Retail pointers

Childrenswear has been going from strength to strength in the retail sector in recent years, and seems to be bearing up reasonably well under current financial conditions. John Lewis recorded a four per cent rise in its fashion sales over the recent festive period on the year previously. Part of this was attributed to its childrenswear, which the store has recently updated with UK brands Joule, Fat Face and Jigsaw as key suppliers. Mothercare has recently teamed up with celebrity mum Myleene Klass to launch Baby K, a range of baby clothes and accessories from 0-3 years of age. And while kids clothes retailer Adams went into administration late last year, the company has just been bought back by a former owner John Shannon, who clearly believes the brand still has a lot to offer.

All fairly positive, you might think - but as with any market, the changing needs and requirements of its customer base need to be firmly borne in mind. As any parent knows, buying clothes for children is a completely different kettle of fish to buying for adults. For a start, adults are unlikely to grow out of their trousers in six months' time; nor are they likely to be using their jacket as a rope in an impromptu game of tug-o-war.

Back to basics

While the trend in retail has in recent years, focused on fashion as well as function, the fact remains that when a pre-teen wears an item of clothing, there will almost certainly have been parental as well as personal input into that choice of garment. A child's choice of clothing will be inspired by a TV programme, character or particular colour, but the parent's choice (ie the person holding the purse strings) will be guided by a number of other factors, including safety, durability, practicality, price, and in a growing number of cases, ethical/environmental credibility. Suppliers have to please the parents as well as the child, and when it comes to babywear, the choice is made entirely by the parent. So it helps to bear in mind the concerns that are likely to affect parent's decisions in choosing clothing for their children.

Safety

Safety is a particularly important aspect of childrenswear. There are safety standards and regulations which suppliers need to be aware of which, if breached, leave them vulnerable to the embarrassment of having to recall a product, or worse, being held liable in an accident involving the supplied clothing. According to BERR, the UK's department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, "almost all products recalled are childrenswear rather than adultwear." The BERR website has a Quick Facts page on the matter at http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consumers/factsheets/page38073.html and in addition, the Printwear and Promotion website has an interview with clothing expert and consultant Sue Bolton, who very helpfully clarifies many of the questions surrounding current standards:

The National Childrenswear Association (www.ncwa.co.uk) also offers advice and up-to-date information regarding safety standards. Other helpful websites on this matter include the British Standards site www.bsonline.bsi-global.com and the Oeko Tex site at www.oeko-tex.com

Durability

Durability is another key concern for parents. Despite the fact that children grow out of clothes quickly, the clothes, while they are worn, are put through tough paces by their owners - jumpers are often left in a heap on the floor when it's too hot to wear them, and it's not unusual for a mother to unpack a scrunched-up sweatshirt drenched in orange squash from their beloved offspring's school bag. And babywear, while less likely to be involved in roughand- tumble, is more likely to be soaked with all manner of fluids and therefore has to be able to stand up to constant washing and stain removal processes (it's well-known to parents of babies and toddlers just how difficult pureed food is to get out of their little ones' clothes).

Practicality

Childrenswear also needs to be practical. It's going to be one bored housewife who would actively want to spend much, if any, time ironing their little ones' clothes, or mending fabric holes and tears. There are many fabrics on the market to help these aspects and more - modern synthetic fabrics such as polar fleece boast of being both hardwearing, quickdrying and crease free.

Price

Price is another important concern for parents. While designer brands can happily charge the earth for trendy childrenswear, the vast majority of childrenswear brands are competitively priced as mums try to make their children's clothing budget stretch as far as it can go.

Key trends and developing markets

The gift market can perhaps afford a little luxury, however. According to Katie Stewart, "offering a slightly different product that appeals not only to the brand promotion market but also to the gifts and tourist industry," is a key trend in promotional childrenswear. You can see evidence of this on some of the online retail websites that offer personalised baby and childrenswear. The arrival of a new baby or sibling inspires a whole range of tiny t-shirts emblazoned with ‘Bobby Rocks!', ‘Daddy's Deputy' or ‘Big Brother' which make perfect gift items.

Sportswear is a market which is unlikely to diminish in the foreseeable, especially as the build up to the Olympics continues apace. Kids are unlikely to stop playing football, and sports clubs are still going to want branded kit to make their players feel part of the team. Luckily there are a number of brands, such as Phase One and Kustom Kit offering tracksuits, jog pants, baseball caps and sports bags, all in children's sizes.

Other emerging markets include preschoolwear. With the government seeking to increase nursery places, this is a market that looks set to grow. "Baby, toddler and preschool markets are becoming an increased promotional opportunity with limited product offer in our market place. This we see as a good growth market in the future," comments Katie Stewart. With this in mind, Larkwood has just launched a painters smock, aimed at nursery and pre school groups. A number of other brands aiming fairly and squarely at the nursery and preschool markets include Mantis's Baby Bugz and UKL's Spotty Dog ranges.

Green concerns

In these cases, quality, ethical and environmental concerns can become just as important as price. Nappyhead.co.uk, an online supplier of custom-printed babywear, states in its ‘About Us' section: "We have invested a great deal of time and energy sourcing a factory who understands the value of ethical trading, which is very close to our heart. Our products are ethically produced, ensuring no child/prison labour, a safe environmentally friendly working environment, and most importantly payment above the minimum wage." Nurseries, particularly those run by local councils, are also likely to have a firm ethical stance when it comes to purchasing its promotional merchandise.

Natural fibres, such as cotton, are popular and the chemical construction of the garment is another concern, as no parent would want their child wearing garments that have been near toxic substances. The Nappyhead website states: "No harmful chemicals are used at any point in the production process." To meet these concerns, organic cotton products are available. For example, several Babybugz styles feature in Mantis's new 'Tender Loving Clothing' (TLC) Collection, which are made from 100% certified organic, combed cotton which has been processed without the use of chemicals or dyes, making it popular with ecoconscious parents and children alike.

As Katie Stewart points out, "apparently there is always a baby boom during a recession." So as long as the specific needs and concerns of customers are taken into account, childrenswear is a market that garment decorators could ignore at their peril.

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