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18 Impressions >> July 2008 impressionsmag.com

“Hoodies are very popular for chil-dren,” says Mindy Anastos,marketing coordinator for L.A. TSportswear. “We’ve had a hoodedpullover for years, and just addedzip-front, hooded sweatshirtsbecause we’re hearing that thoseare the next big thing.” Style 3346for toddlers is constructed from60% cotton/40% polyester fleeceand boasts pouch pockets, durablestitching and a jersey-lined hood.Sizes 2T, 4T and 5/6T come inheather, navy, white, red and pink.Use Info•Action #300 at impressionsmag.com

impressionsmag.com July 2008 << Impressions 19

g one are the days when wholesale apparel vendors stocked only a few basic, unisex kids’styles to satisfy customer demand. That won’t fly with today’s parent, who expects chil-dren’s garments to be as synced to top retail trends as his or her own clothing. “The chil-drenswear market is definitely changing from basic wear to more stylish, trendy outfits[that] mirror adult styles,” says Amit Gupta, vice president of MONAG, Victor, N.Y.

For Boxercraft, Atlanta, new children’s styles are developed first by looking at what’s popularin kids’ retail stores, and also incorporating adult trends, according to Luiza Raposo, marketingassistant. Not only do parents now look for childrenswear that is as fashion-forward as their own,but they also want a wider selection of trendy infant, toddler and youth styles to choose from.

Wholesale apparel vendors are responding to this demand by releasing new children’s stylesin a constant fervor. Kavio!, Commerce, Calif., recently saw an opportunity in the childrenswearmarket to create distinctive girls’, boys’ and infant collections, and jumped on it. “It’s importantto see boys’ and girls’ clothing as two different [markets],” explains Dean Vuong, vice president.“Children’s clothing is getting more and more specialized. [For example], trim is very importantto girls’ clothing, while it’s not for boy’s, who [prefer] clean-cut styles.” For 2008, Kavio! intro-duced seven infant styles, three youth tops and 10 girls’ styles.

L.A. T Sportswear is another vendor keeping up with the influx of kids’ styles in the market.“We’re all about adding new stuff,” explains Mindy Anastos, marketing coordinator for the BallGround, Ga.-based company. This year alone, L.A. T has introduced more than 15 styles specif-ically for infants, toddlers and youth — many of which are offered in more colors than the pinks,blues and yellows standard to this market segment.That’s another trend in which children’s stylesare mimicking adult apparel, Anastos adds. “Moms want to dress their kids in the same types ofcolors they’re wearing — eggplant, olive and charcoal are definitely becoming more popular [inthe children’s sector].”

Above all, Anastos says when dealing with childrenswear, it’s really not about what the kidswant. Garments must be manufactured with children’s lifestyles and safety in mind, but the deci-sion-maker and purchaser will always be the parent, so it’s important for apparel vendors anddecorators to remember to whom they’re really selling. “We’ve always got to take the parent’s

Childrenswear vendors are mirroring top trends in adultapparel such as fashion-forward colors, super-fine fabricsand larger-spec sizing.

By Susie McManus, Assistant Editor

needs and wants [for childrenswear] intoaccount,” she says. And for this year,what parents want most are styles simi-lar to their own.

BEST SELLERSFor 2008, childrenswear vendors are contin-uously introducing new styles, and alreadyare seeing which ones are standout sellers.One Stop Inc.’s youth, toddler and infantfull-zip hoodies (styles EZ 940, 942 and941) are doing very well, reports NatalieSiminski, apparel sourcing manager for theGrand Rapids, Mich.-based distributor. AtMONAG, infant and toddler tops are starsof the product line. “T-shirts with rufflesleeves and bottoms, ringer T-shirts, raglansand lettuce-edge T-shirts are the most pop-ular,” Gupta says.

L.A. T has introduced new styles withlarger-spec sizing, meaning these garmentsare wider and longer, and its best-sellingstyle is its basic 100% cotton toddler T-shirt(style 3301).

