Countless female leaders in the fashion industry hold two important titles: “executive” and “mom.”
Four leaders across fashion and beauty who navigate this duality sat down for an honest conversation titled “Multipliers: Motherhood & Momentum” at the 2026 WWD x FN x Beauty Inc. Women in Power event in New York on Monday.
The panel featured Emily Cole, executive vice president, chief product officer and creative director at Kenneth Cole Productions; Christina Fair, president, consumer products division at L’Oréal North America; and Alejandra Rojas, creative director and chief executive officer at Alejandra Alonso Rojas. Stephanie Kramer, chief human resources officer at L’Oréal North America, who penned the book “Carry Strong: An Empowered Approach to Navigating Pregnancy and Work,” moderated the conversation.
Emily Cole, Christina Fair, Alejandra Rojas and Stephanie Kramer.
Allie Joseph for WWD
Cole spoke to the paradox of pregnancy, in which a very personal experience is made public, and people feel like they have access to what a pregnant person is going through. After two pregnancies, the Kenneth Cole executive has dealt with her fair share of commentary on her appearance — which she pointed out non-pregnant women can relate to as well.
“I think pregnancy is a microcosm of just being female at work and in the world,” she said. “The reality is, people don’t really know what to do with women at work still, and they definitely don’t know what to do with pregnant women.”
Emily Cole
Allie Joseph for WWD
Cole emphasized that people feel uncomfortable around pregnant women due to the underrepresentation of women in places of power at work. When there are more women, by nature, there will be more pregnant women, she pointed out.
Experiencing motherhood only makes you a better employee, Cole believes. “You become better at multitasking. You become better at tolerating tantrums, which is very applicable to the workplace,” she said.
Christina Fair and Alejandra Rojas
Allie Joseph for WWD
Rojas takes a fluid approach to navigating motherhood and running her luxury fashion label, and whichever has her focus is what she gives 100 percent of her energy to.
“My days are not mom days or work days. They’re days,” she said. “I really believe in being fully present at any stage that I am, either at work or being a mom. I block in my calendar things for my children the same way that I block things in my calendar when I have to see a client or I have a meeting. Then the rest of the things that I have to do — sketching, meeting with my factories, a fitting — everything else flows around those things that I call at-home and at-work non-negotiables.”
Trust is key at Rojas’ brand, she emphasized.
Emily Cole, Christina Fair, Alejandra Rojas and Stephanie Kramer.
Allie Joseph for WWD
As the mom of two teenagers and a longtime L’Oréal leader, Fair sees work-life balance as an ever-changing journey. “I think the minute you start to feel comfortable, your kids enter a new stage, your parents enter a new stage, your career enters a new stage, and you’re like, ‘OK, this isn’t working.’ What I’ve learned to do is realize what I need and how to change that in motion,” she said.
There are three things that have helped Fair from the start: managing energy, being honest and having a support system.
“You realize that there isn’t an off switch when you’re at work to being a mom, and there isn’t an off switch at home to being an executive,” she said. “So it’s really finding a way to manage that and reset. I think resetting is how I’ve been able to manage context switching and my energy. I reset between meetings. Whatever you need to do that.”
Resetting also takes place in the car for Fair before she gets home, and she sets a boundary of not talking about work at home “unless it’s something epic.”
Fair underscored how her support system was crucial to getting her where she is today — and support systems evolve with time. “What I needed 10 years ago is not what I need now,” she said.
