NEW YORK — With the arrival of market week, children’s wear buyers are busy walking the floors of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center here for ENK International’s Children’s Club trade show. That show and Bubble, being held at 601 West 26th Street, end their three-day runs Tuesday. Vendors say they have a slew of new items to help tempt buyers.
Here, a look at several young businesses that are on the move:
Related Articles
Pink Chicken
When Stacey Fraser decided to leave her post as senior vice president at Old Navy a year and a half ago, she knew she was ready to leave corporate life behind. Over the course of 15 years, she had held senior positions at some of the industry’s largest companies, including Tommy Hilfiger, Baby Gap and Ralph Lauren.
“I just knew I was ready for something new,” she said, “and this line sort of just happened naturally after I started designing clothes for my own daughters.”
Pink Chicken, a name picked by her five-year-old daughter, Belle, was just launched at retail and sells in only 10 specialty doors, one of which is Scoop Kids. The spring collection consists of a variety of contemporary floral printed dresses, diaper covers and bibs, but for fall, which Fraser is presenting at Bubble now, the line has been expanded with sweaters, jackets and blouses. All styles are named after people in Fraser’s life — the Sadie dress is named after her almost two-year-old daughter, there’s the Belle dress, the Sasha dress is named after Belle’s best friend, and there’s even the Ana dress, named after Fraser’s close friend. The line wholesales from $14 to $60.
Fraser said she hoped to expand the line to include newborn sizes; it now comes in sizes 12 to 24 months. She would also like to add a boys’ collection, but that could take some time.
“For now, I like keeping it small,” she stressed. “Sadie is my fit model, so everything works out well — until, of course, she grows out of the clothes.”
You May Also Like
Danskin
Known for its performance dancewear, Danskin is starting a full girls’ activewear line for fall.
The Danskin girls’ line, being launched now at Children’s Club, ranges from sizes 7 to 16 and consists of hooded windbreakers, cotton Lycra mesh shorts and pants, graphic T-shirts, jumpers, leggings and skirts.
“There’s a big opportunity for feminine activewear for kids,” said Carol Hochman, chief executive officer at Danskin. “There’s been a great increase in girls’ sports and they need performance-oriented clothing that they like to wear.”
Wholesaling from $12.50 to $21, the Danskin girls’ line has been picked up by a range of retailers, including Lord & Taylor and Paragon Sports. Overall, the collection will be launched in about 200 doors nationwide, Hochman said.
Lola et Moi
Finding high-end, colorful children’s clothing just got a little easier — especially since Lola et Moi, a Beirut, Lebanon, children’s wear brand, was launched in the U.S. for wholesale this spring.
Showing at the Children’s Club, the brand, which operates several stores throughout the Middle East and Europe, will also open its first freestanding unit in the U.S. this month, at 238 1/2 South Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. The 950-square-foot store will be modeled after freestanding Lola et Moi boutiques in London and Paris. Full of color and playful, nostalgic childhood spirit, the store will exude the brand’s identity with retro patterns and feminine charm. The new Beverly Hills boutique will house the entire collection, for girls ages six months to 12 years, from smock dresses with whimsical adornments to vintage-look coats, as well as handcrafted accessories and novelty gifts.
“We first launched the collection in the U.S. at the Children’s Club show last year,” said Sherine Taher, a partner running the Lola et Moi business in the U.S. “We had a great response, and I think people already know the clothes from seeing them in Europe.”
Taher said the line received praise from buyers at the last Children’s Club, and this had made her confident that growth would happen quickly; 40 to 50 stores are planned in the U.S. in the next few years.
The Lola et Moi line wholesales from $10 for a T-shirt to $175 for a hand-embroidered coat.
Puella Petit
Longtime friends Sarah Woodward Becker and Sarah Cius, co-owners of contemporary brand Puella, based in Los Angeles, have introduced Puella Petit, showing at the Children’s Club. The line is for infant and toddler girls featuring vintage-look prints borrowed from the women’s collection.
Puella Petit, which translates as “little girl” from French (“petite”) and Latin (“puella”), made its debut in January with printed cotton voile and jersey dresses, leggings, onesies, tunics and tops sizes from three months to 3T. Wholesale prices range from $14 for a tank top to $30 for a dress. Like the Puella line, the kids’ collection uses original, proprietary prints.
“We saw a void in the market for cute printed daywear items,” Becker said. “After receiving praise for our women’s collection, we felt that a lot of the prints and designs could lend themselves to the kids’ market.” The grown-up Puella, which bowed in 2003, is sold in stores such as Barneys New York and Ron Herman.
The kid’s collection takes the ubiquitous “mini-me” trend — dressing kids as though they were small adults — to the next level by offering matching mother-daughter drawstring dresses. “We like the idea of matching mom and baby designs,” Becker said. “It’s cute to have the same style. We think it’s a trend that the market will continue to see.”
The collection has been picked up by California specialty stores such as Delilah Crown in San Francisco, Bambini in Laguna Beach, Dragonfly DuLou in Los Feliz and Erica Dee Kids in Corona del Mar. Becker and Cius said they hoped to reach $200,000 in wholesale revenues in 2007.
— With contributions from Janel Molton, Los Angeles