The 'Kate Middleton effect': Maternity wear designer reveals how her life changed when the Duchess of Cambridge wore one her dresses

Kate Middleton just gave a budding designer her Cinderella story when the gorgeous Duchess of Cambridge sported one of her masterpieces in their first official family portrait alongside husband Prince William and their son Prince George.

The “Kate Middleton Effect,” as described in a post by The Daily Mail, surely is a phenomenon that aspiring designers dream of achieving someday.

Maternity dress designer Cecile Reinaud reportedly said in an interview by OK Magazine, “When it was confirmed that the dress was Seraphine, things went crazy.”

She adds that immediately following such confirmation, their website nearly crashed, they got hundreds of calls and around all 20,000 dresses were sold immediately. This instantly made Seraphine a household name.

Following her huge success, the Parisian-born designer now looks forward to having another member of the Royal Family, Princess Charlotte, sport one of her masterpieces. She added that the Royal Family sort of owns her clothing line and that when the princess wears it, a lot of other children will surely pick up after her.

A closer look into the life of Cecile Reinaud is seen in a post by Fortune. The post reveals some of the designers popular clients which include Gwen Stefani, Carrie Underwood and Kate Winslet. The patronisation of Middleton, however, skyrocketed the designer to fame and led her to be featured in a lot of fashion magazines. Her signature style has reportedly made being pregnant fashionable, thus changing the common perception that a woman would have to hide while pregnant.

The company started in 2003, back when pregnant women had very limited fashionable options. At that time, Reinaud was living in London and worked at an advertising agency. There, she witnessed women who were getting pregnant and being worried as to what they can wear. She spotted an opportunity and came up with the household name she has now.

The market for maternity wear has ballooned since the Seraphine was launched. The brand, however, continues to be distinguished since it offers a wide array of styles at more reasonable prices.

All Seraphine designs are designed to be nursing friendly. Reinaud says that she has been a mother twice and can relate with their needs.