Luxury's next big thing: Children's wear
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Some may argue that children today are growing up far too fast - but for savvy fashion companies this is a shift which can be translated into growing sales. Collaborations with retail giants such as Disney have long since paved the way for many fashion retailers, including the likes of Dior, one of the first luxury retailers to launch their own children's wear lines, leading to the rise of children's wear.
The children's wear market is currently growing at a faster rate than ever before, driven by the increasing demand of mini versions of adult trends and styles, including activewear and bomber jackets. Mini-me fashion has never been hotter than before, according to new data from retail analytics firm EDITED, as children are becoming more aware of fashion at a younger age and making fashion decision for themselves."Children’s fashion is becoming more like adult fashion. We’re seeing success on styles similar to women’s and menswear," commented Shamiran Michael, Kidswear E-commerce Merchandiser at River Island.
Average prices for children's wear grow 29 percent
"These days parents want their children to look more mature and cool. That’s conveyed through Mini Me best sellers." A number of luxury retailers have been fast to tap into the Mini Me trend and launch collections which closely resemble their womenswear or menswear collections. For example. Dolce & Gabbana developed an eveningwear capsule collection for mothers and daughters, named "Like Mother Like Daughter: Partytime" which features matching dresses and celebrated the bond between the two by sending mothers and daughters in matching outfits down the catwalk in its autumn/winter 2015 catwalk show.
Other luxury fashion brands, such as French fashion house Balmain, have looked to the emergence of child fashion icons, such as Kim Kardashian West's daughter North, as a source of inspiration for their own collection. Creative director Olivier Rousteing previously announced the launch of fashion house's debut children's wear line on his personal Instagram account earlier this year, which heavily features many of the womenswear and menswear design touches.
However, at the moment, Burberry, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Fendi and Moncler remain the most stocked luxury brands in childrenswear. In 2015 the children's wear market was valued at 5.8 billion pounds, according to data from Euromonitor, a market which is poised to offer sizeable returns for retailers able to navigate its waters. According to data from EDITED, the children's wear market grew by 2 percent within the 20 largest childrenswear retailers over the past three months (April 15 to July 15, 2016) in comparison to the same period in 2015.
But, this sudden boost in children's wear has not occurred in total isolation. In fact, it has led to a increase in average prices for children's wear according to EDITED children's wear tool. Over the last three months, the UK childrenswear market’s average price has grown 28.6 percent over the same period in 2015 to hit 49 pounds, with the average price for a pair of children's shoes coming in at 51 pounds and average price of a t-shirt at 26 pounds. Nevertheless, for luxury fashion houses, the average price of these items is more than double the market average - with the average price of a pair of luxury children's wear shoes being 131 pounds and a luxury t-shirt 60 pounds.
Another big trend for children's wear - as well as adult fashion for that matter - remains active wear. In the US and UK, childrens' activewear, which includes printed leggings, motif sweaters and sneakers, has seen a 27 percent increase in new arrivals over the last three months in comparison to the same period last year. In comparison, adult activewear has seen a 20 percent boost in new arrivals in the same period. In addition, childrens’ bomber jackets have grown by 263 percent, more than twice the 93 percent growth in adult lines during the same timeframe. Other styles, such as cold-shoulder tops and dresses have also seen huge growth spurts; childrenswear was up 120 percent, following the lead of adult lines, which were up 237 percent.
Photos: Dolce & Gabbana website
Infographic: EDITED