NO SEX PLEASE Woolies ditches provocative kids' clothes
Retailer pulls back on provocative clothing after study shows kids just want comfort
MOCK leather, black lace, sheer blouses — these items are more likely to conjure images of Rihanna or Kim Kardashian than the average seven-year-old South African girl.
Yet the racks of clothing stores for the seven- to 16-yearold group feature mock leather miniskirts and leggings, black lace tops, diamanté-encrusted sheer blouses and animal-print dresses with padded bra tops.
Midriff-bearing crop tops dominate the racks, and slogans such as “#Whatever”, “Girls just wanna have funds” and “I speak fluent sarcasm” abound.
At least one major clothing retailer is pulling back on provocative, age-inappropriate girlswear to appease concerned parents.
The move comes hot on the heels of new research on kidswear, including that in the “contentious” seven- to 14-year group. The study, commissioned two months ago by Woolworths, shows that parents across genders and age groups want the same thing: soft, practical, easy, comfortable clothing — but they also want to be fashionable.
But retailers such as Edgars, Jet and Mr Price are showing no signs of tempering their highend fashion for that age group.
Edcon, which owns Edgars and Jet, claims its high-fashion ranges have been bestsellers for the past four seasons.
Woolworths, however, is moving to cool things down for summer.
“The seven-to-14 age group is the most difficult to get right,” said David Collins, Woolworths general manager of childrenswear, menswear and homeware. “Kids want to be fashionable, but where do you draw the line?”
Collins said the research findings had been “reaffirming” and highlighted the need to be “very careful”. ANIMAL PRINT: A model on Edgars website
“The feedback was that kids want practical clothing — the word ‘soft’ is referenced frequently. It refers to knitted fabrics that are comfortable and versatile,” he said.
These included leggings, track tops, long- and short- sleeve tees, track pants, knitted shorts and joggers for boys and girls in all age groups, he said.
Although high-fashion items account for just 10% of the kidswear ranges, Collins admitted the winter range of crop tops, sweaters and jackets had been overdone.
“We probably bought in too many in winter, and displayed them too aggressively. We pushed it too far.”
Woolworths will “significantly” reduce the volume of crop tops for summer, and make more dresses.
“We are a fashion retailer and we need to look at childrenswear through a fashion lens. But we also need to determine what is appropriate.
“We tend to err on the conservative . . . there are trends we may decide not to do.”
Woolworths’s high-fashion offerings in the nine-to-15 range include midriff-baring tees, offthe-shoulder peasant blouses, tops with cut-out backs, and a mock leather biker jacket.
Edgars and Jet carry even more mock leather, strappy animal print and slogan tees, which they claimed had “good traction” in the seven-to-16 range.
Julian Gwillim, spokesman for both stores, said their Evolution range, which included a paddedbra-top dress and mock leather, along with Jet’s leopard print and fake leather lines, were “bestsellers”. But certain product lines had ceased and others had been “adjusted” after being deemed inappropriate for the seven- to eight-year-old customer, he said.
Edgars and Jet reviewed the suitability of their ranges across all age groups “on an ongoing basis”, Gwillim said, adding that their range was “well balanced”, with at least 70% serving the “more general and sporty girl”.
Ackermans spokeswoman Angela Beukes said the retailer ensured its merchandise reflected its “family values”.
“It is often a challenge to balance fashion and trends with functional and easy-to-wear merchandise; we will, for example, apply minimum specifications with regards to lengths of dresses and tops,” she said.
Ackermans, like most retailers, carries sloganed clothing in this age group, with catchphrases such as “#Blah”, and “#No- ALL DRESSED UP: Actress Skai Jackson, 13, left, at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘AntMan’; above, a model at the International Fair of Children’s Fashion in Madrid, Spain body cares about your hashtags”, mirroring the influence of social media.
The word “selfie” features in almost every shop, from Woolworths to Pep.
Pick n Pay Clothing is an exception, with little emphasis on street fashion. Head of clothing Michael Coles said most parents wanted “good, sensible and ageappropriate clothing — clothes that are fun and durable and that allow children the freedom to be children”.
It’s a sentiment echoed by Mr Price Sport. “We pitch our range at the kid who is out camping and hiking, rather than at leading edge street fashion,” said marketing executive Chantal Donnelly.
Pep, too, tries to avoid “anything that looks too mature”.
Durban fashion designer Sabrina Maingard, whose Fashion Nanny business runs style and etiquette workshops for girls, said the line between tweens (nine to 12) and teenagers had become too blurred. “The age band of seven to 14 is a tricky one. Some of the outfits on offer are too mature in styling and often too revealing.”
Young girls were evolving rapidly, she said. Retailers had to move with the times, but they had to do so appropriately.
“We are not in the ’70s any more, but a seven-year-old girl shouldn’t look like a 14-yearold,” said Maingard.
Tune into Power FM 98.7’s “Power Breakfast” at 8.50am tomorrow to hear more from Megan