Industry Report
Babywear trends T
rends usually pop up from every part of the world around us, but with babywear, there is a common sense of practicality entangled into their existence – after all, we care for our little ones and want them to be comfortable and easy to dress. While you can now dress your baby in a mini leather jacket – a ridiculous concept in the centuries before us – the choice and variation of what the market now offers are growing rapidly, with not just a choice of design and material, but also the ethics surrounding the garment. We first launched our Babybugz range back in 2005, and since doing so have seen an enormous boost in demand for environmentally friendly and easily personalised babywear. In recent years, babywear has transformed into different shapes and styles, with sustainability, quality and timeless design at the forefront of their decision-making for consumers. We have seen a rise of eco-conscious parents who only want the best for their children, without compromising on their values of protecting the planet.
The history
So where did it all begin? If we go as far back as the 18th century, baby clothes didn’t even include colour, let alone a funky slogan or a print. Traditionally, both baby boy and girl clothes were made white so they could be cleaned and bleached. In fact, gender was even more blurred through the notion that boys wore skirted garments until they were old enough to wear breeches. The practicality of the garment, plus the culture of reusing and handing down clothes to the younger generations was the norm of the time. When the first washing machines finally came along in the mid-1900s, the floodgates were opened and
| 52 | April 2023
With a huge increase in demand for babywear, what are the trends and demands that have shaped the growing market? Erin Button, marketing executive at Mantis World, reports.
Traditionally, both baby boy and girl clothes were made white so they could be cleaned and bleached
different fabrics suddenly became available for babywear apparel. With new materials came new colours, and dissimilar to current belief, blue was designated for girls and pink for boys. But as time progressed, society shifted and the opposite became the norm. If you walked into a blue nursery now, you probably assume it’s a boy. If a newborn is wearing a pink hat, your first thought is most likely that it must be a girl. These days, thanks to prenatal testing, the merchandising market has become a goldmine. Whether it’s bodysuits, hats, nappies, car seats, pushchairs, blankets, teddies or anything else you can think of, merchandise has tended to be genderised by colour. The personalised baby market continues to repeat itself when the couple then expects their second child of the opposite gender and thus, buys all of the same exact products but now in the reverse colour.
Trends today
While colour does define gender subconsciously, we are developing as a modern society to live in more gender-fluid times. Reverting almost back to the centuries before us, neutral tones such as whites, greys and creams are becoming fashionable but also practical. We have seen an increase in demand for more unisex colours in recent years, including sage green and toffee. Our bestselling BZ10 Bodysuit and BZ02 Baby T have continued to show where colour trends are going in the babywear market.
Babies can now be dressed in all manner of clothing. Pictured is Babybugz’s Baby Bomber Jacket BZ40
One of the biggest impacts on modern babywear trends have been social media and fashion influencers. Celebrity yummy mummies have their youngsters dressed as miniature versions of themselves, with high-end brands replicating their designs from well-known adult wear collections. This then filters down into the
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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