childrens Clothes

1. ChildrensClothesDesignandPromotion Thedesignandretailingofbabyandtoddler clothes representsasubstantial part oftheclothing industry. TheBritishmarketis dominated bythemultiple storessuchasMarks&Spencer,F.W. Woolworth,C &A, BootstheChemist,British HomeStores andLittle-woods, andsupplementedby specialistones,particularly "baby worldboutique"UKLtd andStephan, aswell asdepartment storessuchas JohnLewis andHouseof Fraser. Thelatter sellmoreup-market"babyclothes"by companies suchasHeskiaandTeam-sport,andtheycompeteasmuchwith thenumerous small specialist shops sellingforeign"childrens clothes", particularlyFrenchandItalian, aswiththe multiples. Attentiontodesignisincreasinglyimportanttoretailersinorder todifferentiateproducts, particularlyintermsof"kids clothes"significantlyatthelowerendof theMarket. Manyofthe shops producebrochuresandcatalogs promotingtheir babyandchildrens ranges,andthey alsoadvertiseandfundexpensivefeaturesinwomen'sandparent/mother tobemagazines. Thisarticle examinesthedesignandpromotionof babyandtoddler fashions(particularlyforgirls) inrelationto representationsofgenderidentitythroughacasestudy ofrecent companypromotional catalogs and brochures,particularlythoseproduced bythe BootsandChemistchain. As Iwillshow,gender differentiation, alongfairlyconventionallines,isclearlydiscerniblein bothbabyandtoddler clothes. Not surprisinglythis differentiationof children bymeansof gendered clothingboth reflectsandreinforces traditional genderrepresentations andidentitiesalreadydominantwithinour contemporarysociety. Formostof these"childrens clothes"manufacturesandretailers, thevisual imageswhichare used to promoteandselltheir productsareof increasinglycritical importanceinahighlycompetitive marketplace.Both theimagesandthespecificdesigns communicatepowerful ideasabout'ideal' lifestyles,appropriateconsumer(andclass)aspirations andgenderidentity. Althoughformanyparents of anewbornbaby,thereare greaterprioritiesthandecidinghowtodress it,thereis increasing pressure,especiallyon women,todresssmall"kids clothes"is fashionable. All those monthsof anticipationandthe actualperiodof pregnancyprepareprospectiveparentstoconsume. Itisvery difficult toresistthe'babyindustry'. Bythe eighthmonth themother, in particular, has generallygiven uponherself asanactiveconsumerof clothesandhas reducedmostmattersofpersonal dress down to oneessentialquestionisitcomfortable?Forher, itisa welcomediversiontoshopfor"baby clothes" andbabyparaphernalia. For thoseableandprepared tospend,thereisplentyofchoice.

2. BabyBoySuitRomper SpecialPrice:£25.95 However, formanyparentslookingfor andbuying"baby clothes"ismorethanadiversion. Aided and abettedbygrandparents, aunts,unclesandfriends itis partof theprocessof beginningtogivean identitytotheawaited baby, andtryingtomakesenseof its likelyneeds in relationtoone'sown expectations, particularlyintermsof thebaby's sex. Themostfrequentlyaskedquestions,isstill'what doyouwant ,aboyor a girl?' And, afterthebirth, 'is itaboyor a girl?'But itisaboutmorethanthe baby's 'identity' -tosomeextentareflectionof thatof theparents- indeed,thewell-dressed babyor childisanattractiveadultaccessory, acuddlystatus symbol. At theforefrontof people's minds isthe sexofthe babyandassociated with this aretheir perceptionsof the importanceof communicatingthis indress.Inchoosingbabyandchildren clothes,people recognize the powerof design(color,pattern,styleandtypeofgarment) tosignifygender differencewith aclarity notusually evident intheirreadingandunderstandingofotheraspectsof design.However,aswith adult dress, itisnotaquestionof genderalone. Althoughsomemayrejecttheostentatious display of moneyevident in Italianbaby equipment tasteandstyle bybuyingfromselectshops whichstockhand- made,'ethnic' or 'heritages'goods. Inprovincial townsandcitiesin the North andtheMidlands, taste andstylearepossiblymorerestrictedbecauseof fewer alternatives to thenational chains,multiples and department stores. In these outletsdesignstatus is closelyalignedwith price:'howmuch'competes with fashionable designknowledgeas animportant selectioncriterion. Significantly, largeandexpensiveitemsof baby equipmentsuchascots,buggies,prams,andchanging

3. tablesarenotstronglygendered. Cotsandchangingtables areusuallywhiteor natural woodcolors,and buggies andpramsareoftengreyor darkblue- neutral colors used forequipmentwhichhastobe selected beforethebaby'ssexisknown andwhichis oftenused formorethanonebaby. Thegendering comeswiththe accessorieswhichincludecosy-toesbuggyquilts,col linen (duvetandbumpercovers), andof course, cottoys suchasmobiles.Otherhighly desirable itemsfornewbabies arelavishsuits and dresseswhichareoftencombined with hand-knitsfeaturingcomplex stitches,ribbons andbows. The sheer impracticalityofthesewhite(gender-neutral), festooned,garmentsdefiescomprehension except insofarastheirmeaningiswaybeyondthemundaneconceptsof 'machinewash-ability'. 'Thewhiter thanwhitewash'whichPhil Goodall has describedelsewheretakesonanewsignificancewhen thinking of themaintenancerequiredfor fiveor sixpossibleoutfitsworninonedaybyanew-born,vomit-prone baby. These ostentatious creations,masqueradingas "baby clothes", arestatementsof loveand representapositivecommitmentto thebaby's futureinthecommodity thatisofnecessityforemostin theminds ofmanyparents, money. Aboveeverythingtheyaresymbolicofthe desire togivethebabya goodstartinlife! BabyMinnie&BabyDaisyT-Shirt SpecialPrice:£9.95 Likecontemporarymen's andwomen's, babyandtoddler clothesconveyimplicitassumptions about gender,as Elizabeth Wilsonhas argued:'Fashionisobsessedwith gender,definesandredefinesthe

