Kids' Style Mimics Mom and Dad

Childrenswear vendors are mirroring top trends in adult apparel such as fashion-forward colors, super-fine fabrics and larger-spec sizing.
July 1, 2008

The Precious Cargo Tee from SanMar is made from 100% certified organic cotton and has a large rib neck, making it easier to put on and take off of a toddler.

Gone are the days when wholesale apparel vendors stocked only a few basic, unisex kids' styles to satisfy customer demand. That won't fly with today's parent, who expects children's garments to be as synced to top retail trends as his or her own clothing. "The childrenswear market is definitely changing from basic wear to more stylish, trendy outfits [that] mirror adult styles," says Amit Gupta, vice president of MONAG, Victor, N.Y.

For Boxercraft, Atlanta, new children's styles are developed first by looking at what's popular in kids' retail stores, and also incorporating adult trends, according to Luiza Raposo, marketing assistant. Not only do parents now look for childrenswear that is as fashion-forward as their own, but they also want a wider selection of trendy infant, toddler and youth styles to choose from.

Wholesale apparel vendors are responding to this demand by releasing new children's styles in a constant fervor. Kavio!, Commerce, Calif., recently saw an opportunity in the childrenswear market to create distinctive girls', boys' and infant collections, and jumped on it. "It's important to see boys' and girls' clothing as two different [markets]," explains Dean Vuong, vice president. "Children's clothing is getting more and more specialized. [For example], trim is very important to girls' clothing, while it's not for boy's, who [prefer] clean-cut styles." For 2008, Kavio! introduced seven infant styles, three youth tops and 10 girls' styles.

L.A. T Sportswear is another vendor keeping up with the influx of kids' styles in the market. "We're all about adding new stuff," explains Mindy Anastos, marketing coordinator for the Ball Ground, Ga.-based company. This year alone, L.A. T has introduced more than 15 styles specifically for infants, toddlers and youth — many of which are offered in more colors than the pinks, blues and yellows standard to this market segment. That's another trend in which children's styles are mimicking adult apparel, Anastos adds. "Moms want to dress their kids in the same types of colors they're wearing — eggplant, olive and charcoal are definitely becoming more popular [in the children's sector]."

Above all, Anastos says when dealing with childrenswear, it's really not about what the kids want. Garments must be manufactured with children's lifestyles and safety in mind, but the decision-maker and purchaser will always be the parent, so it's important for apparel vendors and decorators to remember to whom they're really selling. "We've always got to take the parent's needs and wants [for childrenswear] into account," she says. And for this year, what parents want most are styles similar to their own.

BEST SELLERS
For 2008, childrenswear vendors are continuously introducing new styles, and already are seeing which ones are standout sellers. One Stop Inc.'s youth, toddler and infant full-zip hoodies (styles EZ 940, 942 and 941) are doing very well, reports Natalie Siminski, apparel sourcing manager for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based distributor. At MONAG, infant and toddler tops are stars of the product line. "T-shirts with ruffle sleeves and bottoms, ringer T-shirts, raglans and lettuce-edge T-shirts are the most popular," Gupta says.

L.A. T has introduced new styles with larger-spec sizing, meaning these garments are wider and longer, and its best-selling style is its basic 100% cotton toddler T-shirt (style 3301).

For Boxercraft, its Touchdown Capri pants (style YK43), flannel pants (YF14) and novelty madras pants (style YC19) are among its best-selling styles, and all touch on recent retail trends. Most of its top sellers for youth also come in adult styles, Raposo explains. "Children want to be just as fashionable as their older siblings or even their parents," she says. "It's not uncommon to see the same items offered in adult and youth sizes, because that's what the market demands."

SUPER-FINE FABRICS
Cotton takes the cake as the most popular fabric for children's apparel. Many wholesale childrenswear manufacturers and distributors use 100% cotton exclusively. "Our customers love the comfort and quality of ring-spun, combed cotton," Vuong explains. Anastos and Gupta agree that cotton rules in childrenswear. "Customers like the softness of super-combed 100% cotton," Gupta adds. "Ours is very finely knit, weighing between 6 ounces and 6.5 ounces, which makes it [ideal] for fine embroidery and printing."

However, One Stop Inc. reports a move toward blended fabrications in the children's market. "We definitely see a trend in blends due to the color retention and [minimal] shrinkage [these fabrications provide]," Siminski says.

Vendors agree that success with childrenswear is all in the fabric's hand. "One of the trends we're following is a move toward softer fabrics," Anastos says. "We came out with our Softy group, and all the styles are made from combed, ring-spun jersey, which has a really nice hand. We see our competitors moving in that direction too."

DURABLE DETAILS
Though parents want to dress their kids in the softest, most comfortable fabrics possible, it's important that garments also can endure the wear and tear that's expected from a typical child's lifestyle. Tops and bottoms must withstand occasional bumps, spills and falls, so parents look to purchase high-quality garments that can handle frequent laundering. "The most important detailing that our customers look for is the quality of the fabric and stitching," Gupta says, emphasizing the importance of durability in children's clothing.

For L.A. T Sportswear, durable and safely fastened snaps are imperative in childrenswear. "For infant and toddler wear, we're very conscious of snaps, and test them extensively to make sure they're fully secure," Anastos says. She adds that another important detailing for L.A. T's lap- shoulder infant style is a raw serge bottom, which offers more stretch over the head.

CRAYON COLORS
For children, primary colors — or "Crayola" colors — will always be staples, according to Anastos. "Kelly green, royal blue, bright yellow — these are the colors that make you think 'Sesame Street,'" she adds. However, fashion- forward colors are growing in popularity for infant, toddler and youth apparel. "Turquoise, hot pink and clover are strong in the market," Siminski says. "Lavender and bubblegum [pink] are good colors for girls," Vuong adds. "Brown, blue and honeydew are [strong] for both boys and girls."

In addition to trendy solid colors coming into play for childrenswear, MONAG's Gupta adds that he's seeing a growing demand for combination colors. "Mint/Kelly green, pink/chocolate, sky/chocolate and black/pink combinations have been especially popular recently," he says.

Solids are successful due to their high printability, but camouflage patterns also are popular and don't interfere too much with decoration, Vuong says. "We have to be careful not to create patterns that take away from what [decorators] can print on a garment," he adds. Siminski explains that, while the solid-colored garments are the strongest, stripes and polka dots also do well. "A mix-and-match approach [with patterned and solid garments] is very strong," she adds.

GREEN GENERATION
Styles manufactured from recycled materials and 100% organic cotton are rapidly spreading through all sectors of the imprinted sportswear market, and childrenswear is no exception. "A lot of the people who are buying organic [apparel] are in their twenties and thirties, which are prime child-bearing years," Anastos says. "This age group grew up learning the three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) and are very eco-conscious, so it makes sense that they want to buy organic clothing for their children." She adds that L.A. T's Rabbit Skins collection boasts three new organic children's styles for 2008, including a 100% certified organic cotton infant creeper and T-shirt, as well as a toddler T-shirt.

For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Susie at smcmanus@impressionsmag.com.

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