Leigh-Anne Pinnock takes us behind the scenes of her Di Petsa runway debut

“This has been one of my dreams: to walk a catwalk show. To get to do it while pregnant, with such a gorgeous designer, is really special. Di Petsa has been one of my favourite brands for a while,” Leigh-Anne Pinnock tells me while she gets ready for her runway debut at London Fashion Week.

The choice of designer feels particularly fitting. Known for her signature wet-look dresses and body-clinging silhouettes, Dimitra Petsa built her Spring/Summer 2027 collection, titled HOLY MILK, around motherhood, transformation and the idea of giving birth to different versions of ourselves.

“I love how all of her designs have that body-clinging, water effect,” says Pinnock. “This collection in particular is all about motherhood and nurturance. It’s so beautiful.”

For Pinnock, who announced her second pregnancy earlier this year, the opportunity to walk while pregnant carries its own significance. “I feel ethereal getting to walk the runway pregnant. I never imagined I would get to do this, especially with my baby. It’s really special,” she says.

Petsa’s collection explores motherhood as both an ancient ritual and an intimate process of becoming, using flowing drapes, translucent layers, lace and sculptural silhouettes to evoke softness, sensuality and transformation. Pinnock’s own experience of pregnancy made the message resonate.

Closing out the show, Pinnock wore one of Petsa’s signature wet-look designs, embracing and celebrating her third-trimester pregnancy. A mechanism built into her top sprayed milk onto the runway as she walked, creating one of the show’s most talked-about moments and quickly going viral online.

“We’re taught as a society to hide it, and that doesn’t make sense to me,” she says. “It’s something that’s so beautiful and incredible, and it deserves to have its moment.”

As for the pre-show nerves? “It’s very intense; there’s so much going on. It’s chaotic, but in the best way.”