First it was Balenciaga's scandalous children's line. Now luxury fashion is being catered towards children? What is going on in the world of luxury fashion?
I found this very interesting when I read about it and I wanted to talk about it with you. I have a child of my own who just started SK and even though my job as a momma is to provide my child with the best, I do not believe that at such a young age I would consider buying her a whole "luxury wardrobe". What are your thoughts, parents?
Let us look at this closelt.
This is the story of Taylen Biggs, a child who grew up watching the catwalk and now at 9 years old has her own luxury clothing dream.
Taylen is part of a generation that loves fashion and luxury labels, and brands like Versace, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, and Gucci are pushing further into the "lifestyle" space. High-design childrenswear has been around for some time, but Balenciaga recently ran an ad featuring an angelic little girl wearing her own mini-versions of Triple S sneakers and carrying a stuffed teddy-bear handbag. The problem was that the bear was wearing a leather harness that had a faint whiff of BDSM.
Tucker Carlson asked on Fox News if Balenciaga's ads were an endorsement of child pornography. The ads were promptly removed, but the damage was done. Stores on London's Bond Street and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills were defaced by vigilantes, and Kim Kardashian vowed to "reevaluate" her relationship with the brand. Ye, who had previously expressed sympathy for Hitler, announced he stood with it.
Balenciaga is not the only brand competing for this market, with Saks Fifth Avenue reporting double-digit increases in sales of designer children's clothes. Saks recently launched collections from Amiri for kids, Off-White for kids, and Christian Louboutin for kids (what the company calls, cutesily, "LoubiFamily"). Even among luxury brands, it may seem gratuitous to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on garments whose life span is shortened by the vicissitudes of childhood. However, many designer brands seem to be saying, it pays to be extremely precious. The biggest growth at Saks is coming from the designer labels in particular, which are selling the store's best-selling items.
Celebrity children have become the most visible customers for luxury kids' clothes, with North West and Blue Ivy Carter wearing brands like Fendi, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton since they were old enough to walk. Nick Axelrod-Welk, co-founder of beauty brand Nécessaire and a vice-president at United Talent Agency, orders clothes for his 2-year-old daughter and newborn son almost exclusively from boutique labels in Spain, France, and the Netherlands. For parents used to expressing themselves through clothes, kids' fashion represents an easily accessible transference of their old spending habits.
Luxury brands are racing to meet kids where they are, like TikTok, Gucci, Versace, and Dior, and Roblox, the gaming platform that is used by three-quarters of American kids ages 9 to 12. Gucci, which has created content for Animal Crossing and Pokémon Go, has introduced Gucci Town, a virtual community (with shops!) that has logged 39.5 million visits since launching in October 2021. Taylen Biggs, an influencer, is homeschooling her so she can make the most of her time in the world of style. Her dream is to start a fashion line of her own one day, and she is in touch with Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, one of her favorite labels.
What monster are we creating?
