Kidswear childsplay for sharp marketers

NATIONAL: The much-anticipated childrenswear explosion has finally hit, but new players will not succeed without smart positioning, marketing and export strategies, according to commentators.
The boom in kidswear is now official, evidenced by a flood of kidswear launches from established adult labels in recent weeks.
These include US brands Ed Hardy, True Religion, 7 For All Mankind, Frankie B, C & C California - all distributed by International Fashion Group (IFG) - as well as New Zealand label Trelise Cooper.
Prominent Australian label Fashionassassin was also set to enter the competitive childrenswear sector with its new kids label Assassino Bambino, but has postponed its plans in order to concentrate on the European and US launch of Fashionassassin apparel and footwear.
Everyone has different theories on what is behind the sector's growth spurts, ranging from the fact women are having babies later in life to the increasing profile of materialistic "celebrity mums".
Australian Exhibitions and Conferences (AEC) managing director Marie Kinsella, whose company runs textile clothing and footwear trade fair Fashion Exposed, confirmed the trend, noting there had been increasing demand from new childrenswear labels eager to exhibit at the event.
Enquiries from new childrenswear labels ready to launch at the fair were now being received on a weekly basis, Kinsella said.
IFG spokesperson Isobel Klempka said a similar boom overseas had led her company to strike while the iron was hot. "We believe the children's market is just starting to expand. . . families are travelling abroad and wanting to obtain items that are available in the US and Europe [and] we are expanding on this.
"This is the fastest growing market worldwide with the dominating brands around the world designing kids' ranges."
However, Promostyl Australasia senior trend agent Deborah Jamieson - who attributed the boom to a marked spike in the birth rate over the past two years - said brands seeking to compete in this category would only succeed by filling a gap in the market with well-priced ranges catering to the upper-end of the market.
"I would say the boutique end of the market could do well overseas, but labels would have to be very careful about putting together a niche marketing campaign and positioning their offer correctly."
Even kidswear brands piggybacking the success of their high profile adult counterparts would "still have to do quite a bit of marketing and build a solid brand profile".
Jamieson said the most successful Australasian kidswear labels had leveraged the southern hemisphere lifestyle to create a unique point of difference.
International Fashion Group managing director David Mendels said the greatest potential for growth in the category lay in the premium designer end of the market.
With couples having children later and women focusing on their careers there is an older family unit with a higher disposable income who wanted to dress their child in the same top quality clothing, Mendels said.
"This phenomenon does not stop here. The successful working mum has friends who also have the disposable incomes to buy the impressive trendy birthday gift."
Trelise Cooper concurred, adding she launched Trelise Cooper Kids last month as a direct result of customer demand.
"I have a had a lot of requests over the years for a girlswear collection and it has always appealed to me because I love that two to eight years old is the age of innocence, imagination, and a magical time. It is a time when children are into colours and fantasy and it is a playground for early feminine fashion. It is also the right time for my brand, and is part of my brand extension plan."
The label - comprising "a total concept in childrenswear from dressy to playwear" - was designed to provide kidswear with a look and style similar to European labels only priced somewhere between a mass brand and a European import.
"Whilst selling this collection through Australasia we had many comments about the collection being as exciting as any European label which was very encouraging to us," Cooper said.
Success stories notwithstanding, labels should hesitate before jumping blindly into the category in order to extend their brand, warned Deborah Jamieson.
"I would say that while kidswear has taken off recently, it's limited and is possibly just a trend. I'd be very hesitant to say it's a long-term boom."