She Built It. Then She Walked Away. Carly Cushnie on Reinvention, Motherhood & Letting Go

photography by Sarra Fleur Abou-El-Haj. styling, art direction + words by Nicole Fasolino

Carly stands perfectly still as the camera clicks. Her posture impeccable, her power quiet but undeniable.

The light catches her cheekbone as she lifts a hand to brush a loose curl. Her fingers linger in the air, they’re long, elegant, perfectly manicured, moving instinctively, as though they are shaping each one of her thoughts. I immediately notice it’s her beautiful hand movement that draws you further into her world. The more you watch, the more you feel she’s conducting a silent orchestra. I’m in awe.

There is something quietly commanding about her presence. Not loud. Not performative. Just steady. And the longer you’re around her, the more you realize, that her steadiness is her power.

The kind that doesn’t need to announce itself.

Born and raised in London, Carly moved to New York in 2003 to study at Parsons, arriving with a clear vision: to build a fashion brand of her own. By 2008, she had. Her first collection, CUSHNIE, was immediately picked up by Bergdorf Goodman, a defining moment she speaks about without spectacle, as if success was always expected, yet also, never the point.

When she opens her eyes, there is depth there, the kind that comes from reinvention.

And when she speaks about her daughters, everything softens. “I always wanted to become a mother,” she says calmly. “But I wasn’t obsessed with it. Now I am. I’m obsessed with my daughters.”

For years, her life revolved around fashion, building a company, keeping pace with an industry that rarely slows down.

“I knew motherhood would happen eventually,” she says. “At the time, I was focused on my career.”

Then everything shifted.

Her second daughter was born just thirteen months after her first, at the very beginning of the pandemic. Within weeks, the world shut down, and so did her business.

“The whole time felt very surreal,” she reflects. “I gave birth, closed my company after twelve years, and then everything stopped.”

She describes the decision without regret.

“I actually felt at peace with it. The industry had become exhausting. It felt like the right decision, for me, for my family.”

Now, her work has evolved.

She still consults in fashion and styling, but her creative focus has shifted to interiors and a new home line with Lulu and Georgia.

“It’s been fun to explore something new,” she says. “Home is a different pace, and a better one for me and my family. The balance feels easier now.”

There’s a quiet bravery in that, starting again, now on her own terms.

“Covid was such an awful time,” she says. “But there was also something special. I was home with my babies. We had time we never would have had otherwise.”

Family, for Carly, is everything.

“I come from a family of all girls,” she says. “My mother is one of seven sisters. Then three daughters. My sisters each have three girls. And now I have two.”

A lineage of women, raising the next.

“My greatest joy is raising these two girls who have so much personality and so much love.”

New York is part of that story.

“I love raising my kids here,” she says. “It will be interesting when they’re teenagers, but right now, I love it.”

And if she ever left?

“It would have to be for something totally opposite, like the beach. Other cities are just too slow.”

She’s still learning how to protect her time.

“I think younger generations are better at boundaries,” she admits. “I’m still learning.”

Then, simply:

“There’s no balance. There’s no perfect way. Sometimes I feel guilty. But I’ve gotten better at saying no.”

Watching her now, the shift, from fashion founder to mother, from speed to intention, doesn’t feel like a loss.

It feels like an evolution.

And maybe, a return to something deeper.

Rapid Fire With Carly

What are you listening to on repeat? Chanel by Tyla.

What are you wearing nonstop lately? Varley sweats, Agolde denim, and sweaters from Me + Em.

Your go-to way to relax? Acupuncture, long walks, and hugs.

Favorite workout? I just tried Forward Space recently and it was amazing. But my usual go-to is reformer Pilates — I love it.

Any personal rituals? I’ve been trying to journal for years and it never stuck… until recently. Now that I’ve found a rhythm with it, it’s been incredibly helpful for me.

Favorite place to travel? Anywhere warm. But I’d love to go back to Vietnam. We went there for our honeymoon and have been dying to return ever since.

Best advice you live by? Do you, boo.

Book recommendation? I recently read The Tell by Amy Griffin and loved it.

Hair and makeup on Carly was done by Shawnelle Prestidge using Prestidge Beauté, RMS Beauty and Hourglass .

Photography by Sarra Fleur Abou-El-Haj.

Art Direction, styling and text by Nicole Fasolino.

Find Carly here and on instagram.