Head of buying at Childrensalon: Children's fashion is moving closer to adult trends

British retailer Childrensalon is a specialist in luxury children's fashion. The assortment includes luxury houses like Gucci, Burberry and Elie Saab, but also brands like Birkenstock, Levi's and Falke. Film characters including the likes of 'The Little Mermaid' have also featured on the collections.

Dina Moon, head of buying at Childrensalon, reveals which trends are currently shaping children's fashion, which pieces are doing well and how the sector is developing in general.

How do you discover trends in kidswear?

At Childrensalon, we keep our finger on the pulse at all times for new ideas and trends. We discover trends in different ways; from trade shows and runways to streetwear and adult designer collections - which trickle down to kidswear.

Film and TV also impact trends, for example the new Barbie film, Wednesday Addams and The Little Mermaid have all influenced the collections this year.

How long does it take for adult trends to arrive in children's fashion?

Generally, we tend to notice that kidswear trends follow a season behind adults, but lately we are seeing this gap becoming smaller and more in-line with adult trends.

Do you travel to kidswear fairs and other appointments?

We travel as much as we possibly can. We missed being able to travel during Covid, so we are pleased that we can now attend trade shows and fashion weeks like we did before.

Earlier this year, we travelled to Pitti Bimbo in Florence, where we had the chance to see a lot of brands and industry professionals all under one roof again. We caught up with our current suppliers and discovered a few new brands as well. We also travelled to European capitals for buying appointments, where we are constantly on the lookout for inspiration, emerging trends and new fashion brands in the industry.

What trends are currently shaping kidswear?

For AW23, we are looking forward to seeing new colours - as well as the classic palettes. Lilac seems to be strong, alongside greens and lots of sophisticated hues such as camel and coffee.

We will be seeing these camel and coffee colours within our cosy sherpa styles coming soon. Metallics are also looking strong, particularly for partywear, as well as denim and black, which are perfect for the winter season.

For adults, the logomania trend seems to be cooling off a bit. How is it with kidswear?

As mentioned before, kidswear is usually a season behind adult trends, so we’ll keep an eye out. We bring an edit of many of the world’s finest designers, which includes brands that carry iconic logos. The brands we carry are very popular with our customers, where we are still very much seeing the logomania trend going strong across the globe for kidswear. This being said, we do find that logos and branding have always been strong for us. Particularly this season, designers have been playing around with their logos to a great extent.

What about the mini-me trend, are parents specifically seeking looks for their children that match their own?

Recently, we have seen a significant increase in the number of fashion designers bringing out kidswear lines. Mini-me offerings are lovely to see, we always look forward to the looks that the designers create for the little ones.

What pieces are doing well for boys and girls right now?

We sell many product categories, ranging from dresses and suits within our occasion wear collections, to casual pieces, such as denim, athleisure and outerwear. Depending on the time of year, various categories do better than others, but overall we have strong sales across all categories.