Not a very long ago, kids used to be more about Tom & Jerry and their figments than Suri Cruise & Harper Seven, and their multi-million dollar ladylike world. The toddlers now crawl in designer wear, and preferably the very first step is enveloped in the halo of shimmering stilettoes. Times are changing, so the nouveau independent mommies, and their born-to-socialize kiddos and their chartered fashion flight.
Amidst the new fancies, kids fashion is seriously growing up, that too at an inhumanly pace never seen before. Kidswear buzz is ringing loud around the world which echoes here in India either. Though still in its nascent stage kidswear market is seeing a phenomenal change with an influx of international brands and simultaneous growth of domestic ones where the latest cause celebre is first-ever India Kids Fashion Week, kicking off from January 17, 2012.
Actually, Kids fashion Week is the call of the exponentially growing Indian market, which is estimated to be worth Rs. 30,000 crore. Constituting 15% of overall apparel market, Kidswear is the next big thing in the retail space. “India is one of the biggest emerging market for retail especially fashion and in that space kids wear. I see a huge potential for designer kids wear in India with a growing middle class who has a generous disposable income they want to spend on their homes, lifestyles and mostly importantly now on their kids.”
“Plus, the existing market of the fashion forward rich moms who want to dress up their kids in designer clothes but had nowhere to go except shop internationally till now”, says Designer Payal Singhal, who will be showcasing her recently launched kids line, comprised of little party frocks in bright hues at the upcoming Kids Fashion Week.
Well, the emergence of kids wear can all be attributed to changing lifestyles due to globalization and influence of social media keeping the kids all updated about Hollywood and the trends floating around. Designer Sonya Vajifdar concedes, “Kids these days dress the way they want and are inspired by Hollywood kid icons and want to pick out their own clothes and even make their own style statements. I think now is the best time to start a kids line as not only is it challenging to meet the wants of kids but the market is getting extremely popular either. More and more high-end kid stores are opening and the demand is becoming more as well.”
Now as far as high-end stores are concerned, Indian market is still unorganized, chiefly run by local apparel makers. The branded brigade is only governed by the likes of Lilliput, Kidology, Gini & Jony, Benetton Kids, Zara Kids and Disney. But the scenario seems changing as the organized sector is growing at the rapid rate of 30% per annum. Throwing light on the status quo of Kidswear market in India, Karina Rajpal of Kidology, says, “Customers today are more aware of the options available and have access to products that previously they could only buy overseas. They have developed preferences for brands and have expectations of what these brands deliver and display loyalty towards them.”
She furthers, “With almost 30% of the Indian population under the age of 15, we expect this market to grow at a fast rate in the coming years. The kidswear sector in particular is growing extremely fast with an expected growth of 15-20% within this year itself. The combination of a relatively young demographic with increasing levels of disposable income and smaller families lead us to believe that we will continue to see tremendous growth within this segment. Players who entered this market just 5-6 years back are major names in the industry today. So the drastic changes would be seen in the coming years.”
Designer Payal Singhal seconds Karina Rajpal, who by the way has biggies like Gaurav Gupta, Malini Ramani, Gauri Nainika Karan, Nandita Basu and Maya Nocon designing for Kidology’s upcoming show at India Kids Fashion Week. She says, “I think the kidswear market will evolve in both spaces the mid-range that is affordable to everyone like a pret line by designers and the more high fashion line which will be more expensive which is Yes bought by a lot of people. They have been used to spending anywhere from $50 for a simple designer t-shirt with a logo to $200 for outfits on international designers and in that space too everyone is saturated and looking for more and better.”
On the final notes, the 13-year old youngest Indian designer, Prachi Badvae who is going to design clothes for models in the age of 12 to 14 at the upcoming three-day kids event being held in Mumbai concludes, “I prefer to design for this age because this is the time when kids as well parents are confused whether to wear a dress from kids section or from adult section. I personally believe that Indian kids are fortunate that they have two major options like ethnic as well as western wear. But the only problem is that unlike Western brands, which stick to their sartorial sensibilities, we here unnecessarily give an Indian touch on western wear and end up messing it all.”
