3 Parenting Trends Every Kids Brand Needs to Know
There is a new generation of parents on the look-out for the best kids products for their children. However, the marketplace is highly competitive and dominated by trusted household names. In order for newer brands to cut through the noise, they must put audiences at the heart of their offering and, in turn, they can become an extended member of the family.
It’s time to consider our three parenting trends – liberty, circularity, and neutrality.
Circularity by Thyra Bankole, Buttercrumble’s Creative Champion
Liberty
Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) grew up during the explosion of social media, economic uncertainty, and climate crisis… All under the strict supervision of helicopter parents. Now, these so-called snowflakes are having children of their own. And, what do they want? Freedom.
Time magazine reports on how these new parents are making a change after years of suppression and mollycoddling (2015). They want to raise their children to be free to express themselves.
Brands should adopt a libertarian approach to business. Stella McCartney, an early pioneer, has long been making waves through her kids collection. More recently, she invited a 16-year old photographer to shoot her AW22 collection, demonstrating her belief in creative freedom and equal opportunities for young people (2022).
Ensure your brand communicates curiosity and open-mindedness through expressive lines, experimental colour-schemes, and organic forms. Your brand doesn’t need to be “perfect”, it needs to be real.
Circularity
Everyone is talking about the negative impact of the fashion industry. Junior — a children’s industry magazine — describes the unique challenges of family fashion as growing children require multiple sets of clothes in growing sizes (2022)! However, this contributes to 350,000 tonnes of clothing in landfill in the UK alone.
Brands need to find ways to take pressure off the planet. This can be through sustainable cotton, rejection of harsh chemicals, and recycling.
Bundlee is a great example of a brand who uses circularity to reduce clothing waste. The UK-born company offers an affordable subscription service for baby clothes where customers can rent and return clothing as their children grow. Bundlee refresh returned products to be re-loved again and again and again.
Neutrality
Parents are thinking outside traditional binaries and setting new expectations for their new generations. WGSN experts state that Gen Z are looking for more inclusivity and more non-binary clothing; they want to shop quickly and effectively across gender assortment (Hall, Maggioni, Muston and Palmer, 2022).
Fashion brands need to offer gender-free silhouettes and design details that are suitable across the gender spectrum. This includes looser shapes that aren’t too close to the body.
Adapt to parents’ evolving needs and save your business money in the long-term. It makes commercial sense to offer a more neutral aesthetic that appeals to a broader audience and defies time.
Trend forecasting and analysis is imperative for survival in competitive marketplaces. It’s about checking-in with your audience and anticipating their needs. If you’d like to learn more about ways Buttercrumble can support you, please get in touch.
References:
Bundlee. 2022. About Us. [Online]. [Accessed 29 January 2023]. Available from: here
Hall, L., Maggioni, S., Muston, F., and Palmer, H. 2022. 2024 Trends. [Webinar]. [Online]. WGSN Live, 16 November 2022.
Junior Magazine. 2022. Circular Fashion – The Kids Clothing Revolution We Need. [Online]. [Accessed January 2023]. Available from: here
Stella McCartney. 2022. Next-gen photographer Mercy James shoots Stella Kids Autumn Winter 2022. [Online]. [Accessed January 2023]. Available from: here
Time. 2015. Help. My Parents are Millennials. [Online]. [Accessed January 2023]. Available from: here
