NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The sustainability are Comfort, style and the heart of a growing core elements at childrenswear brands number of Irish
Dunnes Stores will shortly celebrate a decade of Leigh Tucker Willow, the much-loved Irish designer brand for children. The stylish and affordable kid’s clothing line turns 10 this summer and to celebrate the milestone Dunnes (dunnesstores.com) is launching a Birthday Collection of partywear. The range features easy-to-wear printed cotton in colourful designs, pretty knits, delicate sequins and lots of sparkle for special events – including the Darla dress with sequins in soft pastels, the baby girls’ Donna dress, a printed floral smock with matching socks and the Sophie knitted cardigan. The collection’s star piece is the Birthday Dress, with layers of crisp white tulle, sprinkled with printed foil dots and an organza bow on the shoulder strap.
‘We began with a dream to bring affordable designer fashion to kids all over Ireland with a spotlight on comfy, quality clothing made for enjoying life as a little one,’ says designer Leigh Tucker. ‘From matching family Christmas PJs to summer swimwear, we love being part of special moments all year round. Our new Birthday Collection gathers all these ideas together for one range of pure fun and celebration.’
Willow is indicative of a thriving childrenswear market in Ireland. Currently the kids’ market here is worth hundreds of millions annually – Ireland imports over €2 billion of clothing and apparel, with kids’ clothing a considerable element of the total figure. The success of Leigh Tucker’s label is indicative of the burgeoning market for children’s clothing and parents’ willingness to spend generously on their mini-mes.
Once kids’ clothing was purely practical, now it must also make a style statement.
Globally the childrenswear market is predicted to grow to $239 billion by the end of 2023. Increased affluence and brands targeting the sector has seen kids’ clothing evolve to become an increasingly important segment for the fashion industry. Social media and celebrities sharing and endorsing what their own offspring wear has also raised awareness of designer duds for ‘smallies’ and made the mini fashionista a real phenomenon.
Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West has her own Instagram account, despite not yet reaching her 10th birthday. On it, she displays her already apparent interest in fashion and designer brands such as Tommy Hilfiger. Major brands including Boss, Canada Goose, Chloé, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Moncler, Sonia Rykiel, Versace, Calvin
Klein and Polo Ralph Lauren all now offer children’s clothing.
Not surprisingly then, Ireland has also seen a healthy uptick in new children’s clothing brands in recent years. Small independent companies like Fauna, Farmyard The Label, Mimi & Bowe, Linzy O,
Little Bear’s Wardrobe, Froggle and Co, BabyBoo, Banana Berry, Siolta Bréaga and Suby are all making beautiful kids’ clothing with an emphasis on design, sustainability and ethical manufacturing. Many are run by ‘mumpreneurs’ who got into childrenswear due to their own search for a particular product that they couldn’t find in the marketplace. They responded by creating their own.
Cotton Caterpillars is one such company (cottoncaterpillars.ie). ‘The idea of making comfortable and funky kids’ clothing originated from the difficulty of finding such clothing in high street stores for my baby, who was born in 2013,’ says owner Kata. ‘I loved seeing my little guy wear all the colourful outfits, and it gave me peace of mind to know he was cosy in his clothes.
‘Realising that I wasn’t the only one struggling to find vibrant and multicoloured clothes that would allow my children to play and explore the world freely, I decided to make outfits for sale and Cotton Caterpillars was born. The inspiration behind the brand comes from my two gorgeous kids, Darragh and Oisín. Darragh suffered from eczema, and it was extremely hard to find clothes that didn’t irritate him. I then decided to use Global Organic Textile Standard cert organic cotton materials only. His eczema cleared up in the next couple of months.’
Cotton Caterpillar items are made from organic cotton and low impact dyes, which protect both baby’s skin and the environment. The brand’s name comes from the way that Kata has designed her pieces to grow with kids: garments elongate and transform like caterpillars, cuffs