Children’s Apparel (Study Guide)

Children’s Apparel Key Concepts ● The impact of demographics on the children’s apparel industry ● The history of the children’s apparel industry ● Size categories of children’s wear ● Unique features of infants’ and toddlers’ wear ● Merchandising and marketing of children’s apparel ● Licensing in the children’s apparel industry ● Industry trends and responses to social issues Psychological Importance of Children’s, Tweens’, and Teens’ Clothes ● Psychologists believe that clothes play an important role in shaping and guiding a child’s self image. They can help to ensure that a child’s appearance will enhance their striving to become mature, self confident adults. Demographics ● The kidswear industry tends to be shaped by demographics. The more children born, the more need for clothing. ● In the 50’s-early 60’s were the baby boomer years. This is the highest population on record. When the boomers all hit the childbearing years in the 80’s, we once again saw an increase in the population. This was not because of the number of children they were having, but by the mere number of women giving birth. ● Besides the increasing # of children, the culture of spending in the 80’s contributed to the success of the children’s apparel market. The number of moms who worked soared and 2 income families generally had more discretionary income. People not only brought more for each child, but they also purchased more expensive pieces than in the past. ● Now the baby boomers are reaching the age of grandparents (50+) and are the top spenders once again in the kids market. Psychological Importance of Children’s, Tweens’, and Teens’ Clothes History of the Children’s Apparel Industry ● For most of history, children were dressed like miniature adults. If you look at old Renaissance paintings you’ll always see kids dressed like their parents. Here’s a painting by Claude Monet from 1875. It’s a portrait of his wife Camille & daughter. ● Uniform: When kids clothes finally began to look different from adult clothes towards the end of the 1800’s, they took on the look of uniforms. All little girls & boys wore similar drab outfits. Clothes were made extra large so children could grow into them and not need to purchase something new. Their construction was sturdy so they could be handed down to younger children. A lot of were hand-sewn at this time. There weren’t many manufacturers producing kids clothes. It also didn’t matter as much what the clothes looked like because a child was not in the position to protest what their parents wanted them to wear. ● Things changed with the revolution of tv and film in the 50’s because kids wanted to emulate who they saw on the screen. From Shirley Temple, the Mickey Mouse Club to Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz. Just like today, our fashion tends to be influenced by our idols. ● Organization and Operation of the Children’s, Tweens’, and Teens’ Apparel Industry ● Today there are over one thousand companies in the US alone producing kidswear. Larger companies like Carters, Healthtex and OshKosh, Children’s Place, still dominate the market, but this category holds the highest amount of smaller family run businesses. ● Many adult clothing companies like Gap, Old Navy and Adidas also carry kids line. ● Like adult companies, children’s wear is divided into categories based on price, size and type of merchandise. ● Children’s clothes are produced by designer, better priced, moderate, and budget ranges. Most children’s clothes bought by parents falls into the moderate – budget level, while better priced to designer tends to be bought by grandparents and as gifts. Special Features for Infants and Toddlers ● Because of the special needs of babies and toddlers, pants and onesies are made with snaps and easy on and off access for diaper changes. Undershirts may also have snaps so they don’t have to be pulled over a baby’s head. The use of elastic at the waist is also common. Designer Kids Wear ● Children’s designer label clothing and accessories are highly visible in stores throughout the country. The appeal of these items seems to rise above income levels. The status of certain labels ● The explosion for this craze first started in the late 70’s-early 80’s when designer jeans were all the rage. Brands like Sergio Valente, Guess Jeans and Jordache all had kids collections. ● Just as in adult clothes, there are different price point levels in children’s designer labels. If Gucci is out of your budget, you might aim for a more affordable designer brand like Guess, Hanna Andersson, Ralph Lauren and Boden . ● Designers have also hopped on board in recent years with the addition of kid’s wear to their collection. In 2010, Gucci started their first kids line. Licensing ● Character licenses: Dominate in the children’s T-shirts, sweatshirts, sleepwear and accessories. While tv and movie characters have a shorter shelf life (with the exception of Star Wars and a few others), classic characters including Disney, Sesame Street, Sanrio (Hello Kitty & Friends), Peanuts, Marvel and DC Comics have proven longevity in their success. ● Sports Licensing: Another prospering area of children’s licenses. Sports figures and teams both have high media visibility and enjoy instant recognition among children and young adults.