children… I have a whole new perspective on how much of an achievement that is,” Trevelyan says, adding, “It gave me the confidence that I could do it too. Motherhood is a beautiful addition to your life, but it doesn’t stop you from achieving anything.”
Trevelyan saw it as “self-affirmation” at a time when she feels both the strongest she’s ever felt and the most vulnerable. “It’s an open and personal thing,” she says. “I always knew I wanted to have kids, but I had this fear of not being seen as a ‘career woman’ still or as capable, creative or driven.” When we chat, she speaks quietly so as to not wake up Ska. “Our industry is not necessarily the most welcoming of motherhood,” she says. “And there’s still a bit of resistance when it comes to hiring mothers. Not from everyone – many of my clients and people I work with have been really welcoming, but I still feel like that’s, unfortunately, a bit of a reality.”
On set, things were understandably hectic, but it transcended a simple photoshoot and became something rather profound, rooted in joy, connection and female power. “It was just fab, all these women who are just doing it with babies,” Trevelyan says. “I was breastfeeding. Tiffany [Hsu] was getting her hair and make-up done, and breastfeeding. Sita [Abellán] was there with her baby on the floor, looking at shoes. And then Susie [Lau]’s kid was running around screaming!”
“The day was nothing short of spectacular,” says Vivanco. “I have worked with kids in the past, but never had a set with 10 perfectly behaved kids! The cherry on top was photographing Anna, who had the great idea to be shot breastfeeding. It encompassed everything we wanted to express in its most authentic form.”
MARJAN JONKMAN and CATO
Dutch model Marjan Jonkman, 29, is at the top of her game. Taking the fashion world by storm when she stepped on the runway as an exclusive show and campaign girl for Saint Laurent’s SS15 season, she has since strutted her stuff for megabrands like Chanel, Tom Ford, Versace, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton. At present, she is the face of Jo Malone Fragrance and was listed by Models.com in 2018 as one of the top 50 models in the world.
Jonkman gave birth to daughter Cato, two, in 2022, and describes feeling “completed” by her entry into the world. “Before being a mum, my happiness depended, mostly, on the jobs I booked. I used to feel sad when a great job didn’t work out and when something huge was confirmed I felt I was on top of the world,” she says. “My work still means a lot to me but it won’t change my mood [or] happiness. It’s easier to divide the fashion world and work with family life now, because my main focus became my baby girl. I just want her to have the best childhood she could have wished for.”
Marjan and Cato, Marjan wears CHANEL
TIFFANY HSU and JUSTICE
Tiffany Hsu, 43, is a powerhouse. The chief buying officer at Munich-based luxury online retailer Mytheresa since 2023, she has undoubtedly proven herself to be a stand-out curator with a keen eye for luxury trends and an unwavering commitment to being the best. Just four months before this shoot, she gave birth to her son Justice, sparking a swell of “unconditional love and strength” that she didn’t know she had in her. “My priority has really changed from myself to another human being; the responsibility is bittersweet,” she says. “I am not fully back at work yet but it’s going to be a balance game, as both roles are very consuming. However, being able to spend this precious time with my little one is a priority as these moments will not come back again.”
Tiffany and Justice, Tiffany wears dress by BALENCIAGA, earrings by CARTIER
FAIZAH AKINDOJUROMI and MELO
The creative concepts director and producer Fáizah Akindojuromi, 28, is a remarkable figure in her field. Pictured here holding her one-year-old daughter Melo, she, like all of these women, is an admirable figurehead when it comes to mastering the balancing act of being a working parent.
When asked what motherhood means to her, the answer is straightforward. “Transformation,” she says. “I have always been someone who expects a lot from myself and gives my all in everything I do. Motherhood has really forced me to calm down, be slower and more selective with which projects I choose to invest my effort into. My priority is Melo, so anything that I don’t see as worthy enough of me potentially losing time with her is a no-go for me. I like to believe that if you’re moving with pure intentions, good things will come to you regardless of how fast and ever-changing the industry is.”
Fáizah and Melo, Fáizah wears ALAIA
ASTRID ANDERSEN, ADA and CARL
Astrid Andersen, 40, is not only the mother of Ada, three, and Carl, one, but a high-flying menswear designer who, since launching her namesake brand in 2010, has received the Brioni Creativity and Innovation Award and the River Island MA Student Bursary Award.
Her new label, Stel, made its debut in August, marking the start of a fresh chapter for the Danish designer. “I had Ada, my firstborn, while we were in the throes of the pandemic and, among the uncertainty, the industry underwent a time of reflection. At this point my brand had been present for over a decade, but the changes in my life, and my cherished role as a mother, prompted my own introspection to redefine my legacy.