For Boxercraft, its Touchdown Capripants (style YK43), flannel pants (YF14)and novelty madras pants (style YC19) areamong its best-selling styles, and all touchon recent retail trends. Most of its top sell-ers for youth also come in adult styles,Raposo explains. “Children want to be justas fashionable as their oldersiblings or even their par-ents,” she says. “It’s notuncommon to see the sameitems offered in adult andyouth sizes, because that’swhat the marketdemands.”

SUPER-FINEFABRICSCotton takes thecake as the mostpopular fabric forchildren’s apparel.Many wholesalech i ld ren swearmanufacturers and

distributors use 100% cotton exclusively.“Our customers love the comfort andquality of ring-spun, combed cotton,”Vuong explains. Anastos and Guptaagree that cotton rules in childrenswear.

“Customers like the softness of super-combed 100% cotton,” Gupta adds.“Ours is very finely knit, weighingbetween 6 ounces and 6.5 ounces,

which makes it [ideal] for fineembroidery and printing.”

However, One Stop Inc.reports a move toward blended

fabrications in the children’s mar-ket. “We definitely see a trend in blendsdue to the color retention and [minimal]shrinkage [these fabrications provide],”Siminski says.

Vendors agree that success with chil-drenswear is all in the fabric’s hand.“One of the trends we’re following is amove toward softer fabrics,” Anastos

says. “We came out with our Softy group,and all the styles are made from combed,ring-spun jersey, which has a really nicehand. We see our competitors moving inthat direction too.”

DURABLE DETAILSThough parents want to dress their kids inthe softest, most comfortable fabrics possi-ble, it’s important that garments also canendure the wear and tear that’s expectedfrom a typical child’s lifestyle.Tops and bot-toms must withstand occasional bumps,spills and falls, so parents look to purchasehigh-quality garments that can handle fre-quent laundering. “The most importantdetailing that our customers look for is thequality of the fabric and stitching,” Guptasays, emphasizing the importance of durability in children’s clothing.

For L.A. T Sportswear, durable and safely fastened snaps are imperative in chil-

20 Impressions >> July 2008 impressionsmag.com

THREE-DIMENSIONALEMBROIDERY DESIGNSADD FLUFFY FUN TOCHILDRENSWEARIf you’re wondering exactly how the mono-gram letter “E” was created on the shirt fea-tured on Impressions’ cover this month, itwas sewn by a patented process calledFuwari 3-D Embroidery. This unique processinvolves embroidering a design using aspecial adhesive bobbin thread along witha special topping. The design also must bedigitized specifically for this process. Thedesign is sewn as usual and then heat isapplied to melt the adhesive on the bobbin thread.This locks the threads in place.

Once the design has been heat sealed, it is runthrough a special cutter, which literally shaves off thetops of the embroidery threads and the result is awonderfully soft, fluffy 3-D design.

The Fuwari system, which is sold exclusively byRNK Distributing, Knoxville, Tenn., includes the specialembroidery supplies needed, the cutter and predigitized designs. You also can digitize yourown designs and the training to do this is included with the system.

DJ Anderson, Bulldog Embroidery, Houston, who purchased one of the first systems onthe market, has had great success using it not only for kidswear, but also logos, team mas-cots and much more. He has been marketing it to schools as an alternative to chenille withsolid success. The possibilities are endless, he notes. “With the Fuwari 3-D system, you canhighlight certain features that would not normally stand out,” he says. “One example wouldbe to embroider a lion’s head and only do the mane in Fuwari. It creates a lot more dimen-sion.” — Steve Coakley, Fuwari Division Manager

Anderson has a gallery of Fuwari embroidery designs on his Web site, which youcan visit at bulldogemb.com. For more information about the system itself, visitRNK Distributing; e-mail info@RNKDistributing.com or call (865) 549-5115.For a video demonstration, go to youtube.com/rnkdistributing.

For more information on the Toddler T-shirt and fleece pant by Bella Baby, useInfo•Action #301 at impressionsmag.com.

