Baby Boomers

At the Coochhie Coo store at MGF Metropolitan Mall,Saket,the clientele is spoilt for choice amid the wide-legged trousers and the couture-like gowns...

At the Coochhie Coo store at MGF Metropolitan Mall,Saket,the clientele is spoilt for choice amid the wide-legged trousers and the couture-like gowns,the lehngas and the casual dresses neatly arrayed in the 3,000 sq ft store. That is exactly what Sagrika Goyal,a lawyer-turned-proprietor and mother of a five-year-old,had in mind when she decided to launch the store last year. Todays parents think of their children as extensions of themselves. They want them to look glamorous,like their miniature versions. At my store,we offer them exclusivity as none of my styles is repeated, says Goyal,29,who caters to a wide category of consumers from newborns to pre-teens. So from a theme-inspired outfit (think mermaids and pirates and even an occasional Elvis Presley and an F1 racer) to made-to-order one-piece infant suit for your bling babys first birthday,Goyal has everything in place. The market for kids wear has increased phenomenally,and there is a gap for niche clothing for kids,which the foreign brands cannot fill up, says Goyal,who usually co-ordinates the kids outfit with the parents. Prices at the store begin at Rs 2000,and go beyond Rs 20,000 even.

Forget toddler jeans,tees with cutesy slogans and pretty pink dresses for little girls. A bunch of new kids wear brands,both Indian and foreign,has come calling,and they are gearing up to give you more variety than what you have been used to so far. Retail chain Pantaloons has tied up with Barbie,Lilliput and Chalks,Puma with Gini & Jony to crank out sweatshirts,jackets,tracks and shorts for kids aged 4 to 14 years.

At Esprit,the freestyle spirit seeps in to the kids wear line as well. Jostling with bright yellow mini skirts are Peter Pan collar tunics,peasant-sleeved formal shirts and sporty tennis outfits. The colours are pop and the store caters to 3-to-13-year-olds. A denim jumpsuit for 8-9-year-old is pegged at Rs 940 while a basic pair of denims is pegged at Rs 1,990.

Theres also the new Italian brand Chicco at Select Citywalk,which has a delightful range of baby and toddler wear. On offer are baby suits for Rs 699,bumblebee smock for Rs 699,reversible red jumpsuit pegged at Rs 899 for your nine-month-old and frilly ladybird one-piece swimsuit at Rs 599. Toddler denims are pegged at Rs 699. The brand caters to baby sizes 0 to 8. Vineeth Nair,CEO of Artsana India,who brought the brand to India,is still trying to shake off the luxury tag. Our pricing is very reasonable compared with other babywear brands. Though it is imported,the products are competitively priced for a wider appeal says Nair.

According to R Satyajit,COO,Allen Solly,the organised kids wear market,is pegged at around Rs 2,000 crore. India is the fastest growing market. It is growing at an annual rate of 30 per cent, says Satyajit,who launched the brands kids wear line last year.

But why create clothing whose prices often border on the prohibitive? Designer Preeti Chandra attributes it to the lack,so far,of competitive brands in the market. There have been very few players in this segment,and hardly any edgy brands. Its the top-end brands that provide excellent designs and so their prices are steep, says Chandra. There are other reasons too. A lot of strict quality parameters is followed while designing clothes for kids. Besides,the smaller the cloth,the more difficult it is to style it. Also,embellishments add to the cost, says Namrata Datt of 2Feet,a popular kids boutique. A lot of stress goes in getting the right fit for clothes when it comes to kids wear. Also,the fabrics used have to be of excellent quality. My clothes,for instance,have to be dry-cleaned and not washed, says Goyal.

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