Not Just Playing Around
We've got the latest kidswear styles, up-to-the-minute decoration ideas and
real-world examples of decorators who are successfully imitating hot celebrity styles.
By Shane Dale
On Abagail, a toddler short-sleeve crew T-shirt (RA2061-W) in pink from Royal Apparel (asi/83731); a youth hoodie (3346) in light pink from LA T Sportswear (asi/65948); and a kids’ cotton/spandex jersey wide-waistband skirt (8153) in lavender from American Apparel (asi/35297).
Gwen Stefani, Stella McCartney and even Charlie Sheen have launched kids' apparel lines – and you can bet there are lots of kids asking for Harajuku Lovers tees and jackets. In the decorated-apparel world, younger buyers and opinionated end-users are influencing the apparel styles, colors and decoration that you sell.
Ryan Strayer, president of consultancy Children's Fashion Marketing, says the whole idea of what apparel for infants, toddlers and young children should look like has been turned on its head in less than a decade. "Six or seven years ago, most children's apparel lines consisted of pastel-colored fabrics featuring animals and cartoon characters," he says. "Now, many new children's apparel lines are influenced by young-adult styles and designs. Parents are now using their children as an extension of their own tastes and dressing them with more style and attitude."
In order for decorators to capture more business with this trend, it's essential that they keep pace with the newest decorating techniques. "The old-school print presses won't do the job for many of the new styles," Strayer says.
Celebrity clothing lines and pop culture in general are having a massive influence on kidswear – even clothing for infants and toddlers – due to the availability of the Internet and hundreds of television channels, says Anna Johnson, owner of Phoenix-based Super Embroidery & Screenprinting (asi/339634). "In the old days, people didn't watch as much TV. They had four channels," she says. "Now, celebrities are in your face all the time. You have all these celebrity and reality shows."
Pop Culture Influence
When it comes to apparel for young children, there's more competition in the decorating industry now than ever before, according to Andy Shuman, general manager of Topton, PA-based Rockland Embroidery Inc. (asi/734150). "There's a larger pool of people who are very good at art and design than there's ever been," he says. "You see much more glitz and glamour, both on the retail and the promotional side. Kids want to follow the pop idol, whether it's Miley Cyrus or whoever. When they come out with their own retail brands, it certainly drives our industry."
But, while retail clothing lines might appeal to kids and their parents, retail prices might not. "What customers see in a retail line that's associated with pop culture, it's not always affordable," Shuman says. That's where the mom-and-pop decorating shop can gain an advantage.
Jessica Akers, owner of Napa, CA-based Kayden Grace Designs, agrees that many consumers aren't interested in paying a lot for an article of clothing for their kids that everyone else already has. "They don't want to pay $80 for a pettiskirt when all their daughter's friends also have one," she says.
But Akers cautions decorators about being overeager to cash in on individual kidswear trends. "When small-business owners attempt to build their business on a trend, they run the risk that, by the time they're up and running, they're one of many others who are also competing for a piece of the celebrity-driven pie, thus driving down the potential profit," she says. "Big retailers will always have the edge because they have the funds and the connections to get an idea from conception to reality and on the shelves in an impressive amount of time."
On Cole, a 100% cotton Gildan Ultra Cotton Youth T-Shirt (GILD2000B) with a rib-knit neck, taped neck and shoulder seams, and double-needle stitching from Vantage Apparel (asi/93390).
In order to get a leg up on the big boys, decorators need to understand the reasoning behind the trends, Akers says. "I see too many small retailers trying to follow the current trend, and they may see short-term success, but once the product becomes a commodity instead of an asset, that's when we see designers and small businesses going out of business," she says.
"Let's take the current trends," Akers says. "For example, for children's clothing currently, we're seeing a lot of pettiskirts and bling. We're also seeing an increasing number of retailers and small manufacturers who are jumping on this trend, whereas six years ago, there was only one pettiskirt manufacturer to contend with. The market has become saturated."
The only way, then, for decorators to compete in a fully saturated market is to change it up and offer something that the retail stores don't, Akers says. "Why will a consumer be driven to buy one pettiskirt over another? A pink pettiskirt is a pink pettiskirt," she says. "Now, if you were to change the fabrics – offer something the others don't, such as a silk waistband instead of the standard satin – you have a chance at setting yourself apart and becoming successful, while demanding a premium for your product."
This is the unique selling proposition (USP) that decorators must discover in order to compete in today's kidswear world, Akers says. "What is it about their product that sets it apart from all others?" she says. "If it's different, and he or she can market it as different, the consumer will agree and want a piece of it. Of course, that requires the ability to market the product." She points out that it's not enough to just develop or create a product; one has to convince the consumer that they need it. "What can your product do that no other can? Is it the originality? The versatility? Find that USP and sell it," she says.
Smart Selling and Marketing
One of the keys to successful kidswear marketing on the pop-culture front is an ability to master decorating techniques that are in high demand, Strayer says – including discharge printing, water-based printing, all-over printing and foil transfers. "Traditional screen printing is not as impactful or stylish unless your focus is on camps or schools," he says.
But, since decorating trends change all the time, Akers says decorators must plan long-term by doing research on whatever kids' market they would like to crack. "If you don't know your market or your competition, you could end up with bolts of fabric and boxes of designs, with no one to buy your finished product," she says.
On Juliet, a ruffle dress (4602) in lilac from S & S Activewear (asi/84358)
The best way to research a potential market is to network, Akers says. "By making connections with those already in the industry, you can get tips and feedback as far as what it is they're seeing in trends, and even ideas about what price point you want to meet," she says. Decorators should network with industry insiders to learn what the hot design themes are for the upcoming season.
