Cynthia Rowley - Pictures and Interview

Mother Stories

Superstar Designer Cynthia Rowley Invites Us Over

Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano

Photography by Photographed by Kisha Bari

Oct 6, 2015

We all know Cynthia Rowley for her uber-successful womenswear collection and plethora of brand extensions (an incredible line of wetsuits and a collab with Staples included). However, her favorite role of them all is playing mama to her two daughters—16-year-old Kit and 10-year-old Gigi. Here, the Illinois native turned NYC creative-set staple (she can often be seen arm-in-arm with her gallerist husband, Bill Powers) invites us over to her swoon-worthy West Village abode—as well as her uptown candy-filled party space, Curious—to talk shop.

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: "Corny but true, it's the best thing that ever happened to me. Nothing is more fulfilling than being a mom."

: Cynthia wears a navy glitter rib tee, high-waisted brocade skirt, leather belt, and brocade platforms, all Cynthia Rowley.

: A bond like no other.

: "Having best friends for life."

: "Oh, so many things, but I'll never let it show."

: Oh, mommmm.

: Cynthia Rowley cat-eye sunnies.

: "The last thing my mother thinks about is fashion, but she is creative and has a great sense of humor. She played a lot of jokes on us as kids and I try to continue that tradition."

: My sunshine.

: Eenie, meanie, miny, moe.

: "It goes by too fast, so enjoy every minute."

: Dog pile!

: "Big adventure, somewhere exotic."

: Cynthia wears a chiffon button-front shirt, high-waisted dark denim jeans, and a leather cross-body bag, all Cynthia Rowley.

: On the town.

: "The possibilities are endless."

: Gigi's collection.

: "I suffer from wanderlust, so I always imagine us living somewhere else, even though we probably never will."

: A sweet morning message.

: The backyard view.

: "It seems like everyday there is something new, and I just discovered the Seaglass Carousel in Battery Park. There are endless neighborhoods and cultural things to explore."

: Gigi and Cynthia wear Cynthia Rowley wetsuits.

"Outdoor space in the city has always been an important factor for me. And that's good, because we have basically been renovating for the past 10 years, so at least we have a place to escape to! It's finally nearing completion."

Splish splash.

"Confluence of refinement and irreverence. Good art thanks to my husband’s gallery, but you might find a trampoline in the living room."

"In the morning I swim laps, surf for hours on the weekends, and ride city bikes everywhere."

"I’m low maintenance with skincare, and I have an easy makeup routine with CR liquid liner and lip tint, and a really good Shiseido mascara."

Hers and hers.

The dream life.

"Mornings at our house are crazy and half the time I don’t know what I’m wearing. Luckily there are options at work if I need to change. When I go out I like to mix up the most artistic pieces in the collection. When it comes to daily staples, I alternate between jeans I’ve had forever and just get better, and our bonded leggings with new prints each season."

"No."

One of many jam corners.

"90% is CR collection, 10% is old T-shirts."

“I love this Sophie skirt by Petite Lucette, baby parka pant by Flora and Henri, embroidered tunic by Allergra and Luca, and tulip-print Hansel from Basel tights.”

"Everyone warned me and basically scared me to death. So far my older daughter is a lot less terrible than I was. I was expecting much worse….maybe I’m in the calm before the storm."

"Kit was my first, so her name is Kit (keep it together). I also liked that most other Kits I meet are boys. With my husband Bill’s last name being Powers, every name we chose for my second sounded like an energy drink. Kit was five when Gigi was born and crushed when we didn’t name her Flower Powers. Because they have different last names we gave the same middle name, Clementine."

Another daughter-daughter jam session.

"Have a common interest or fun activity that you can do as a family. It's impossible to separate those relationships."

Stoop chillin'. Cynthia wears a top of her own design.

"From fitness to our staples, there are so many parts to the brand it is hard to say, but I guess they have similar attributes: sporty, pretty, sexy, fun."

"Curious is a Willy Wonka meets Tim Burton themed experience with curated candy and gifts. We do magical birthday parties here. It's like a candy speakeasy in the 78th Street store, so when the moms are shopping, the kids have a place to hangout.”

"A visual feast, creative activities, delicious treats...pack in as much as you can into two hours!"

The stuff sweet-tooth dreams are made of.

The statement-making entryway.

"I work hard and get lucky and appreciate every opportunity, so everything feels like a big break.”

Like kids in a candy store.

"My whole career I’ve worked hard to stay ahead of the curve."

"I love working as a team and work with very creative people. The most inspiring thing is that everyday we come up with ideas and actually get to make them. "

"Sometimes my kids come with me. They’ve traveled a lot and are up for anything. Early on I learned the motto ‘eat when you can, sleep when you can, and never check luggage!'"

The branch-laden exterior.

"New collections with our partners, such as Birchbox and Staples, as well as new handbag, eyewear, fitness, wetsuit, and swim collections. We are introducing a full furniture collection this month, and I’m also excited for our new store opening in Honolulu."

To keep following along with Cynthia and her family, check out her Instagram feed here.