Giving the kids a dressing up

Suri Cruise must be one of the most fashionable and brandconscious five-year-olds . She has been photographed toting her $800 Salvatore Ferragamo, throwing tantrums in a Dolce & Gabbana trench coat, crossing the road in heeled ballerina shoes and already has a fashion blog in her name, with over five lakh visitors and counting.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes reportedly spend around $4 million on the tiny style icon’s wardrobe every year.Tom had stated earlier that Suri chooses her own clothes.
“Keeping up with the Cruises” has become the motto of the fashion-friendly around the world. According to online polls, style enthusiasts are shelling out for their kid’s gear amounts that would resemble your monthly car loan instalment or annual family holiday budget.
India, too, has caught up with the mini fashion frenzy. Young, upwardly mobile parents, who are brand conscious themselves, love to dress their young guns as ‘minimes’ . “When we wear fancy labels, why should it be any different for our kids,” argues Sonali Desai whose 4-year-old pre-schooler has a wardrobe as big as her mom’s .
Kid couture, that was an ‘unorganised sector’ till now, has started looking up like never before. Take Kidology for instance. The label launched last year in Delhi and houses designer threads in ethnic and western wear to cater to girls and boys from ages 0 to 7. The trendy juniors can cruise down aisles that flaunt top Indian labels, be it Ritu Kumar’s ethnic fusion blend, Malini Ramani’s glam diva look, Gaurav Gupta’s funky styles or Gauri and Nainika’s princess collection. Of course, the prices are as heavy duty as the names on the catalogue. They start at Rs 800 and go up to Rs 8,000.
While crafting clothes for children , designers bear in mind the harsh weather conditions in India and therefore pay extra attention to the fabric. “I use natural fibres made from bamboo and organic jersey as they are extremely soft on the skin,” says Gaurav Gupta, a Delhibased fashion designer. The fash frat feels that kiddy fashion is going to be the next big thing. “Earlier, people who had a refined sense of fashion and money to spend on designer clothes were at a loss to find any in India, as there were no players in this market,” says Gupta. However, couturiers complain that pricing is a big put off while designing for children. As Goa-based designer Savio Jon puts it: “Although fabric consumption is less, workmanship costs for making garments for adults and children are almost the same. But they cannot be priced at par.”
The parents, though, are willing to indulge the price sensibilities of designers and fashion sensibilities of their children. “If the kids like something, parents pay for it. It translates into good business for us, as children have so many birthdays and functions to attend these days,” says designer Mumbai-based designer Nishhka Lulla whose youngest client is just a year old.
From the point of view of creativity , Lulla feels it’s more satisfying to design for the tots as you can really play around with colours and styles. But it’s not a smooth ride always. “Even oneyear-olds are very conscious about the length of their dresses and colours ,” says Lulla. “And it’s a task to make them stand still while taking measurements.”
In addition to desi labels, big international brands, too, are docking at Indian shores. While Tommy Hilfiger was the first western brand to launch kids wear in India, Burberry later launched miniature versions of the key pieces from its spring summer catwalk Prorsum Collection. The classic checks were bolder and had little hearts and floral prints. They also stocked tee shirts priced at Rs 2,500 onward for children aged one month to 14 years, dresses for little damsels that cost anywhere from Rs 9,000 to Rs 11,000, denims for boys were Rs 10,000 onwards along with sneakers and ballerinas that left your wallet lighter by ten grand a pair.
Sensing opportunity, toy manufacturers like Disney and Mattel have also successfully turned into apparel and accessories marketers. While the brand is most important for many parents, others like TV anchor Mini Mathur vouch for the comfort factor. So it is Baby Gap jeans and footwear that she routinely picks up from her travels abroad. “I also like to buy cotton shirts with Indian block prints for my son. My daughter’s wardrobe is more Victorian and feminine with country style frocks,” she says . Like Mathur, TV hostess Pooja Bedi, too, is not smitten by brands.
“I shop for my sons all over. The only thing that they put in a request for is Manchester United stuff since they are soccer fans,” says Bedi. Tejus Kapadia who often travels abroad for his business makes it a point to book a hotel that is close to branded children’s stores so that he can shop for his daughters in between his meetings . “My children don’t need to be celebrity kids to dress in designer tags. For me they are the celebrities,” he smiles.