4. genderboundary.Butbabiesandchildren areevenmorevulnerable to theattitudes ofothersthanare adults. Parentsandrelatives decidewhatthe childwillwear.Generallyparents delightindressingtheir offspringin theclotheswhich they haveboughtor havebeengiven and, inthe main, theseareheavily gendered. Conflictacrossgenerations canoccurwhenparentstransgressgender boundaries;for example bydressingfemalebabies andsmallchildrenin dungareesinstead of dresses. Significantly, itis lesssociallyacceptabletodressboys in girlsclothes thanviceversa ; eventhe 'heritaged'littleLord Fauntleroylookisa feminized versionof regularboysclothes. Neverthelessfor someparents, undermininganddefyingtheestablishment ofrigidgenderidentitiesthroughtheir children clothes take onspecialsignificanceas theyobservethe explicit andimplicitassumptions aboutgenderidentity represented inthem.Makingsure littlegirls weartracksuitsandtrousers becomesjustas importantas makingsurethattheyplaywith tools andbuildingbricksaswell as with dolls.This strategyisjustoneof thoseadopted bycertainparentstotrytocounter theearly'negative' effectsof genderstereotypingin relationtofemininity. Thedesignandadvertisingof babiesand"childrensclothes"undoubtedlyreinforces thegenderingof the identitiesfor boysandgirls. Justas designprescribesparticulargenderrolesandattitudesforadults, soitdoes for infants:'designpracticeandtheoryoperateswith specificnotionsof femininity,which formulatesandorganizewomen's time,skills,work, our in-habitationof spaceandour conceptionsof self in relationto others. Althoughwritinggenerallyhere,babyand"kidsclothes"provideanexcellent casewith theinnocuous seeminggarments, asanattemptismade,throughdesignandadvertising,to identify,differentiateandfix genderidentityatastagewhen itis precarious andonlypartially established. Characteristicallyclothesforfemale babies and younggirls contributeto theformulationof certaincodesofbehavior, typesof play, andsocial interactionwhichreinforcedominantidealsof femininity. Girl toddlersinparticularlearntolookatthemselves, toseekadmirationfromothersfor their appearance,andtodisplaytheirclothes.This is partlybecauseof parental influences,partlythe desirefor peergroupapproval,andpartlypressurefromthedesignandretailingindustrieswhich generatedesirable 'female'imagesforgirls agedtwo years, two ,monthsoreventwodays. Themoststrikingcharacteristicsof thevisualimages of babies andtoddler used tosellclothesin magazinesandcompanybrochuresisthewholesale adaptionofcontentionsof representationtaken fromadult clothes butrepresentationsof"baby clothes"are shaped bythesameprocess.Likethe models promotingadult products,the babiesandtoddlers arebeautiful, healthy, andpredominantly white. AlthoughthecurrentMother-careandbootscatalogsincludeoneor twoblack andAsian children, all thedepictionsof 'parents' arewhite.Parenthoodisusuallyrepresented inthesebrochures byglamorous imageof slim, youthful andstylishmotherswhobetraynoneoftheusual signs ofwear andtear resultingfromcaringwhobetrayandchildren. Notsurprisinglyin this fantasylandof perfect families,all themumslook happyandfulfilled; therearefewsignsof womentornbythe conflictsof workoutside andinsidethehomecombinedwith therelentlessdemandsof childcare.

5. BeautifulGirlsOccasionwearWhite&GoldDress SpecialPrice:£25.95 Inconclusion, therepresentationof genderdifferencein the designandpromotionofbabies and "childrenclothes" isclearlyrecognizable fromthe firstmonth afterbirth. Both babies andtoddlers fashions replicatethe conventions foundin adult clotheswhichsignifygenderdifference. Notonlyare typesof garments,suchas dressesortrousers,used for this,butalsocolor, pattern, decorationandvery importantly,thestylinganddisplay ofthegarmentsonbabyandchildmodels. Itis thesefashionable images,atthe coreofadvertisingandpromotional literature,showingparentshowitemsofdress shouldbeputtogetherwhich are particularlypowerful.Theydelineateand, arguably,inscribeparticular visual idealsof femininityandmasculinity whichfromthis studyappear whollyconventional.Littlegirls are dressed decorativelyusingtraditional dress codesandtheyadoptpassiveposesreminiscentof fashionmodels in contemporarymagazines, whereaslittleboyssportfunctional clotheswhichenable themtointeractwith theenvironment inan assertiveandimposingmanner. For thoseof uswhoaremothersof daughters,andwhohaveourselvesgained pleasure andenjoyment from wearingclothesandcreatingfashionableimageswhich, whilst coded invarious ways as 'feminine', are alsoquestioning, subversiveand/orempowering, itis disconcertingtoobservetheseaffirmationsof genderdifferenceswhichseektopositionthemaspowerless, 'essentially' decorativeandwaif-like. Hopefully,wewill havetheskill andsubtletytopassontothem'positive'aswellas 'negative' aspectsof

6. femininityasrepresented indress andalso thepossibilityof theirsubversion. Moreandcompleteinformationaboutbaby clothes@ http://www.babyworldboutique.co.uk/ ArticleSource:- http://worldbabyclothes.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/childrens-clothes-design-and- promotion/