When Amaia Arrieta saw the Mother’s Day photo posted by the Prince and Princess of Wales earlier this year, she was delighted to see Princess Charlotte wearing a checked skirt from her children’s clothing label Amaia London. She thought this was just the latest in a long line of examples of Welsh children wearing her designs.
Of course, the image would become mired in controversy, but for her it will remain a testament to a bond between Amaia and the royal family that began when Prince George was just a baby.
“Dressing the royals gives me so much pride, I really care how they look,” says Arrieta. ‘I’m heartbroken at the moment, I think they are going through hell, I hope they come back. It’s very personal.’
Today is Princess Charlotte’s ninth birthday and whether she wears Amaia in the birthday portrait that the Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to release during the day or not, the thrill of seeing the future king or one of his brothers and sisters in her creations remains the same size. already an honor, as the first time this happened was in 2014, when a Christmas photo of Prince George was released showing him wearing Amaia corduroy shorts and knee socks.
‘The first time I realized Prince George was wearing my designs, I was in Waitrose and saw the picture of him on the cover of Hello! Magazine,” Arrieta recalls, “that was a big moment because they came to us, but you never know if they will actually wear it.”
From Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations to King Charles’ coronation and Princess Eugenie’s wedding, to family baptisms, birthdays and Christmas Day church services, Arrieta has helped create a look for the children of Wales that is timeless, flawless and is always cute.
Some may have criticized the Prince and Princess’ heritage-based style approach, but Arrieta believes that “they put the traditional and classic way of dressing children on the map… I don’t think they look old-fashioned ‘. By the way, although the look may be hard to believe, for every impeccable Liberty print smock dress and elegant coat (styles that are always bestsellers for Amaia) in the wardrobe of the young Waleses there is also a pair of Adidas sneakers or a practical t -shirt. shirt from John Lewis or Tu at Sainsbury’s, an approach Arrieta can sympathize with.
As a mother of three – she has a son and two daughters in their teens and early twenties – Arrieta is a veteran of the delicate negotiations parents can make when their sweet little one insists on anything peppa pig-stained when she prefers it. to wear an outfit seen almost a century ago on Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret (many of Arrieta’s girls’ dresses look like they could have come straight from the late Queen’s childhood wardrobe).
“It’s not easy,” admits Arrieta, who herself exudes understated “quiet luxury” in neutral knits and investment accessories. “I had the same thing where they wanted princess pajamas and Disney T-shirts. I’m not the kind of mom who says no, but you have to give in in a way, like the pajamas that no one will see. There’s a subtle way to do that so they don’t get frustrated… a nice jacket with a superhero T-shirt underneath.”
Arrieta founded Amaia ‘out of necessity’. Born in Spain, she had just left a career in international finance in London when she was expecting her first child 20 years ago. ‘I went looking for children’s clothes and couldn’t really find the equivalent of what I would have in Spain, so I went to Spain, bought everything there and came back to London. Then all my friends were like, “Oh, that’s so cute, I want the same thing.”’
She felt that the simple but sweet clothes from Spanish labels (ironically in a style that seemed quintessentially English) filled a gap in the market. ‘You had the very expensive designer clothes, and you had the very cheap ones, but you had nothing in between with good value for money, good materials and good fabrics.’ She began importing pieces from labels that had not previously been sold in Britain and eventually started her own line.
Members of the Royal Family were customers long before William and Catherine started their family. Although it is often assumed that the connection came from the Spanish nanny of Wales, Maria Borrallo, it was in fact Lady Serena Linley (the former wife of Princess Margaret’s son, David Armstrong Jones, now the Earl of Snowdon) and the nanny of her children Jessie Webb. a regular visitor to Amaia’s Chelsea store, who helped introduce the now Princess of Wales to Arrieta’s designs. Webb had previously cared for William and Harry and was called upon to help with George in the early days.
Now Arrieta works closely with Borrallo to find the perfect outfits for the kids. “It’s often a very tight deadline,” Arrieta explains, referring to the intense preparation that goes on behind the scenes to create the perfect moments the family is known for. “We would do anything for them… the kids always end up looking fantastic.”
Princess Charlotte will soon be too old to wear Amaia’s ready-to-wear collection, which is for girls up to 10 years old. Then William and Catherine will face another dilemma that many parents of tween girls have faced. ‘Once they reach that age, the children can choose. It’s not the mother who shops for them, it’s the little girl who goes with her school friends and wears their crop tops,” she says, admitting that Brandy Melville becomes more attractive than cute floral smocks for this demographic.
‘It’s a big problem when they get a little older because they’re in no man’s land, it’s a difficult age. They go to Zara or Mango. We do something for the elderly for good customers, but that is a very risky venture… unless I open a really nice store with a nail salon or something like that.’ Now there’s an idea to keep her royal habit alive.
But the relationships you can build through making children’s clothing are long-lasting, and they don’t end when the teenage years arrive. The label is reaching a stage where the children who first wore the designs are now returning as adults. Maybe not quite with their own offspring, but as brides looking for bridesmaid and page boy outfits.
“Yesterday we had a customer who came in with her daughter, who used to carry Amaia and is now getting married,” Arrieta explains. “I feel so honored, it was so meaningful to me and the mother had been looking forward to having an excuse to come back.”
Arrieta’s own children Ion, 21, Ines, 20, and Ariane, 14, were always her inspiration and served as models for Amaia throughout their childhood. Although her eldest two enjoy seeing children wearing their mother’s creations, they have no ambitions to join the business. However, her youngest daughter is showing promising signs. “She helps with the photo shoots and tells me to have a Tik Tok account,” laughs Arrieta.
Who said traditional style couldn’t move with the times?