Adults are not the only people who like to be fashionable – kids do too! And, with so many kids clothing brands being available, there is no need for them to look anything other than fabulous! Whether you like traditional clothes – pink for a girl and blue for a boy – or whether you prefer to let your child make a statement, everything is possible. Of great importance is also the fact that children’s clothing designers focus on comfort and safety, while at the same time ensuring that parents can show their kids off. Additionally, they ensure that the clothes are fully age appropriate, with different designs for babies, toddlers, infants, youths, and teens.
Historically speaking, clothes for kids were basically small versions of clothes for adults. This is because children were essentially seen as small adults. Additionally, clothing was a statement of class, with the poorest people wearing the poorest quality clothing, and passing them down between the generation; and the richest people having matching outfits in fine fabrics. However, if you look at pictures and paintings of children during those days, you will instantly see how uncomfortable they look, regardless of whether they are wearing rags or riches.
In the past, childhood was something that should be completed as soon as possible. Boys had to get to work, and girls had to get married. There were high mortality rates, and there was no support system other than children for the elderly. Fashion, as such, took a backburner. Rather, clothes were a necessity, not an expression of personality.
Over time, these attitudes have changed, and quite rightly so. Today, we know that children are unique individuals, who have a right to be themselves. It was Jean Jacques Rousseau, the Swiss born French philosopher, who first suggested that childhood was actually something to be cherished and celebrated, as it was the only time that people could be truly happy and playful. It was his philosophies that gave rise to the idea that children should wear clothes that made them feel free and comfortable. From thereon in, a real difference between clothes for adults and clothes for children started to exist.
Since Rousseau’s days, there has been a lot of development in the world of children’s fashion. There have been some subtle changes, and some revolutionary ones, some of which also follow the changes in fashion for adults. A great example of this is that girls can now wear trousers, which didn’t start until after World War II. And even today, there are still schools that do not allow girls to wear trousers as part of their uniform, although that is still changing as well. Other changes include the use of colors, with it being perfectly acceptable now for girls to wear blue, or boys to wear pink. Fashion is a constant evolution, regardless of what age it is targeted at. Naturally, the greatest influencer on children’s fashion continues to be the parent, as they make the purchasing decisions, but it is far clearer now that the child’s personality can shine through in what they wear.