Stel was born from this ‘2.0’ mindset, she says. “Motherhood, to me, is a mirror. You are instantly faced with all of your own strength, flaws and love. That overwhelming love you have for your child is humbling and it makes you feel motivated to constantly want to do, and be, better for them. I try to channel this motivation into creating something beautiful for my children to inherit.”
Fáizah and Melo, Fáizah wears ALAIA
SUSIE LAU and CASPER
British fashion journalist and editor Susie Lau, 40, popularly known as Susie Bubble, is a stellar, self-made fashion figure. Since starting her blog Style Bubble in March 2006, where she was at the vanguard of fashion blogging, Lau has gone on to become the digital editorial director at System, co-founder of Dot Dot – a bubble tea, confectionery and patisserie eatery in Stoke Newington, North London – and has secured bylines at Pop, Perfect and Business of Fashion. Lau is truly a fashion force to be reckoned with… not to mention the mum of two bubbly little kids. “In some ways this industry is kind and encouraging of motherhood because it’s so female- dominated, but at the highest level it does become a case of feeling pressured to be ‘on’, to ‘snap back’ and sacrifice life with [your] kids. I’m determined to do both, though.”
Here, she’s pictured with her son Casper, who’s one- and-a-half (she also has a daughter, Nico, who is seven). Lau comments, “Being a mother and raising my children has taught me more about myself and what I’m capable of more than anything else in life.”
Fáizah and Melo, Fáizah wears ALAIA
SAL TAYLOR and MARY
The British model and artist Sal Taylor, 39, and her four-year-old daughter, Mary, sit together for this shoot holding hands, or with the little one cradled in her mum’s warm embrace. For Taylor, who has always loved the arts and uses her paintings to document the world around her, the medium has become a means to create a visual memory of her time spent as a mum.
She describes her experience since becoming a parent as one of “selflessness, the most intense love, learning to play again and trying to be organised!” For her, motherhood has been “the wildest ride. It’s made me stronger in many ways but also weaker. I literally cry at anything!” She adds, with feeling, “[But] there’s been a little person who’s held my hand throughout. Thank you, Mary.”
Sal and Mary, Sal wears FENDI
SITA ABELLAN and AALIYAH
Spanish DJ, model, jewellery designer and stylist Sita Abellán, 31, is at the vanguard of a new wave of cultural tastemakers. From pushing boundaries and pulling crowds with her intoxicating techno beats to creating a collision of fashion and music with her serpent-saturated brand Lilith and formerly working as the stylist to Lewis Hamilton, she does it all as a mum of two. Pictured here with her one-year-old daughter Aaliyah (her older son, Noah, is two), for Abellán motherhood means, “unconditional love. The biggest blessing. The meaning of everything.”
Speaking on her transition to becoming a working mum across fashion and music, she says, “I don’t have a high opinion of either industry when it comes to motherhood because there’s this myth that a woman is not ‘ideal’ any more, or that her work is over because she won’t have time – which is absolutely a lie. But I really don’t care about this. I wake up every day to be with my kids and also work so I can try to give them a better future. This doesn’t mean it was an easy path for me. It’s sad that these worlds don’t support us having kids… but we are here to change it!”
Sita and Aaliyah, Sita wears DOLCE & GABBANA
Anna and Ska, Anna wears top, earrings and bracelets by ANDREAS KRONTHALER FOR VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, boots by MARC JACOBS
Taken from Issue 73 of 10 Magazine – RISING, RENEW, RENAISSANCE – out NOW. Order your copy here.
MOTHER LOVE
Photographer MARIANO VIVANCO
Fashion Editor ANNA TREVELYAN
Text EMILY PHILLIPS
Talent MARJAN JONKMAN at Premier Models and CATO, SAL TAYLOR at Storm and MARY, SITA ABELLAN and AALIYAH, ASTRID ANDERSEN, ADA and CARL, SUSIE LAU and CASPER, TIFFANY HSU and JUSTICE, FAIZAH AKINDOJUROMI and MELO, and ANNA TREVELYAN and SKA
Hair ISSAC POLEON at The Wall Group using Amika Haircare
Make-up JOEY CHOY using NARS Cosmetics
Manicurist NICHOLE WILLIAMS at Stella Creative Artists using Dior Manicure Collection, Le Baume and Dior Vernis
Fashion assistants GEORGIA EDWARDS, SONYA MAZURYK, ENRICA MILLER and LUCA PARKES
Hair assistant ANA VERONICA
Make-up assistant MATHILDE MOELLER
Studio manager MARIO SZABO
Photographer’s agent CLAUDIO NAPOLITANO
Casting DEAN GOODMAN at The Goodman Creative
Production JN Production
Special thanks to JAMES NOEL
On the covers: Marjan wears CHLOE, Sita wears MIU MIU
