
Pregnancy Style: Yara Flinn, Founder of Nomia
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Photographed by Julia Hirsch
Not everyone makes a pregnancy announcement as soon as they start showing. Definitely not Yara Flinn, the designer of NYC-based label Nomia, who told the world via Instagram once she only had 5 more weeks to go! Thankfully, with a tiny window to work with (especially with New York Fashion Week going down), we were able to snap some quick pics and document the creative’s pregnancy style while she was a whopping 39 weeks along. Check out the minimalist mama-to-be play dress-up in her own designs (plus a few other favorites) and read her thoughts on imminent motherhood right here!
- "I own Nomia, a womenswear brand based in NYC, which I founded in 2007. Our business is very small, one full-time employee and two consultants. And we just started working with a showroom for our international sales."
- "I grew up in NYC, then went to college in Ohio at Oberlin, which was the only time I've lived outside of New York. After I graduated, I worked at Fondazione Prada (Prada's art foundation) for a few years. I have always lived in Brooklyn since I moved back from college." Yara wears a Nomia top, Uniqlo leggings, Birkenstocks, and jewelry from Wwake and Catbird.
- "I think our ten year anniversary last year was a pretty big moment. I can't believe I have been doing it this long, and that I still love it as much as I do."
- "There are many times I wished I could find something else to do that I loved as much as Nomia, that would be more stable, more secure. But what I love is not only designing, but owning a business. Yes, it's extremely challenging, and being a single founder, it can be very lonely when you are struggling, but I have freedom and that to me is worth a lot. Every season I am nervous, excited, I have ups and downs, but it keeps me interested, and I like to keep evolving. Every challenge has provided me with a lesson, so I try not to get too discouraged while I am going through it, because it's one less lesson I need to learn. (Though there are a few challenges I have had to go through more than once)."
- "I moved into this studio 8 years ago! I used to share it with a photographer, and then my brother, and now it's just us. It's really nice because there is a backyard, and I enjoy working on the garden in the mornings, it's a bit like meditation. I would describe the aesthetic as warm minimal, with a little creative chaos thrown in. It doesn't take long after organizing for the studio to be in disarray, but it's a creative space, so I think it makes sense it would be messy sometimes."
- "Buy things that you love and they will all make sense together. You don't have to start out with a fully rendered idea, I think there is no soul in that. I like collecting things over time that have stories behind them."
- "I love the sofa I commissioned from a woodworker named Ry Scruggs. There are also quite a few pieces from my husband's studio, The Principals. including the racks that we collaborated on."
- "I am really curious and anxious about this since both my partner and I own our own businesses and are used to working late. I think it will be a huge challenge, but with the potential for forcing us to balance our live/work lives a bit better. While I work long hours, they aren't always the most efficient, so I hope to learn to channel my energy better and become more organized. We both plan on taking a few weeks off, and then dipping back in very slowly. I can't anticipate what it will be like, but I know it is going to be hard for me to leave Nomia alone."
- "It has been really crazy. My production manager who came on in the middle of my pregnancy has been amazing, and such a huge help. I have had to put in a lot of weekends and late nights, but I am motivated by the fact that I have to provide for another human now! I am really excited to see how my way of working changes around parenting."
- "It hasn't really changed since becoming pregnant, though I no longer drink beer while pattern-making on the weekends, ha! I think it will only really change once the baby is here. I will say my stamina while being pregnant has been a bit lower, but I am still able to work everyday, and even travelled a lot for work. The baby has already been to Paris twice, Portugal twice, and Italy once!"
- "I would say just do it, but be realistic, aim for slow, organic growth that is more sustainable. I think there is a lot of pressure on young designers to show during fashion week, make huge collections, and gift to editors and influencers, but that's not a realistic business model for many people. If you stay true to your aesthetic you can build a business and grow with partners who are invested in your brand for the long term."
- "I am excited to keep expanding Nomia into new categories and to keep challenging myself to create a whole world—clothing, accessories, and more! Obviously the baby is the most exciting collaboration I have ever worked on and I'm so excited to meet our child soon!"
- All the little details.
- "It's a ways off, but I think I will enjoy seeing my children grow up into adults that I can hang out with and talk about anything and everything, much like I do with my parents. I can't imagine how cool it must be to see someone develop from a baby to an adult with their own relationships and hopes and dreams." Yara wears a Nomia top, Dickie's overalls, and Nike sandals.
- "Being responsible for a human life and trying my best to impart compassion, humanity, and empathy into their personality."
- "We are waiting to find out, but I have a strong feeling that it's a boy, mostly because everyone tells me they think that's what I'm having! I don't necessarily believe in any of the old wives' tales, but it's fun to guess!"
- "I've been really lucky, even now at 39 weeks I am just beginning to feel a bit of back pain and overall fatigue. I have been working really hard on my collection though, so in a way I felt like I didn't have time to feel sick or tired. Either way, I am very, very grateful that I haven't had too much in the way of physical complications. One thing I've had are verrrry swollen feet/ankles, and I've had it since about 5 months. I guess I might be on my feet a lot and also my height might not help the cause."
- "Not really, I've only checked on message boards to see if the weird things that were happening to my body were any cause for concern. It's crazy what they don't tell you, but it's really comforting to know that you're not alone in being scared or freaked out by the changes."
