Mumma, doll me up!

Rishika Gupta

Gone are the days when mothers would buy oversized clothes for their kids so that they could wear them for three to four years. A dress is now worn on a handful of occasions and parents don’t mind spending hefty amounts on dresses with all nooks and corners of the country equally enthusiastic.

According to web portal indiaretailing.com, the Indian apparel market is witnessing a high growth in the kidswear segment. The market in 2017 was estimated at Rs 66,904 crore accounting for 20 per cent of the total apparel market of the country. The markets are teeming with stores, with the world wide web bringing brands from abroad.

Sakshi, a doctor, who is not practising as of now, says she buys a lot of dresses for her kids. But she never lets go of rationality even when she is splurging. However, while you will often find her kids dressed in the best of garments available, she says she splurges, but knows her limit. “One thing is for sure that I don’t spend a bomb on them as they hardly wear anything more than once or twice.” However, not all are as wise. There are several mothers that we speak to and most don’t rate a Rs 1,000 pair of shoe as costly. And a good dress doesn’t come cheap to them. 

Brands in demand, and supply

The digital world of Instagram is a favourite haunt of mom bloggers who love to share photos of their kiddos in eye-catching dresses that are a delight to the eyes. These little models are sweeping the platform. Instagrammer Christine Aranha from New Delhi is a designer and mother to two girls, Nea and Anouk. Most of her posts feature her daughters and she loves to dress them up like divas in major kidswear brands. She mostly picks brands that are known for quality, styling and value, but also buys locally. However, she feels that as a mompreneur and designer herself, “I must support my fellow designers!”

Online giants Firstcry.com and Hopscotch.com are playing well in the segment. From low to high range of apparels, small brands to big brands, from designer boutiques to personalised orders, there is something for new-age parents from across the spectrum. And mothers from small towns across the region feel spoilt for choice. We speak to some from Barnala in Punjab and they are really disappointed with the quality of clothes available in most of the brick and mortar shops around town. So, online they go, browsing through Amazon, Flipkart, FirstCry; incidentally, the latter last year opened a shop in this town.

designs — as you like it

To satisfy parents’ rising demand for uniqueness, a lot of boutiques are coming to the Indian market. There are customised slogan t-shirts and nightwear and twinning dresses for kids and their parents.

This has also prompted many Indian designers to raise the bar of their creations. They are catering to the needs of buyers not only in India but internationally too. Among them is Jayati Bose, who runs her own label Chotto Golpo, which offers a range of traditional as well as western dresses. She makes use of handwoven sustainable cotton and aims to contribute to the livelihood of Indian farmers by using 100 per cent natural cotton fabrics. The designer, being from the Bengali roots, also designs cute-looking small saris for traditional occasions. “Until a few years ago, there were very few brands catering to the needs of modern moms. As a mom, I felt the need for such a clothing line and became the answer too,” says Jayati.

Boyswear fares better

According to Technopak Analysis, boyswear market enjoys higher sales than girlswear. However, the trend is changing gradually and people have increased spending on the girl child.

Reasoning the rise

• Rise in income levels and more disposable income
• More nuclear families with double income parents
• Foray of international brands in the market
• Rising awareness about branded clothes
• Rapid urbanisation and willingness to spend more on children