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The latest Eckhaus Latta show ended with three people taking a bow at the end: Mike Eckhaus, Zoe Latta, and Latta’s cherubic, red-headed eight-month-old son, Joy Begonia O’Neill Latta. Over the past month, with Fashion Week, a CVFF cocktail party, and the Met gala, Latta had her work cut out for her with a little one to look after. While Joy came with her to the Eckhaus Latta show and dressed up for the CVFF party with a Vogue T-shirt, he stayed with babysitters (her sister and brother-in-law) for the gala. Latta admits that “it takes a village” to raise Joy, but that her team and design partner Mike have cultivated a familial environment.
To maintain peace of mind, Latta practices self-care, even with acts simple as a walk or a spritz of face mist. Though the most poignant act was letting internal doubts go by the wayside. “There’s a little evil voice inside of me that is supercritical of my actions. She’s a real bitch, filled with a lot of doubt and judgments,” says Latta. “Since being a mom, I realized that that little sad person can go to hell—she’s wasting precious time and energy.”
Here, see Latta’s tips and tricks to balancing motherhood and her career.
Vogue: What was it like creating a collection while caring for a baby?
Zoe Latta: First, it could not have happened without Mike or our team, who are all exceptionally supportive and talented people. Second, it’s one thing to burn the candle at both ends and wear yourself out when you’re childless and free, but when you have a baby, it’s imperative that you sleep, eat, brush your teeth, etc. It’s so much easier to forget about those things when you have a baby but when you totally lose it, both of you suffer. Self-care is essential! I tried to really be on top of my skin-care routine (even if that only meant spritzing with Tata Harper’s floral essence spray). Simple little things can have incredible effects.
Riley O’Neill, my partner, has his own wine business. Unfortunately, NYFW was also the wine harvest this year, so Joy and I were in NYC solo. Some days Joy came to work with me, which was a fun addition to the studio. We were also very lucky to have the help of friends, plus my mom and aunt, Riley’s mom and sister. Moral of the story: Both raising a child and making a collection takes a village and Joy is insanely lucky to have this community around him.
Did he influence the collection?
We’re launching Eckhaus Latta Bambino in mid-October with Ssense. But for [spring/summer 2022], there are decisions I made that, in previous seasons, probably would have taken weeks. Having a baby has kind of taught me to trust my gut a little bit more. Maybe after you have a kid, you have way less time to sweat the small stuff or worry, which is kind of a blessing. Both Mike and I are going through very different phases in our lives right now, but at the root of it, we both want to make very real honest clothing. I think having Joy has helped me come to that realization.
What are the items, gadgets, or tools you swear by as a new mom?
Honestly, when I was pregnant I could have been writing consumer reviews for all this stuff I had never used. I was obsessed with all the stuff, and luckily tracked most of it down as hand-me-downs or used things. I was truly like a Pokémon master for all the gear. Once Joy came out, I realized I actually needed very little and that I had been conned by an industry that capitalizes on nesting hormones (lol). I have all these cute wooden animals and stacking things he bangs around and sucks on, but he would honestly prefer an ice cube, a salad bowl, or a whisk to play with.
I loved having a few ARQ sets during pregnancy, after pregnancy, and still daily. Nyssacare for postpartum is also great. Sisters Body products are nice because everyone can use them but you can still have some dignity in that you’re not exclusively using baby soap to clean yourself. Eckhaus Latta sweatsuits came out a few weeks before Joy was born.
His Uppababy Vista stroller or Tripp Trapp high chair are both great because they’re modular systems and can grow with the bebe (buy them used, they’re all over the place!) Finding a good baby consignment spot in New York and L.A. has been very helpful, as well as friends who have kids older and younger than yours to get the hand-me-down circle flowing. I have a group of moms (Alexa Karolinski, Joanna Aviellez, Zoe Ghertner, and Avena Gallagher) who just pass clothes and toys on to each other. Some of us share a Lovevery subscription.
What have you learned about yourself since becoming a mother?
There's a little evil voice inside of me that is super-critical of my actions. She’s a real bitch, filled with a lot of doubt and judgments. Since being a mom, I realized that little sad person can go to hell—she’s wasting precious time and energy. I also wish everyone had to be a mom for a day because it’s so fucking hard and I wish I had had more compassion for mothers earlier in life.
How do you dress Joy?
Joy has no “type” of baby style. I think it goes without saying that his “lewks” are gender fluid. The real gems of his stash are hand-me-downs...little huipil dresses, sailor sets, miniature tracksuits, hand-knit space-dyed sweaters, a ’70s leather cardigan, things that I could never find if I were to search for them. He outgrows things quickly so it’s very precious and fleeting when something fits.
I’m not going to lie, I have been collecting baby clothes since I was a baby. I’m still a bit of a Pokémon master for Joy’s wardrobe but live by the rule that I can’t buy anything new for him. If he needs something, I try to find it on The RealReal, Depop (could have a better kids function!) eBay, Poshmark, Etsy, OfferUp, Craigslist. I’m probably blowing up my own spot here but Parachute Brooklyn is a dangerous addiction with vintage kid sales daily on Instagram.
