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Burberry| Photo by Burberry |
Top fashion designers are pushing more expensive duds for
the increasingly lucrative affluent toddler demographic. This fall, Oscar de la
Renta, Dolce & Gabbana, and Marni launched collections for the pint-sized.
Luxury stores Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman are expanding their children's areas
to make room for the newcomers, many of them with higher price tags. Late last
year, Gucci, which launched a children's collection two years ago, opened its
first children's store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.
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| Oscar de la renta |
Some designer houses like Oscar de la Renta and Marni say
they're careful to keep the clothes appropriate for kids. But there are plenty
of miniature versions of the adult looks that raise eyebrows because of their
eye-catching prices and sophisticated styles.
Only five years ago, the high-end children's wear business
was dominated by just a few major designers like Ralph Lauren, Burberry and
Christian Dior. But the recent influx of others is the latest sign that
affluent shoppers have gone back to splurging since the recession. And as the
wealthy feel more comfortable about spending again, they increasingly want
their kids to reflect themselves.
Designers, seeking more growth, are now looking at
children's wear as another way to deepen their relationship with their
customers as well as reach out to new ones.
Nordstrom, whose designer kids clothes were limited to a few
names like Burberry and Ralph Lauren, is adding a number of collections for
kids from the likes of Marni, Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney.
Following in the footsteps of Gucci, Italian fashion house
Giorgio Armani will be opening this fall its first U.S. store devoted to
children in Manhattan's Upper East Side. Armani launched its children's
business in the U.S. in 2009.The Armani store, which targets newborns to
teenagers, will feature items priced from $50 to $500.
"Sport has influenced not only the production of
garments that are functional for physical activity, both competitive and
none", says Maria Canella, "but also and above all the definition of
lines, fabrics and combinations that characterize a style that is more and more
widespread with regard to sporty clothing, however used in urban contexts or as
casual wear, therefore beyond the training context".
