This just in from Just-Style, a report on the US Children’s Wear industry. The summary reads:
The children’s clothing market, defined as sleepwear, underwear, daywear and outerwear for kids 0 to 12, is estimated to be worth $30.6 billion in sales in 2005. This figure is up from $27.1 billion in 2002, in current terms.
The category is somewhat limited by the large numbers who are unwilling to pay premiums and instead, shop at discount stores. However, the growth in the past four years has been driven by consumers’ need for more plus size kids’ clothing and the growing diversity in the U.S. Indeed, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to spend larger sums on children’s clothing than other groups. Hispanic families, in particular, tend to have more kids for whom to buy.
While even young children get to weigh in on the clothes they wear, the purchasing parent often buys clothing not just to care for their kids, but also to demonstrate their own style and lifestyle. Girls’ clothing showed the greatest amount of growth during 2003-2005. This segment is boosted by a more fashion conscious group of wearers who enjoy shopping. This is especially true among pre-teens.
While I’d think that this summary is sufficient for most purposes, the most salient information being “growth in the past four years has been driven by consumers’ need for more plus size kids’ clothing and the growing diversity in the U.S. Indeed, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to spend larger sums on children’s clothing than other groups”. If you’re sufficiently compelled to buy the report you’ll have to fork over nearly $3,000 (1665 UK Sterling). And people think my book is expensive.
Have you ever clicked on a major department or catalog site that came up when searching for girl plus size clothing?
Usually you either get women or girls 7-16 size.
Manufacturers continue to be driven to make sizes purchased by their department store/big customers.
I have an online children’s clothing store that I have been trying to convert to girl plus size only for two years and can not find manufactures that are making the sizes to buy.
I work with Mothers that want their daughters to look nice too. The demand is there I personally can vouch for that having a son in husky and big/tall sizes most of his life.
I remember the day I found The Boys Shoppe in Euphrata, PA. This was before the internet so it was by chance that a friend that lived in the area knew of the store.
Calling long distance I established a relationship with this store that would ship me several styles and then I would mail back what didn’t fit by return mail.
Now I see we haven’t progressed very far in those 30+ years!
I have been trying to raise awareness and at the same time find clothing manufacturers that will sell to an online only store such as myself.
Over the past two years I have actually seen a decrease in the size and styles being made by my current provider!
I have written emails, made phone calls – as long as the consumer suffers in silence we can not hope to change what is being made available to us.