- "It's pretty corny, but honestly my mother is my role model. We have a very close relationship, but she also is very strong and independent. As a single mother she still was ambitious and traveled, in most cases bringing me along. But I never felt that she put me second to anything or anyone else."
- "Not really. I think I have always been a bit selfish and focused on my career, but I have so many friends and colleagues who also have their own businesses who have shown me that you can do both, and often times you get even better at both roles and balancing your life by being a mother and entrepreneur."
- "Not really, I am going to try to go ahead with the support of my husband and mother. I think they know me and how to comfort me very well. We took a couple of birthing classes and practiced some positions for pain relief, but I'm not sure what will happen once it actually goes down! I also am not strictly tied to the idea of having an unmedicated birth. We will be delivering in a hospital, so it's nice to know that it's an option in case I need some assistance."
- Plant babies.
- "I grew up in NYC and as a kid I often wished I could have grown up 'in the country' as I called it. The grass is always greener, I suppose. Looking back, I am so happy I grew up in such a diverse, artistic setting. I feel very lucky. We also got to travel a lot, which I feel very fortunate about. My mother is from Brazil, so we went there often to visit family, while my stepmother is from Italy, so we also went there some summers. It was a lot of fun and taught me to adapt and learn languages in order to communicate with family and friends."
- "I don't know. Even though NYC is insanely expensive, I love being close to my family, close to art, parks, there are so many. I think I would like to stay in Brooklyn or Queens, I like having a little more space and the pace is a little bit slower than Manhattan."
- "Luckily my immediate family all live in NYC, and I have a very close friend who had a baby a few months ago, so I feel very lucky to have them all around!"
- "I think I would keep almost everything from my childhood. I did grow up with two homes, which was sometimes a challenge, but I think my parents did the best they could and I always felt very loved. I also got a lovely half-brother from it, so I wouldn't change that! I think the support my parents gave me while I was risking a lot and starting my brand was priceless. They didn't question me, but they also didn't coddle me. I think it's important for parents to believe fully in you, but also help you be realistic and challenge you." Yara wears a Nomia dress, Céline loafers, and a red anklet (worn throughout) that she says her "mom made me wear for superstition this whole year! I don't even know what for, but as I am also superstitious I just went with it."
- "As I mentioned, my mother is Brazilian, my stepmother is Italian, and my father is American. I speak Italian and Portuguese, too, although not as well. I definitely expect to introduce our child to different cultures, and our family's roots in other countries. I don't know how I will do it exactly, but I definitely plan on visiting our family, and encouraging the grandparents to speak other languages to our child from a young age, so hopefully he or she can learn early on."
- "I honestly don't know, it seems silly to imagine it, or set up expectations. I just want to go through it and let it happen naturally."
- "I think if anything there is too much information out there, and also, every woman's pregnancy, and even each of her pregnancies, can vary so greatly. I think there is a lot of fear mongering, but the most I would say it 'there is no such thing as a normal pregnancy.'"
- "I really enjoyed taking the Zen Mommas prenatal yoga class. It was a very nice experience to be around other pregnant women, sharing information and complaints. I always left feeling more relaxed and lighter." Yara wears a Nomia dress and bag, Céline loafers, and a Calvin Klein bra.
- "Usually I would say tomboyish and minimalist."
- "Unfortunately my daily uniform of t-shirts and 501 jeans became challenging after the 3rd or 4th month. I luckily have been pregnant in warm weather, so I wear a lot of loose fitting dresses and tunics, which were in my normal collection of clothing."
- "I had some Nomia knit culottes and a linen jumpsuit that took me until month 7, until I unfortunately bleached them, then I gave in and bought some maternity leggings from Uniqlo, which I have lived in daily, along with loose fitting t-shirts and Birkenstocks. It's not my proudest fashion moment, but it's what my body wants to wear. My feet won't fit in any of my normal shoes anymore."
- "I find it very challenging, I cannot wait to wear jeans again. I just don't feel myself in maternity clothes. Occasionally I would wear a tight fitting knit dress, but it honestly made me feel a bit self conscious. I just feel more comfortable in loose layers, I always have."
- "A large percentage of my clothing is Nomia—I'd say about 50% of what I wear on a daily basis (when not pregnant). I like to wear a lot of t-shirts, in fact, thinking about nursing, there aren't many options that I currently have in my wardrobe for easy access, so that will be another challenge! If I'm not wearing Nomia, I'm usually wearing Levi's, Dickie's, or vintage Prada, which I like to source on The RealReal."
- "Halfway through my pregnancy I was lucky enough to have that 'glow.' But now I am so tired again and I have been wearing a bit of under-eye concealer by Make Up Forever. Other than that I just wash my face and use Bioderma Crealine Legere moisturizer, it's the best for light moisture and sensitive skin. I have to stock up on it whenever I'm in Paris, but I think now you can purchase it on some websites."
- "I don't have much time to work out unfortunately, sometimes I do some HIIT workouts at home (not after the 2nd or 3rd month of pregnancy though!). I have always preferred walking around the city or playing sports to working out in a gym."
- For more on Yara, her work, and her newest arrival, follow along on her Instagram feed.
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