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Luxury Clothes For Kids
By Peck Sara -
Friday, July 16
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Luxury Clothes For Kids
For petite socialites-to-be, a golden teddy bear might be the new status symbol. At least it will be if Gucci has its way. The high-end Italian fashion house unveiled a line of luxury kids' clothes, Gucci for Children, late last month at the Pitti Bimbo children's apparel trade fair in Florence. The spring 2011 collection will include opulent sippy cups, clothing, shoes, accessories and sunglasses for kids ranging in age from infant to 8 years old. All items will bear a golden teddy bear logo.
Gucci isn't the only company that has dived into the baby bracket. Oscar de la Renta announced its children's line in late May, and Dolce & Gabbana has had a "juniors" collection since 2001, when it capitalized on the luxe diaper bag trend. Phillip Lim launched a juniors line in 2007, the same year as Chloe's and John Galliano's forays into kidswear.
Many parents will recoil at the idea of putting designer outfits on their children. "Unless you're a diehard fan of [the brand] it's hard to justify that kind of spending," says independent brand advisor Alycia de Mesa. "It's a stamp of 'I've made it' on your kid."
The price tags aren't likely to make cost-conscious parents any more comfortable. A T-shirt and pajama pants set from D&G Junior retails for $225, and a white eyelet baby dress goes for $135. A pair of Versace Young boys' gray dress pants cost $159. Fendi sells a pastel pink sun hat for babies at $137. Velcro sandals from Roberto Cavalli's kids line retail for more than $100. And at Saks you can buy your little girl a John Galliano pink gazette print bubble dress for $438.
As crazy as it sounds, retailers aren't nuts to charge triple digits for baby clothes. Even while the apparel industry struggles (recent government statistics show a 3.7% drop in apparel sales in 2010), luxury spending has been gaining since January, according to MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, which tracks national retail and service sales. High-end retailers raked in $4.05 billion so far this year, up 14.3% from 2008.
"This is the perfect time to do this kind of thing," says Greg Furman, president of the Luxury Marketing Council, an organization of executives from major luxury goods and services companies. "There's a lot more resilience in the luxury market right now. ... I think luxury spending will continue to rebound." With the evaporation of "aspiration" buyers (those with incomes between $250,000 and $500,000) in the recession, Furman says luxury retailers are wise to "play into the existing customer base" while building popular buzz and attracting new customers--including children.
That's especially important for a brand like Gucci, which has rebuilt itself following a 1990s sales slump to become the premier Italian fashion house. The Gucci label pulled in $2.79 billion in revenue in 2009, outperforming other labels owned by parent company Gucci Group, including Bottega Veneta ($496 million) and Yves Saint Laurent ($293 million). In the first quarter of 2010 Gucci Group reported a sales increase of 4.7%, attributing its success in part to increased online sales. That's a departure from other luxury brands, which tend to focus on brick-and-mortar-store sales and on delivering the in-store experience.
As Gucci evolves, children's clothes may be an important way to get new customers hooked. "They're hoping that parents will be loyal to the brand and that their children will become the next generation of consumers," says de Mesa. And what about the concerns of parents who think it's nuts to spend hundreds of dollars on clothes their kids may grow out of in a couple of months? "I think spending on your children is a guilt-free purchase," says Helen Job, director of youth culture for Stylesight, a trend forecasting company. Kids' clothes, she says, "are a more accessible entry point into a brand." In Pictures: Luxury Clothes For Kids
If you liked this story, you might also enjoy: Celebrity Fashion Lines The World's Most Stylish Cities Complete Coverage: Forbes Style And Fashion
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