That Time Magazine Cover – oh alright then…

It’s just too obvious for a breastfeeding clothing range like us to write about ‘that’ Time Magazine cover in the US  (why not the European version, where frankly society is considerably more advanced in accepting breastfeeding? Or perhaps that’s why they didn’t bother. Discuss). But on the other hand, NOT blogging about it would make it look like I’d had my head in the sandpit too long this week. So from a marketing person’s perspective, I do empathise with the LA Time’s POV that the cover ‘proves that print doesn’t need to throw up the white flag and hand victory to digital forces’. But tempting as it is to ignore the subject matter to talk about the business case for print, it’s worth asking if the ‘shock value’ of the cover is doing what breastfeeding advocates want it to. The fact it’s a foxy mum with an older MALE child suggests there’s more than a little titillation value (apologies for the pun) involved in choosing that image. This makes one wonder if it’s going for a sympathetic reaction or an ‘oh my God’ reaction most likely to emit from the ignorant and prudish. Let’s hope the debate it provokes about breastfeeding is positive and encouraging, not positioned as a quirky ‘new age’ trend, like the Dukan diet. I fear with the US’s track record on the subject of breastfeeding, this is not going to herald a Brave New World where – SHOCK – women can feed on the bus without getting thrown off…..

Now that’s really shocking.

Aftershock: 'that' Time Mag cover

Is Mummy worth more than you Daddy?

A wonderful article by Zoe Williams on Parenting in the Guardian today on the government’s approach to parental leave in the UK. It seems astonishingly antiquated to see that the UK’s ‘new news’ is that fathers and mothers will be able to decide amongst themselves how they should split their parental leave. Given that this has been a ‘thing’ in the Nordics for some time, this correction is no more than that in my view – a correction. Just like the legislation on breastfeeding wherever you like. Meanwhile, I wonder whose ear Steve Hilton is bending on his extended holidays about abolishing maternity leave altogether to help businesses? For the record, those of us who run businesses staffed almost exclusively by part time working mothers recognise the huge value in facilitating parenting as part of a modern working life. So there.

Can a girl get some serenity on a bus?

A friend recently sent me an e mail when she was breastfeeding entitled ‘Musings from the Boob’. This made me chuckle. But in it she raised a serious point. In any art gallery, in any part of the world (she is in LA), there are wonderful paintings of women nursing their babies. So what’s happened? Why is it all so weird to see women breastfeeding, rather than a thing of natural beauty? Sadly, if you follow certain breastfeeding hashtags as I do on Twitter, the vitriol from people – mostly the illiterate it must be said – against someone quietly trying to feed on a bus somewhere on the world is staggering. Time we normalised this thing. Watch this space.

Breastfeeding Mary

National Breastfeeding Week – or is it

National Breastfeeding Week in the UK has sort of been cancelled. Well, the NHS budget cuts have affected everyone and this is one of the casualties. A massive shame given the good it does in raising the profile of women breastfeeding out and about. So 24-30 June, let’s try and encourage dialogue around breastfeeding, not to mention actually doing it!

Happy Breastfeeding Easter, bunnies

So it’s a lovely long Easter weekend we’ve had. Shame about the rain but hey ho. I’d like to say that chocolate-eating in vast quantities improves the quality of your milk, but that would be wishful thinking. An area of research vastly under-funded, if you ask us. Hope you had lovely long weekends with your families breastfeeding or not. And look out for the Spring collection of breastfeeding tops and breastfeeding dresses from us at Peaks of London going on the site this week… x

Against a ‘sleepy acceptance’ of sexist work practices

I felt an upswell of outrage upon  reading this well-argued article this morning by Tanya Gold in the Guardian. So many of us feel we are being forced out of the workplace by our life choice of having children, then feel blocked from re-entering it due to some lazy assumption you’ve ‘missed a few years’ or because there aren’t enough flexible options for working around families for mothers or fathers. It’s time we did everything we could do combat this slide back to the 50s. We employ Peaksters around the world who are mums of sometimes very young children, sometimes still breastfeeding, with a huge amount to offer us at Peaks of London on a basis which allows them also to bring up their kids. Let’s learn a few things from the Scandis here people…. Read the full article in the Guardian here. And start to follow the Fawcett Society to keep in the loop with all things on the feminist agenda.

