Hanna Pachuta: Modern Motherhood
Hanna and her son Max wearing her design at London Fashion Week 2024. Image Credit: Instagram - hanna.pachuta
“I just want to give motherhood a niceness. It can be such a beautiful and empowering thing for a woman to go through.”
These are the words of London-based designer and young mother Hanna Pachuta. At just 24, Hanna has created a pre-collection and collection of womenswear designed to combine motherhood with timeless formality, whilst raising her son Max, who is now two years-old.
Originally from Poland (she has also lived in Israel and Wales), Hanna graduated from University of East London with a degree in Fashion Design in May 2024. Her talent for designing outfits which combine workwear with motherly function, alongside her incredible hard work, saw Hanna receive a scholarship for the final year of her degree, whilst raising a young boy.
“I did university alongside being a mum. That was tough but I wanted to get it done. I had a nanny which obviously helped me out, and I only went into university three days a week.”
The way that Hanna says ‘only’ in that sentence captures her humbleness and dedication to her craft. ‘Only’ three days a week of school whilst learning how to raise a human being is no small feat. Whilst at university Hanna got to create her pre-collection ‘Mammilla’, and then her first collection which was exhibited in London Fashion Week (LFW) 2024, '‘Private vs Public’.
Hanna’s pre-collection is named ‘Mamilla’, which she told me is Latin for ‘Breast’.
The asymmetrical designs use raw, undyed materials to reflect the soft nature of those first few weeks of motherhood, specifically the underexplored experience of breastfeeding. Hanna tells me that: “Mamilla was a slightly more intimate collection about the first few weeks of having a baby, and about breastfeeding. It is a very natural colour palette reflecting the natural beauty of breastfeeding.”
A motif used in the collection is the Madonna Lilly. As a Catholic, Hanna uses the Madonna Lilly to signify the purity of Mamilla. “It’s a nice little reference of when the Mary got given a Madonna Lilly when she became a mother. I feel like that helped to tell my story. When creating a collection it is always nice to tell a story… I mean everyone loves a storyteller.”
When thinking of a Madonna Lilly many may reference the painting ‘Convent Thoughts’ by Charles Allston Collins, but for Mamilla, Hanna was inspired by ‘The Origin of the Milky Way’ by Jacopo Tintoretto.
Tintoretto’s painting comes from the Renaissance period, and depicts a Roman mythological story about how the Milky Way was formed.
“It refers to the milk as a magical power, so it was a nice reference for my work.”
The Origin of the Milky Way painted by Jacopo Tintoretto. Image Credit: Collections- GetArchive
Hanna’s collection ‘Private vs Public’ is a more personal novel of Hanna’s own wardrobe, combining items of formal wear she would wear to university, with the functionality needed for mothers, such as breast pockets for breastfeeding and slings to carry a baby.
“It’s really looking at my wardrobe inside my house and then asking how can I adjust it to accomodate both of my worlds”.
Hanna names Eckhaus Latta’s Spring 2022 collection as an inspiration for her. “I loved the cut outs and…when she introduced her baby at the end”.
Created by Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta, Eckhaus Latta is an American-based label which distinguishes itself with its gender-neutral designs. At New York Fashion Week in September 2021, Zoe ended the labels show by taking a bow with her 8-month old son, Joy Begonia O’Neill Latta.
The cold-shoulder shirt offers a refined formal look, which makes the functional purpose of breastfeeding whilst wearing the shirt a seamless transition. It’s brave whilst also making complete sense. Why don’t we see more shirts like this? Of course there are brands out there that make t-shirts with breast openings, such as Pretty Mama and The Milky Tee Company, but few have crossed that barrier of making these shirts tailored and smart.
The woollen overcoat enhances a classic look, and tailors it for mothers. It references the Christian Dior design of cinching a coat at the waist, but does so with purpose. The sling offers a figure-hugging silhouette, and also allows mothers to carry their babies on their front. The duality of the coat is a work of art, as the fabric lays effortlessly by itself as well as when carrying a baby.
Hanna tells me that the tailoring of her designs is influenced by Hussein Chalayan: “particularly his avant-garde pieces”. Chalayan is a Turkish designer who is famous for particular pattern cutting and his exploration of technology in fashion, for example at LFW 2007 he showcased a LED dress for his A/W collection.
I wanted to delve deeper into what inspired Hanna to create a collection which embodies and empowers the modernity of motherhood. On her website, Hanna writes that her mission is to ‘ensure that mothers feel seen and valued in today’s fast-paced society’. I asked her if she ever felt like she had not been seen.
“Yeah definitely. I feel like even though I was in university and people were quite supportive, in a way I felt kind of isolated. No-one really understood what I was going through. Obviously with breastfeeding you have to pump which is quite private, and the university didn’t really have facilities for that. I didn’t feel as seen as I should have.”
Our conversation reminded me of an article written by Katharine Swindells that I read in Cosmopolitan years ago about young women juggling their studies alongside motherhood. In the article a woman named Rochelle, who had a toddler when studying at Sheffield University, said that she felt like she couldn’t reach her full potential without a support network as big as an army. The article shares how, in 2019, 60% of student parents had considered leaving their course. Hanna did not leave her course, but she did decide to take a year out when Max was born.
The challenges mothers who wish to study face aren’t common conversation, but Hanna hopes to change this with her work.
“People are proud of me for doing the collection because it is something that is not seen as much.”
Hanna always planned on having kids young, but she feels that young motherhood is not something that is recommended to young women today.
“For women in today’s world motherhood is not really pushed, motherhood is seen as a very low-level job. It’s very undervalued, it’s not seen as something that you should do as a woman. Right now what is being pushed is career.”
Photo from Hanna’s Private vs Public collection. Image Credit: hannapachuta.uk
“Young women are being pushed into corporate jobs and raising a family is not so important anymore. My idea is to have kids young and then when I am older I can go into my career. I see that my older friends now wish that they had kids when they were younger as they now have to pause their careers when it is in its prime. Pausing when you are at your peak is quite difficult. Then it’s like, hang on a second I am 40 and I’m not going to be fertile for much longer. It’s very tough for women because they have to decide.”
Looking to the future, Hanna is currently planning her next collection, which she says will focus on the woman’s changing body.
“There is such a thing about ‘bouncing back’ and I don’t think it’s right to say that because our bodies change drastically and that’s okay. I definitely want to incorporate more of supporting the woman’s body, the ever-changing woman’s body.”
It is safe to say that Hanna is definitely a young London-based designer to keep an eye out for, as I am certain that her clothes will inspire mothers to embrace all aspects of motherhood through their wardrobes, and she will continue to innovate outfits which combine practicality with elegance.
