MOTHER Mother (noun): a woman who gives birth or is responsible for the physical and emotional care of specific children. That is the dictionary definition.

Ask anyone to define the word, though, and you will hear something much deeper. Mothers share an extraordinary bond with their children, across every age and culture. Whether or not we have experienced it firsthand, many of us recognize the power of a mother's love and what it means to a community. Mother's Day is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world. As a global society, we love our mothers, and her role is crucial to life and to its continuation.

Giving birth can be a moment of great celebration, but also of great worry, because it places women's lives so close to death. Over the years, technology has improved the odds of survival for mother and child. Those gains have not reached every mother equally. Within Black communities, mothers are the pillar and the glue. When a mother transitions, the loss is felt far beyond the children she leaves behind. WE ARE THE FLOWERS OF OUR MOTHERS' GARDENS.

Every year, the U.S. maternal health system fails a disproportionate number of Black women and their babies. The numbers tell the story:

- In 2024, the maternal mortality rate for Black women in the United States was 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. For white women it was 14.2, and for Hispanic women it was 12.1.

- Black women die from maternal causes at more than three times the rate of white women, and their rate was 50.3 in 2023. - In 2024, babies born to Black mothers died before their first birthday at a rate of 10.98 per 1,000 live births, compared with 4.41 for babies born to white mothers. That is nearly two and a half times the rate.

- CDC maternal mortality review committees found that more than 4 in 5 pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. (2017-2019) were preventable. This is a preventable crisis, and the lack of care for Black women's health is what makes it so devastating. I hope that in the years to come we will see an end to this crisis. I want a world where Black women stepping into motherhood are not at risk, and where their needs are never neglected to the point that their lives and their children's lives are in danger.

This collection is:

- an honor to the Black mothers and children who have been lost

- a memorial to the Black mothers who have departed this world, including those who never had the chance to embody the title and those who reached several levels of motherhood - a celebration of the Black mothers this world will gain

- a call to eradicate this crisis

The collection is five evening wear looks featuring three textiles created in collaboration with Alberto Pitta.