This Former First Lady Launched A Fashion Line

On February 13, former U.K. First Lady Samantha Cameron officially launched her contemporary womenswear brand Cefinn, on Net-a-Porter as well as on her own e-commerce. Check out (and shop) the inaugural collection in the slideshow, ahead.

This story was originally published on November 30, 2016.

Samantha Cameron appears to be making a first for first ladies. The businesswoman and wife of former U.K. prime minister David Cameron is venturing into the fashion industry with her own label — Cefinn — set for release next season, Vogue U.K. reports. The brand, which is named after her children's initials, will launch with 40 pieces on Net-A-Porter, Selfridges, and its own website starting in early 2017. Prices will range between £100 and £300 (about $124 to $373).

Now, it's not totally surprising for a former first lady of any country, a woman whose fashion is the subject of much public attention, to make this type of move — but it is unprecedented, as The New York Times notes. Still, before you write off her collection, Cameron actually had serious fashion credentials before taking residence at 10 Downing Street. She's the former creative director of Smythson (and still holds a consultancy role at the brand), and, while her husband held office, Cameron championed British designers like Christopher Kane, Roksanda, Erdem, and Jonathan Saunders, not just by sitting front-row at London Fashion Week, but by regularly wearing U.K. brands (of all price ranges) to public events. She's also a member of the British Fashion Council, and happens to count a Vogue editor as a sibling.

"I felt that there [were] a lot of American and French brands out there that fit that bracket of designer contemporary with the right price point and the right styling, but there aren’t that many British brands which fill that space," Cameron told Vogue U.K. in its January issue (available December 5), where the first images from her collection are exclusively published. From what we've seen thus far, though, Cefinn looks like elegant everyday wear, with an emphasis on feminine silhouettes and flattering cuts. And, given that the designs are coming from someone who's topped countless best-dressed lists, well, let's just say we won't be surprised when we see tons of Cefinn-clad trendsetters come spring.