Born with a brand

Divisha Saran

The spotlight falls on a diminutive figure in a short-sleeved dress sparkling with sequins. As she sashays down the catwalk, there is a collective applause from potential buyers, socialites and fashion critics gathered for the occasion. Interestingly, she isn’t a top model or a celebrity showstopper. She is a young model, not more than 12 years of age, followed on the ramp by as fashionably dressed-up boys and girls of around the same age, who strut the latest styles of children’s fashion.

Wardrobe essentials

Welcome to the world of children’s designer attire and accessories! The children’s stuff is now being fast elevated from a fashion understudy to a wardrobe essential. Seeing the rising trend, designers from all around the world are coming out with a variety of new themes for children aged between four and 16. The collections are redefining the way youngsters dress up. Almost every high-end fashion label, including names like Gucci, Fendi, Stella McCartney, Moncler, Burberry and more, have moved into the expanding world of children’s designer wear and accessories.

With an estimated turnover of over Rs 6,500 crore worldwide, children’s designer wear and accessories’ market is witnessing a boom like never before. There is an ever-increasing list of labels catering to this segment. From Baby Dior to Armani Junior, Gap Kids, Ralph Lauren Children, Little Marc Jacobs, Junior Gaultier, Munster Baby, Electrik Kidz to Little Giraffe, these brands are mirroring children’s love for fashion.

One step up

What a lot of fashion labels are offering are an array of fashionable attire and accessories that could rival the fashion options for adults. T-shirt, tonal-knit, luxury fabrics, twin-sweater sets, caps, shoes, bags, jewellery, belts, watches, babiators (baby aviators), teddy socks and a host of other options are now available both at leading designer and online stores. A recent survey shows that children of fashion-conscious parents usually get their first designer label before the age of two. Once these children start growing up, they begin acquiring high-street footwear, watches, sunglasses, precious jewellery and of course clothes. Most of the noted designers have a wide variety of stuff for the newborns. These could include a Burberry Beige Nova-Check diaper bag, an Armani Junior logo set of towels, Ralph Lauren’s cable-knit booties and mittens, Dolce and Gabbana’s rompers, an Aston Martin silver-cross stroller and a Swarovski-bejewelled milk bottle. The fad for designer labels is easy to explain. People like to dress up well to look young. As far as kids go, the reverse is true. They like to look older than their age.

Cost no bar

As with all good things, one has to pay big bucks for good brands. An Armani girl’s dress can cost more than Rs 40,000, a Brooks Brothers boy’s blazer would come for around Rs 15,000, a Salvatore Ferragamo belt costs Rs 13,000, a Dolce and Gabbana canvas leather bag can cost Rs 35,000. Designers say that these are made for niche buyers who don’t blink an eye paying a hefty amount for an exclusive designer label. But global labels are not just looking at making huge profits. There is also a shrewd marketing exercise underway. The real aim of these frontline fashion labels is to build a generation of new customers. A pre-teen girl who wears a pair of Dior sandals might in a few years time be flaunting a Dior lambskin handbag or a young boy who wears a Ralph Lauren chinos will most probably wear the brand’s suit when he grows up.

High-pitched advertising campaigns that are designed to lure parents are giving a huge boost to sale of children’s labels. Some years ago, Gucci launched an ad campaign featuring Jennifer Lopez and her twins frolicking on a beach. Such was the impact of the campaign that the entire collection aimed at children between two and eight years that had items costing between Rs 3,000 and going all the way up to Rs 2.13 lakh sold out within days.

In fact, two years ago when London played host to the First Global Kids’ Fashion Week, it generated extreme sentiments. Conventional parents were appalled that children were being exposed to such materialism, while a large number of people hailed the event and hoped that it would start a new fashion revolution. Revolution or not, it is a fact that there is a growing acceptance of fashion for children.