Participating in forums and online groups is a great way to network, Akers suggests. "Chances are, those you network with will also be some of your first customers," she says.
Niches and Custom Lines
As a manufacturer of a custom children's line, Akers can attest that a custom line is very beneficial to her business. "Even in this economy, people will spend money on their children," she says. "The designer has to have a strategic vision and plan for his or her design in order to be successful."
According to Akers, decorators should ask themselves the following questions prior to creating a custom kidswear line: Who's going to buy this product? What am I going to charge for this product? What will it cost me to make this product? How am I going to get this product in the market?
One of the most profitable niches in the kidswear market right now is swimwear, according to Ed Gulbenkian, CEO of Gulbenkian Swim Inc. (asi/58650). He says that the demand for reusable swim diapers for infants and toddlers has exploded recently, along with neoprene cover-ups and silicone bathing caps, which is a reflection on parents wanting to keep their kids warm in the water. "Eighty-five percent of the heat of the body escapes from the head, so consequently, when you wear a silicone bathing cap, you stay warmer, just like when you wear a baseball cap in the winter," he says.
Team swimwear for babies has also taken off, Gulbenkian says. "We sell those to a lot of swim schools, either through an apparel distributor or decorator, or directly to them at a higher price," he says. "They're being printed with the swim school's name on it. It's a phenomenal advertising vehicle. There's nothing cuter than a little baby walking or crawling around with the swim school name on its butt."
On Tristian, a 100% cotton Gildan Ultra Cotton Youth T-Shirt (GILD2000B) with a rib-knit neck, taped neck and shoulder seams, and double-needle stitching from Vantage Apparel (asi/93390); and boys’ flat-front pants (56-062) from Dickies Occupational Wear (asi/49675)
Johnson says decorators may be able to cash in by selling identical colored and embellished garments for children and adults, as apparel for infants and toddlers that matches the parents' clothing is very popular at the moment. "They're ordering a lot of the adult shirts that look a lot like the little baby shirts," she says.
Another competitive advantage for smaller decorators in the kidswear industry is personalization, which is something that customers can't get at retail shops, according to Patricia English, owner of Livingston, TN-based Juniper Trail Embroidery and part of an online decorating network that keeps her apprised of the latest kidswear trends. "I see quite a few online shops selling basic clothing that is personalized with embroidery," she says. "I see cloth jumpers for girls and overalls for boys with their names on the front. For babies, I see diaper covers with a small design or name on the bottom. I've done baby blankets with a neat postage-stamp design where I fill in the date, time, weight, place of birth and name. Personalized burp cloths made of cloth diapers are also popular."
It's that personal touch that will be the hallmark of successful kidswear decorators in the coming years, Akers says. "The consumer expects something more from small retailers than they can get from the big retailers," she says. "Personalization is a great way to meet that need. Parents are shameless promoters of their own children – I, too, am guilty – and what better way to promote your child's individuality than with personalization to guarantee they have something no one else has?"
Safety Concerns
When it comes to apparel for young children, there are two main safety concerns among decorators: flame-retardant clothing and inks that include phthalate.
The latter, which is a chemical that is added to plastics to increase their durability and flexibility, are crucial for decorators to pay attention to, says Stan Baca, screen-print manager of Super Embroidery & Screenprinting. "Very, very small amounts of phthalate are in all plastic resins," he says. "What the regulation stems from is, over in China, there were some imported baby products that all had phthalate and lead in them. So, now our government says that any apparel for children under the age of 12 has to be phthalate-free."
On Abagail, a girls' vintage-wash beater tank (0385-000) in cactus and gaucho capri pants (0361-000) in brown from Kavio! (asi/64152).
The federal law isn't scheduled to go into effect until February, Baca says, which gives decorators time to find an alternative. "There are a number of companies that are creating non-phthalate inks," he says. "They cost about the same and work about the same. What that's going to require, though, is a lot of testing. The ink companies are trying to create standard MSDS sheets so we can say, 'Yeah, we use non-phthalate inks, and here are our testing results right here.' "
But even with phthalate-free inks, Baca cautions that decorators will still have to be very careful. "The issue is, if you use a regular plastisol ink with any plastic equipment like a spatula – if you put it into a phthalate-free plastisol, you're going to contaminate that ink," he says.
Baca recommends that decorators go to the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association's website (www.SGIA.org) to learn more about this impending legislation. "The law is nothing to be afraid of, but the government's going to order it," he says.
Laws regarding flame-retardant children's clothing, on the other hand, are very obscure and often confusing, says Fred Lebow, founder of Lebow Consulting. However, since there are no fabrics that are 100% flame-retardant, he recommends using one or two different stabilizers on kidswear. "One of the specs for backings is that it must be flame-retardant and support a 90-degree burn test without flames," he says. "In other words, hold the stabilizer at a 90-degree angle above a flame. A candle will suffice. It must not catch fire or support a flame."
Lebow Consulting makes a melt-blown polypropylene tearaway with small, perforated holes (known as Easy Stitch) for its children's apparel, along with several other stabilizers that will help kidswear pass the flame-retardant test. "I always tell people to use the no-show nylon mesh with a tearaway behind it for added stability," Lebow says. "You won't see it and you won't feel it. We also make a backing called Cloud Cover Stitch, which is used to cover the back of scratchy embroidery. However, we strongly suggest that embroiderers perform their own tests or check on the latest childrenswear flame-retardant specs."
SHANE DALE is a contributing writer for Stitches.