Why Every Millennial Mom Owns at Least One Pair of Donni Pants

When the influencer, designer, and mother of two, Julia Berolzheimer, shared her gingham Donni pants with her 1.3 million followers, she admitted to having three additional pairs sitting in her closet. Hundreds of followers responded in one of two ways: Commenting "Pants" for a link to shop her pair, or confessing to having a similar stockpile of Donni pants in their own wardrobes.

On Substacks and in doula-managed WhatsApp groups, in comments sections and in Discord fashion chats, Donni pants receive the sort of universally glowing endorsements politicians could only dream of. These made-in-LA pull-on pants—in taffeta and cotton poplin, in sunny solid colors and spring ginghams—draw testimonials from prospective buyers, prompting them to purchase at least two, if not more. This spring, Donni's taffeta, pull-on cargo pants are one of the top-selling items on ShopMy, a social shopping platform, according to data shared in Line Sheet. Above all, they're shared by women who are set on preserving their personal style while raising their kids, one sunshine yellow pair of cargoes at a time.

More often than not, the receipts show that stocking up on multiples is the only option. "I found Donni through Instagram way before I became a mom and immediately fell in love with the striped pants," says New York City-based visual designer Ella Shumilina. "I wanted a pair so badly, and now I have three!"

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Becoming the unofficial uniform for stylish moms at every phase of parenthood—pregnancy, postpartum, and the growing-up years after—wasn't originally on Donni founder Alyssa Wasko's roadmap. In fact, she calls the brand's surge among stylish parents "so accidental." She kept wearing her Donni designs during her first pregnancy, almost as an afterthought, and was pleasantly surprised to find that her button-up tops and pull-on pants still fit her changing body.

Now, there are chat rooms and comment sections filled with other moms who have the same realization. "There are no strategic conversations that we have of, like, how can we push this to more pregnant moms?" she tells Marie Claire. Yet even without a single paid placement in a newsletter or Instagram post, the brand's pants have become a Cool Mom capsule wardrobe essential on the level of a coveted stroller bag or a must-have playground sneaker. "It's word of mouth. It's the Substack chats. It's one girl wearing it and sharing it with her friends."

Granted, Wasko has been displaying a knack for fusing elegant design with sentimental practicality since she opened Donni in 2009. When her father, Donny, passed away, Wasko began making silk scarves as a means of processing his death. The pieces resonated with women who were looking for their own comfort items in trying times—as a head scarf during chemotherapy, say—while also satisfying shoppers who simply wanted an accessory to tie into a top or around their bags.

Nearly two decades and an expansion into ready-to-wear later, Donni's pants are the latest example of how Wasko can address a tumultuous moment in a person's life (that is, all the ups and downs of parenthood) with pieces that make them feel beautiful regardless of how their day looks.

She says the label has really hit its stride in the past few years—for reasons her devoted new customers will recognize. "It's no coincidence that that kind of happened in tandem with me becoming a mom and finding a different version of myself, that I feel really solid and secure in," Wasko says. "I think becoming a mom gave me the ability to stand stronger in my convictions and feelings and point of view, almost," she adds, "and I think that gave clarity to the brand, simultaneously."

Instead of listening to trend forecasts and adjusting her collections based on requests from wholesale buyers, she's leaned into her design instincts. So far, they're resonating better with women like her than she could have imagined.

Shumilina considers all three pairs of her Donni pants essentials as a first-time mom. "I even wore one of the pants on a long-haul flight with my baby, and they were perfect: breathable, soft, and so comfortable for traveling."

Tessa Faye O'Connell, global PR director for Coach and a contributing editor for WhoWhatWear, has followed Donni's ascent since its launch. After becoming a mom to her two daughters, she gained a newfound appreciation for its understanding of what busy women really want hanging in their closets—especially postpartum. "I find it super wearable and super comfortable. I can wear it to the office and I can also chase my kids around in it," she says. "Honestly, I hate to say it, but the craze for me is true."

Through every version of the brand—from its scarves-only chapter to its present-day identity—Wasko has always wanted Donni to be multigenerational and welcoming to shoppers at every life stage.

"I am designing genuinely from a very genuine place of, What do I want to wear? And I practice what I preach," she says. "I wear our clothing every single day, not because I have to, because it genuinely is what I reach for in my closet." She notes that she, too, wore the same pants pregnant, postpartum, and in her present-day as a mom of two running her business.

Currently, several of the most sought-after Donni pants are sold out on both its website and at retail partners. That hasn't put a damper on recommendations. If anything, it makes those taffeta gingham pull-ons even more sought after. Until the next restock, parents like Shumilina continue to add more Donni pants to their wish lists, regardless of how many they already own. "If I could buy every pair," she says, "I would."