Monag’s short-sleeve frill T-shirt (style 40-0094) is made from100% combed, ring-spun cotton andfeatures frill edging on the sleevesand bottom hem. It comes in infantand toddler sizes in several fashion-forward colors, including fuchsiaand chocolate. Use Info•Action#302 at impressionsmag.com

22 Impressions >> July 2008 impressionsmag.com

drenswear. “For infant and toddler wear,we’re very conscious of snaps, and test themextensively to make sure they’re fullysecure,” Anastos says. She adds that anotherimportant detailing for L.A. T’s lap-shoulder infant style is a raw serge bottom,which offers more stretch over the head.

CRAYON COLORSFor children, primary colors — or“Crayola” colors — will always be sta-ples, according to Anastos. “Kelly green,royal blue, bright yellow — these are thecolors that make you think ‘SesameStreet,’” she adds. However, fashion-forward colors are growing in popularityfor infant, toddler and youth apparel.“Turquoise, hot pink and clover arestrong in the market,” Siminski says.“Lavender and bubblegum [pink] aregood colors for girls,” Vuong adds.

“Brown, blue and honeydew are [strong]for both boys and girls.”

In addition to trendy solid colors cominginto play for childrenswear, MONAG’sGupta adds that he’s seeing a growingdemand for combination colors.“Mint/Kellygreen, pink/chocolate, sky/chocolate andblack/pink combinations have been espe-cially popular recently,” he says.

Solids are successful due to their highprintability, but camouflage patterns alsoare popular and don’t interfere too muchwith decoration,Vuong says. “We have to becareful not to create patterns that take awayfrom what [decorators] can print on a gar-ment,” he adds. Siminski explains that,while the solid-colored garments are thestrongest, stripes and polka dots also dowell. “A mix-and-match approach [withpatterned and solid garments] is verystrong,” she adds.

GREEN GENERATION Styles manufactured from recycled materi-als and 100% organic cotton are rapidlyspreading through all sectors of the imprint-ed sportswear market, and childrenswear isno exception. “A lot of the people who arebuying organic [apparel] are in their twen-ties and thirties, which are prime child-bearing years,”Anastos says. “This age groupgrew up learning the three R’s (reduce,reuse, recycle) and are very eco-conscious,so it makes sense that they want to buyorganic clothing for their children.” Sheadds that L.A. T’s Rabbit Skins collectionboasts three new organic children’s stylesfor 2008, including a 100% certified organic cotton infant creeper and T-shirt, aswell as a toddler T-shirt.

For more information or to comment on thisarticle, e-mail Susie at smcmanus@impressionsmag.com.

The PreciousCargo tee(style CAR02ORG)from SanMar is madefrom 100% certifiedorganic cotton andhas a large rib neck,making it easier toput on and take off ofa toddler. UseInfo•Action #306 atimpressionsmag.com

These 5.3-ounce 100%open-end cotton jersey toddlerand infant jersey T-shirts fromHanes’ Playwear collectionfeature double-needle, cover-seamed neck, sleeves and bot-tom hem. Toddler style T120comes in sizes 2T-4T in sevencolors while infant T410 comesin sizes 6 months-24 months infive colors. Use Info•Action#307 at impressionsmag.com

Boxercraft’s madras novelty pants (stylesC19 and YC19) are popular with children and adults.Featuring an imprintable, exposed elastic waistbandor tie-cord waistband, the pants are available inyouth sizes S-L and adult S-2XL. Use Info•Action #305 at impressionsmag.com

One Stop Inc.’s EZ 941 is one of the com-pany’s best-selling kid’s styles, says Natalie Siminski,apparel sourcing manager. “It is a smaller version ofour adult hoodie (style EZ 340), and is such a versa-tile style,” she adds. “Between school and camp, it’sa seasonless garment.” The toddler zip hoodiecomes in sizes 2T-4T in eight kid-inspired colors.Use Info•Action #304 at impressionsmag.com

The Code V camouflage infant romper(style 4415) from S&S Activewear is made from 5.5-ounce 100% cotton and features a three-snap clo-sure. Infant sizes 6, 12, 18 and 24 months are offeredin a range of stylish colors and camouflage patterns.Use Info•Action #303 at impressionsmag.com