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 08, 2008

By Susie McManus

In the face of a faltering economy, promotional products distributors should take notice of the childrenswear market, which is seeing noticeable sustainability despite organizational budget cuts and smarter spending at home. “We’ve found that the dollar a parent spends on a child is the last dollar they will cut,” Peg Smith CEO of the American Camp Association told Businessweek (May 26, 2008).

Wholesale apparel vendors have taken notice, and are expanding basic, unisex kids’ lines to cater to top retail trends. “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 by first looking at what’s popular in kids’ retail stores, and also trying to incorporate adult trends, according to Luiza Raposo, marketing assistant.

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 introduced more than 15 styles specifically for infants, toddlers and youth. Above all, Anastos says that, when dealing with childrenswear, it’s not about what the kids want at all. 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 whom they’re selling to.

Best Sellers
For 2008, childrenswear vendors are introducing new style after style, and are already seeing 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 toddlers 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.

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.”

Superfine Fabrics
Cotton takes the cake as the most popular fabric for children’s apparel. Many wholesale childrenswear manufacturers and distributors exclusively use 100% cotton. “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 oz. and 6.5 oz., 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 color garments are the strongest, stripes and polka dots 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. For example,  L.A. T’s Rabbit Skins collection boasts three new organic children’s styles for 2008, including 100% certified organic cotton infant creeper and T-shirt, as well as a toddler T-shirt. “A lot of the people 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.”

Susie McManus is the assistant editor of Impressions magazine. For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail her at smcmanus@impressionsmag.com.