10 WWD MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2013

CHILDREN’S PREVIEW

Children’s Expected to Weather Challenging Economy

Aiming for Kids’ Business

By ALESSANDRA TURRA

MILAN — The Italian children’s wear industry is prepared for 2013 with a positive attitude, despite euro zone woes and the slowdown of the fashion busi-ness in general, which, accord-ing to the Fashion Economic Trends study published by the nation’s Chamber of Fashion, was expected to close 5.6 per-cent down in 2012 against 2011.

“The children’s business at our flagship store on Piazza del Duomo in Milan is performing very well and this year, thanks to the new layout and areas, we are more than satisfied with the results,” said Cinzia Baldelli, head of children’s wear at La Rinascente department store, revealing that the division closed 2012 up 7 percent com-pared with 2011. “With these premises, we have very ambi-tious goals for 2013.”

In 2012, La Rinascente re-vamped its area dedicated to children’s wear, introducing hot labels, including a Moncler corner, to the already high-end selection, and unveiled a mul-tibrand footwear space, “which is performing very well,” said Baldelli, who also pointed to baby clothing and accessories as among the most successful categories at the store.

Stone Island president and creative director Carlo Rivetti shared similar optimism about the results of his company’s children’s wear division, which was launched in 2005.

“Children’s wear is perform-ing very well and it’s growing significantly, led by the suc-

cess of our men’s line,” he said. (Stone Island does not have a women’s line). In 2012, sales of Stone Island Junior were up more than 20 percent from 2011.

Italy represents the main

market for Stone Island Junior, followed by Russia. Rivetti at-tributes this to the fact that “our products are perfect for Russia’s extremely cold weather.”

In keeping with the com-

pany’s core business, the chil-dren’s line features pieces for boys ages two to 14, and shows the same high-tech details as the adult range. The fall 2013 collection, which will be pre-sented at Pitti Bimbo, includes a wide range of dyed down jack-ets, a luxury sheepskin coat and Stone Island’s signature Reflective jackets, featuring also a new treatment combining fishnet with the reflective fabric.

“In 2012, Moschino Baby, Kid and Teen increased its distribu-tion outside Italy,” said Moschino general director Alessandro Varisco, who added that interna-tional markets, in particular the Middle East, Far East, Russia and Europe, account for 70 per-cent of the lines’ total business.

In addition, Varisco said the strategy for 2013 includes the opening of a number of in-store shops and corners. For exam-ple, the company will introduce its children’s lines in Moschino flagships in Amman, Jordan and Abu Dhabi, while corners will be unveiled in Doha, Qatar, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The three-day international children’s wear trade show Pitti Bimbo, which begins on Thursday in Florence, will offer global com-panies the first business indica-tors of the year ahead.

Fair organizers expect about 8,000 buyers to attend the show, with 34 percent of them coming from outside Italy — especially from Russia, Spain, Germany and Turkey.

“Surely, we are more con-cerned about the Italian mar-ket,” said Pitti Immagine chief executive officer Raffaello Napoleone. “Taking a look at

the holiday sales and analyzing the beginning of the discounting season, it’s evident that Europe is going through a particularly difficult moment. But, even if we know it will be a complex season because of economic un-certainties, we expect very good traffic at the fair.”

By ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

NEW YORK — Unsteady as the econo-my is, many fashion-minded parents are still willing to splurge on new clothes for their children.

And lots of brands are vying for a piece of this market. While designers have been edging into the kids’ business for several seasons, over the weekend, Gap Inc. added a new dimension to its offer by introduc-

ing a limited-edition BabyGap collection inspired by Beatrix Potter’s “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.” The line was introduced Saturday at the Gap unit at The Grove in Los Angeles, followed by a worldwide store and gap.com rollout today.

Given the degrees of immersion, it is not surprising that this week’s Children’s Club show at Pier 92 will feature more than 20 new exhibitors. In total, there will be 250-plus exhibitors showcasing apparel and accessories, according to a spokesman for the show’s organizer, ENK International. Launched in 2000, the show reflects an as-sortment of new names and established brands with products geared for newborns through 12-year-olds. This time around, the three-day show, which runs through Tuesday, will also showcase labels that are Made in America or eco-friendly.

Isaac Mizrahi, Michael Kors, DKNY and John Varvatos are among the design-er labels showing at the New York event.

John O’Donnell, founder of Johnnie-O, expects to open about eight new accounts at the show for his label’s children’s wear.

“What we’re finding is once we get a shop, they continue to reorder,” he said. “Each account is worth about $5,000 a year and as we get more popular, we can start to increase the average sale for each store.”

Children’s sales account for about 15 to 20 percent of Johnnie-O’s total volume, which is pretty consistent with a year ago. Polo shirts, hoodies and wedge-collar dresses are among the key items. Noting that a child’s shirt retails for $38, where-as a men’s shirt goes for $65, O’Donnell said the sales ratio is a matter of units

sold, not a lack of popularity. Consumer awareness is expected to continue to rise since Johnnie-O shipped catalogues for the first time last year and the inaugu-ral look book was recently shot at Venice Beach. O’Donnell and his team relocated to offices on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. That space will also be used for a Johnnie-O store at some point.

Ella Moss and Splendid will also be showing at Pier 92. “Exciting product is the motivational factor in getting consum-ers to spend. We’ve found novelty, color and nods to current trends to be key in-fluences in current buying directives,” a company spokeswoman said. “Camo print for boys and girls will be important. We’ve

added feminine touches to the girls’ piec-es while keeping boys’ versions colorful and fun. Splendid’s signature stripes will continue to be a mainstay, while we will introduce newness such as contrast pip-ing and fabric mixing.”

Children’s Club offers an international array of brands in every category of chil-dren’s clothing, from newborn to age 12, layette items, fashion accessories, footwear, toys and gifts. Introduced in 2000, exhibi-tors reflect an eclectic base of new design-ers and established collections. Children’s Club attracts midrange to better children’s specialty retailers and boutiques and is held four times a year in New York, in January, March, August and October.

Moschino’s kids’ lines are expanding outside Italy.

Stone Island boys reflects the brand’s men’s line.

Splendid expects camouflage looks to be key.

Johnnie-O is seeing healthy sales for children’s wear.