Cool Baby

As reported in the January issue of Gifts & Decorative Accessories, four million babies are born each year in the United States. But an even bigger boom is happening in the abundance, and variety, of baby product on the market. From clothing to accessories to toys, baby products are taking the gift industry by storm.

Take, for example, AmericasMart's decision to dedicate an entire section of the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Show to children's product. The section, called Children's World, offers shoppers a wide variety of children's product, including clothing, accessories, toys, games and home furnishings. With all the cool, edgy, funky stuff out there, the children's accessories market is helping raise sales across the board.

“It's no longer just apparel that buyers are after,” says Lawton Hall, senior vice president of sales and leasing at AmericasMart. “They want unique, hard-to-find products — but they want it all under one roof.”

So what's changed? For one thing, we have. Parents today are Gen-Xers, and according to an article in New York magazine, they're still living life as they did in their 20s — with added maturity, of course. Even though people are waiting longer to have children, their attitudes about tradition and conformity are much “younger” than their parents' and grandparents' were.

What's more, the age of parents today varies tremendously: first time moms can be in their 20s or their 40s. “There is no longer one idea of how old or who the parent is,” says Shelley Foster, president of Babygags, San Francisco.

“I used to think 40 was so old. But there's not a huge generation gap anymore,” says Lisa Leija, owner and designer of Lylablu, Calabasas, CA, which features a line of baby T-shirts and onesies, as well as bikinis for mother and child with a soft yet edgy look. “I've always loved fashion, and wanted to create a line for younger, hipper parents,” Leija says.

But younger doesn't necessarily refer to age — it's about attitude and lifestyle. What today's “younger” parents demand are products with sharp designs, fun sayings and cool colors. Products with a sense of humor and style are finding their way on the shelves. Diaper bags no longer look like diaper bags, and children's clothes are every bit as cool as their parents'. And all these products can be found throughout the gift shows.

While you might think that these unconventional products are for hipster parents living in New York and Los Angeles, think again. The trends may have started on the coasts, but they're quickly moving to all parts of the country. Leija says that her T-shirts first found fans in New York and Los Angeles, but now can be found at high-end boutiques in Maryland, Illinois and Arizona, to name but a few states.

“When I first launched, I thought New York and California were our markets, but I was so pleased to realize that gag gifts work everywhere, in every city and in every state,” says Foster.

So, is cute out? Of course not. There will always be cute product available for babies, because there will always be parents who want see their little girls in pink frilly dresses.

“No matter how hard we try, I don't think cutesy will die,” says Foster. “It's out with our consumer, but our consumer is a niche. There are cool parents and grandparents and there are classic and conservative parents and grandparents. There will always be both, and the classic will probably always be a bigger market in the U.S.”

While working at Nike and at Reef, Foster saw just how hot the children's market was becoming. “I knew it was a great sector to focus on,” she says. “I was looking for something new I could bring to the market.” But it wasn't until after her sister-in-law and friends got pregnant that the idea for Babygags occurred to her.

Foster says her company leaves classic cutesy for the large brands and mass merchants, focusing instead on niche items that help boutiques differentiate themselves and remain a destination for unique, irreverent gift items. The Babygags line features T-shirts, headwear, greeting cards, dishes and bottles, as well as bath products with fun sayings like “I am Boob Man.”

“The baby market is jumping; it's such a huge growth market,” says Robyn Murgio, owner and head designer of Murge Designs, Los Angeles. Murgio creates home accessories, personal accessories and baby products featuring modern, geometric patterns in vivid colors that offer a nod to the past.

Like Foster, it wasn't until everyone around her started having kids that Murgio got the idea for a baby accessories line. “I wanted to find cooler baby product for my friends who were having babies. A lot of my patterns have bright colors — I thought that would work well for baby,” she says. Still, she doesn't think that cutesy is out — nor will it ever be. “I think it's neat that the market is expanding, but there will always be a market for cutesy [product].”

While cute will always be “in” for babies, lines of hip, edgy products for youngsters offer a way for retailers to make their merchandise stand out from the crowd. And that's cool, baby.