My boys are teenagers now. More independent and out in the world in a whole new way. And yet, somehow, they still come back to me. Maybe less physically, maybe with fewer tears, but the need for comfort, for grounding, for home, it’s all still there. The shape of motherhood changes, but the core of it doesn’t.
What also hasn’t changed is this instinct to look around your world and seek out the women who are doing it too, who inspire you, steady you, make you laugh, remind you who you are outside of it all, and how silly you can still be around grown-ups too. If anything, I feel that pull even more now, navigating the teenage years. The early years were about survival. These years are about staying connected, to them, to yourself, to your people.
New York City still feels like a series of small villages stitched together. Motherhood, at least for me, is still a kind of collaborative dance, with other mothers, yes, but also with the many people who help hold it all up: partners, grandparents, teachers, friends, neighbors. We are all, in some way, raising each other’s children. And now more than ever, that collective village all around the world feels essential.
So here we are again, eight years later, gathering a group of women in this city who inspire me as mothers. Different seasons, different stories, same feeling. That we are in this together.
Shot by my pal Sophie Elgort (mother of three) in my village, the West Village, these mamas helped bring the story to life while wearing some of our newest styles. You’ll spot a sneak peek of our silk cashmere line, officially launching later this month.
Here’s to our collective village, in all its forms, to finding and celebrating yours and to all of the humans who are helping raise our children.
xo Rachelle