Big up to Dove’s self-esteem programme

Whilst many women breastfeeding struggle daily with the confidence to do so wherever they like, our daughters are growing up in a world so image-conscious and misleadingly perfect in physicality that they really can lack confidence. Dove has launched a full-scale educative programme for girls in schools, for teachers and parents, to help girls become more confident in themselves and to love their bodies. Please pass onto any teachers you know as this is a heartfelt attempt to do some good by a well-known brand, rather than a ‘because you’re worth it’ flogging of some product. Keep it up Dove…Dove self-esteem campaign

Spring into the sunshine breastfeeders!

So the sun is out (which took my legs rather by surprise) and it’s time to celebrate the opportunity to eat outside, bat away the wasps and sit near water pretending you’re in the Caribbean.

When you’re breastfeeding it can be a bit daunting heading out for the day but we want to encourage breastfeeding women to get out there and show this is a normal part of life. This week we were a bit taken aback by Abby Clancey’s ‘shuddering’ reaction to breastfeeding. But who would you rather spend time with; her or breastfeeding friend Beyonce? Have a look at our feature in Hello magazine of Beyonce breastfeeding and the Peaks of London waterfall breastfeeding top and let us know what you think…..!

Go that girl

Is Antwerp the most stylish breastfeeding city in the world?

Boobs-n-burps breastfeeding and baby emporium, Antwerp

After the success of her Boobs-n-Burps breastfeeding tops and breastfeeding dresses store in Brussels, the wonderful Roeline Ham has launched a super-stylish emporium for all things breastfeeding in the most stylish city I’ve ever visited – Antwerp. No wonder she’s up for Businesswoman of the Year in her home country. You can find our spring/summer Peaks of London breastfeeding tops and breastfeeding dresses there should you find yourself in the well-dressed streets of Walter Van Beierendonck and Dries Van Noten’s home town.

Keeping it young at the Muse.tv launch party

Well every so often it’s worth getting the old gladrags out and pretending you’re not old enough to be everyone’s mother. This occasion came last Tuesday at the launch party for themuse.tv, a digital fashion community for young women. It’s a project close to my heart as I non-exec for themuse, and believe it’s a great ambition to give young women the tools to share and experiment and get inspired about fashion. OK, it’s not about breastfeeding but there were certainly a few breasts on show – not mine, I add. OK, not REALLY mine. A little chicken fillet perhaps slipping out here and there but what’s that amongst friends? And just for the celebrity hackness of it all, here’s the Editor in Chief and friend of Peaks, Simon Glazin, with his lovelies (apparently some of them are from either Made in Chelsea or TOWIE but DO NOT ASK ME WHICH IS WHICH – there’s a startling similarity across this seemingly gaping class divide.)

Go go go Beyonce Knowles breastfeeding

It’s not the first time we have seen a celebrity out and proud breastfeeding in public, but given how many famous women have babies every year, it’s astonishing that scarcely any of them allow themselves to be seen breastfeeding. But good on Beyonce. We need more breastfeeding women out there in general to normalise what should be, well, normal. So I for one am giving her a big breastfeeding booty jiggle to say thank you on behalf of all of us.

Hello Breastfeeding Tokyo

So this week we launch Peaks of London’s breastfeeding capsule wardrobe of breastfeeding tops and breastfeeding dresses into the fantastic Isetan flagship store in Shinjuku. It’s like a turbo-charged Harvey Nichols. From our appropriately-named Tokyo top to the Drape dress and the Waterfall, we can’t wait to see it there. Discretion is of course a big thing in Japan for women breastfeeding, but where else in the world would you have women so determined to stay uber-stylish whilst they breastfeed their babies out and about around Tokyo? Women of Japan, we salute you. And we ready ourselves for combat on the stylish streets of Shinjuku.

Bonjour to Belgium

A Belgian Waffle.

We’re delighted that from January we will be available in the fabulous (and fabulously-named) Boobs-n-Burps stores in Antwerp and Brussels. Having spent a glorious weekend in Antwerp pre-kids with my then-boyf-now-husband (marred only by a literally ongoing feud about directions which resulted in me marching off into the night. Well, flouncing) – there is a special place in my heart for Antwerp and its folks and I’m sure they will welcome us with open arms. And when I next go, I might take a sat nav. Enough Belgian waffling from me.

It’s CHRIIIISSSTMAS…..

So we’re all a few pounds heavier on the hips and a few pounds lighter of the wallet. Hope you had a good one. Despite one’s best attempts to educate the older son at Peaks HQ about the real (dependent on your viewpoint) story of Christmas, the other half’s devoted atheism did rather leave him more confused than when he just thought it was all about PRESENTS. Nonetheless, a jolly time was had by all. And as many of you have popped online (on Christmas Day no less) to buy one of our Apron or Drape dresses, it seems Christmas breastfeeding is no barrier to glamour. Go forth and sparkle….

