SPOTLIGHTING THE LATEST PROMOTIONAL CLOTHING STYLES EYE on APPAREL CHILDREN’S APPAREL IS AN EVER-EVOLVING SEGMENT THAT CONTINUES TO GROW. By Audrey Sellers MAY 2011 PPB XX FROM THE CRADLE TO THE CLASSROOM, children have specific apparel needs. Newborns require socks, hats and one-piece garments that are soft on their delicate skin. Toddlers need durable pants and shirts that can withstand crawling and climbing. And school-age tots are best suited for easy-wear apparel that’s free of excess but- tons and zippers. Savvy distributors know these small garments present big opportunities. Consider these statistics: More than four million babies are born every year in the U.S., accord- ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and children ages 0-17 comprise 23.1 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Hospitals, birthing centers, preschools and daycare centers are ideal markets for children’s apparel. Here’s a round-up of pint-sized garments that could work for any client hoping to reach parents or the youth demographic. Audrey Sellers is an associate editor for PPB. Stylishly Soft The Bella Fine Jersey Crewneck Tee is soft to the touch and right on trend, made from 100-percent baby jersey knit fabric and offered in a kid-friendly color palette. It’s designed with shoulder taping and side seaming, ensuring it will become a long-lasting favorite. Staton Corporate and Casual UPIC: STAT0001 800-950-6611 www.statononline.com Forever Young
Transcript
S P O T L I G H T I N G T H E L AT E S T P R OMO T I O N A L C LO T H I N G S T Y L E S
EYEonAPPAREL
CHILDREN’S APPAREL IS AN EVER-EVOLVINGSEGMENT THAT CONTINUES TO GROW.
By Audrey Sellers
M AY 2 0 1 1 P P B XX
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE CLASSROOM, childrenhave specific apparel needs. Newborns require socks, hatsand one-piece garments that are soft on their delicateskin. Toddlers need durable pants and shirts that canwithstand crawling and climbing. And school-age tots arebest suited for easy-wear apparel that’s free of excess but-tons and zippers. Savvy distributors know these small garments present
big opportunities. Consider these statistics: More thanfour million babies are born every year in the U.S., accord-ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,and children ages 0-17 comprise 23.1 percent of the U.S.population, according to the Federal Interagency Forumon Child and Family Statistics. Hospitals, birthing centers, preschools and daycare
centers are ideal markets for children’s apparel. Here’s around-up of pint-sized garments that could work for anyclient hoping to reach parents or the youth demographic.
Audrey Sellers is an associate editor for PPB.
Stylishly SoftThe Bella Fine Jersey Crewneck Tee is soft to the touch and right on trend,
made from 100-percent baby jersey knit fabric and offered in a kid-friendly
color palette. It’s designed with shoulder taping and side seaming, ensuring it
Polished PolosPerfect for school uniforms, the Outer Banks® Essential Blended
Youth Piqué Polos are made from an easy-care blend of cotton and
polyester that won’t wrinkle or shrink. The plackets are side-seamed
with even-finished vents, and the fabric is lightweight, yet resilient.
Look for a two-button placket with white pearl buttons on the youth
polo and a slightly tapered waist on the girls’ version.
Hanes/Champion/Outer Banks
UPIC: hanesob
800-685-7557
www.hanesbullseye.com
IT WON’T BE LONG BEFORE CHILDREN’S WARDROBES aretrendier than their parents’. At least that’s what the experts atStylesight, a provider of trends, tools and technology for the fash-ion and style industry, say. Read on to gain some insight fromStylesight’s children’s editor, Khaylm Schell.
How have children’s garments changed over the last 10 years?Children’s clothing is right on the heels of trendy women’s and
men’s fashion. Over the last decade we’ve seen children’s clothingevolve from onesies and denim overalls to Sgt. Pepper jackets andskinny jeans. Designer brands such as Marc Jacobs and StellaMcCartney are scaling down their adult collections for kids, andmini-me brands such as Munster and Finger in the Nose kids’clothes are simply cooler than they were 10 years ago.
What’s the biggest trend in youth apparel now? Gender-neutral apparel is the new buzz in children’s wear.
Because of famous child celebrity tomboys such as Shiloh Pitt,we’ve seen the women’s wear girl-meets-boy trend of boyfriendjeans and baggy sweats quickly move into children’s wear.Clothing brands are responding to new gender rules and creatingcollections with unisex silhouettes, color palettes and prints thatboys and girls can feel equally comfortable in.
Is youth clothing a growing market? In the waning economy, children’s wear continued to grow
because parents don’t mind splurging on their kids. Parents wantto live vicariously through their kids by dressing them up in fash-ionable clothing. When parents can’t afford Gucci for themselves,they’ll buy Gucci for their kids guilt-free. Fashion labels such asPhilip Lim, Henrik Vibskov, Commes des Garcon and Gucci haveall created kids’ collections to satisfy style-minded parents, a signthe market is growing.
Do parents tend to buy children’s apparel that mirrors theirown personal style? Within the past few years, mini-me labels have been on the
rise because moms like to live vicariously through their children’swardrobes. Moms are also getting a kick out of photographingtheir children in mini-me looks for new blogs such as PlanetAwesome Kid and Mini Hipster, [which are] dedicated to chil-dren’s style.
What do parents look for when purchasing youth apparel? With children becoming freer to express and dress them-
selves, most parents buy clothing that their kids like. Kids haveincreasingly become more style independent and parents areallowing their children the freedom to dress themselves. Moreoften you’ll see a child wearing a tutu or a Superman cape for atrip to the grocery store.