Christmas with Baby

Christmas with baby

So already Christmas is catching up on us, fast. And one’s only hope of keeping a lid on the craziness appears to be avoiding commercial TV for the little ones; a minor moment of soup-making or call-making neglect to the matter in hand while the three-year-old’s watching Fireman Sam can lead to weeks of ‘Can I have…?’

But Christmas with a little baby has its own challenges and joys. They’re cheaper, for a start. But does that make up for not being able to properly tuck into the Bailey’s with great Auntie Lou if you’re breastfeeding?

Whatever you’re up to, have a lovely time. Oh, and dress well with Peaks!

A boss in the boardroom, a mum in the toilet pumping the milk…

Today the fantastic guys at Daily Candy USA covered Peaks of London, leading to a huge surge of enquiries from our US sisterhood. In the customers we’ve already had from across the Pond, and from across Europe, we notice some interesting trends. Because in the US women go back to work generally a lot earlier than in in Europe, they’re opting for clothes they can pump in at the office. In contrast, our Swedish, Norwegian and Dutch mums are going for less structured clothes for going to the park in, as they’re more likely to be off work for a full year than anyone else in the world.

Hopefully there’s breadth in the Peaks of London range to accommodate all our lovely hardworking breastfeeding women. If you spot a gap in our range, please drop us a line as we love getting feedback from you all! E mail us at info@peaksoflondon.com Love, Peaks x

Away from a language of apology

On Thursday I was lucky enough to be asked by the fantastic Contagious magazine and the hip boutique ad agency Devilfish to take to the pulpit (literally – at the chapel at St Barnabas’, Soho Square) to talk about Gameshifting brands. Unsurprisingly, I was talking about Peaks of London and how we’re shifting the rules of the game in maternity clothing. It struck us at Peaks that there’s literally a language of apology about breastfeeding, and a sense that the whole time you’re feeding your body is sort of an extension of your pregnant body. We say NO! Let’s reclaim our bodies and feed our babies in beautiful clothes!

The awesome David Hieatt of Hiut denim – the founder of Howies – was also on the stage. His e mail sign off says ‘do one thing well’. He is doing jeans well, and getting Cardigan bay making jeans again. Our ambition is to succeed in an equally single-minded pursuit: beautiful, simple breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding Awareness Week

Oh sorry, it’s not. I’ve blogged before about this but it’s worth re-iterating how sad it is that women feel they cannot feed in public (see our survey results below), yet at the same time the funding’s been pulled to help to normalise what’s essentially a perfectly normal and beneficial act. So this week, we ask you to give a moment’s thought to breastfeeding mums, help any friends who need help, and support the NCT and La Leche league in their efforts to support this sadly underfunded, undersupported area of new mothers’ lives. In the meantime, here’s a picture of Harry the youngest member of Peaks towers, having his own feed!

Breastfeeding in Public: our survey speaks

So the NHS in its straitened times has decided to axe National Breastfeeding Week, scheduled for 19-25 June this year. This is particularly sad for us at Peaks towers as we know from our customers how tricky and challenging women still find breastfeeding in public (particularly in England we imagine given that the government has been forced to clarify the legal situation on the back of women being thrown out of pubs and buses for feeding in public – the irony of the excuse ‘because people are eating’ is not lost on us).

We commissioned a survey which many of you were good enough to take the time to fill out. The salient points were that over half of you felt just ok or not at all comfortable about feeding in public, with restaurants and pubs proving the most challenging. Fear of comments or looks from strangers was the number one obstacle, with fear of exposure second. Finally, and more encouragingly, almost 90% of you felt that you grew in confidence the more you did it (and luckily for Peaks, almost 90% of you felt you would definitely or probably be more confident if you were wearing discreet specially-designed clothing.

Keep nagging the government where you can and let’s put breastfeeding back on the agenda. Perhaps if Sam Cam had done it in public that might have helped! Please do comment on our Facebook page

McQueen lives up to the name

Quite aside from the great Queen-related puns available, it was a joy to see Sarah Burton’s dress adorning our own Kate/Catherine or whatever she’s going to be called, at the Royal Wedding on Friday. I’m heartened it was a British designer and also that it paves the way for continued success for the McQueen brand further to the sad demise of its founder. Everybody now, ‘there’ll always be an England, dum dum dum der der deeerrrr’. (Insert other nationality as desired).

Oh, and gratuitous picture of ‘liberal baby made Royalist by grandparents shock’, round our way.