77 Kids & Jonas Brothers — Together Tomorrow, One Time Event!
Loobalee as News & Trends
Nov|15|2008
As a quick reminder (or in case it hasn’t been on your radar!), tomorrow is the big day. As part of 77 Kids by American Eagle’s grand opening event schedule, they are sponsoring an exclusive, FREE Jonas Brothers on-line concert — LIVE!
Mark your calendars for tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. EST., then just click here to join the concert.
The Jonas Brothers concert will stream one-time only, putting on a full-length 40 minute show. Afterward two Jonas Brothers’ songs from the exclusive show will be available for extended play through November 30th!
The concert will be a a very unique experience for 77 Kids customers and Jonas Brothers Fans worldwide. Here’s some of the details you might not have picked up elswhere. We received these updates directly from a representative at American Eagle - 77 kids:
- It will include all the excitement of a live concert.
- Fans can visit the 77kid gallery and 77kids.com to choose between fourteen “kid cool” characters that be represent their style.
- Your 77kids character will walk the red carpet and join the crowd on concert today.
- Fans can also select different camera angles, including a Nick Cam, Joe Cam, and Kevin Cam, throughout the 40 minute show.
- Fans can post messages on the Jonas Brothers message board during the show.
BTW - Here’s three of the top reasons we like 77kids by American Eagle:
- They offer a great size range big style for kids 2-12.
- Kids can Play on. And on. They’re clothes are backed by some big-time guarantees, with free shipping and free returns.
- Everything is super comfy and soft. They’ve tested their line and guarantee it through 77 washes.
Stop back after the concert and let us know how you liked it. American Eagle - 77 Kids will love the feedback! And, if you’ve tried their clothes — we’d love you to share your comments. Thanks!
Children’s Clothing Retailers on a Whirl with Website Upgrades
Loobalee as News & Trends
Oct|4|2008
Have you noticed the recent changes to several major children’s clothing retailer’s websites? In the last couple weeks, we’ve seen major upgrades made at Hanna Andersson, Children’s Place, Boden / Mini Boden, Limited Too, Lands End.
Prior to that, you can probably remember the Gap’s upgrades made with the rollout of their 4-in-1 Shipping services, Naartjie’s recent upgrades, and J Crew / crewcuts recent visual changes on top of the fiascos they’ve had with order fulfillment back-end changes throughout the summer.
What’s Up? Web 2.0, new software technologies, such as AJAX, and competition.
One has to ask, why Limited Too? Why make an investment in a brand that is being retired? Very curious. Especially given Justice Just for Girls has just come on - line with some of the website usability we’re seeing at other sites, but from far the best. Read the rest of this entry »
Children’s Clothing Market: News & Views
Loobalee as News & Trends
Sep|28|2008
Fairy Tales & Folklore leading the way in c hildren’s fashion trends for fall and winter.
- Interested in a comprehensive report on the current World Children’s Market? If you have a childrenswear-oriented business, this detailed report is pricey, but may be applicable. To us, the fact that an agency went through effort to compile this research is indicator of the enormity of the childrenswear market.
- The U.S. isn’t the only country hit by a hard economy - along with many other goods and services, the cost of children’s clothing in Denmark rose 30% in August.
- New article on eHow, How to Re-Purpose Children’s Clothing, offers 11 tips.
- Designer wear is no longer the exclusive domain of adults. These days you can find many stores selling designer wear exclusively meant for children. Read more…
- Alice + Olivia designer is expanding line – inspired by her pregnancy and inability to stop sketching little girls clothes.
- Skin rash problems for babies and toddlers reported with some of Carter’s tagless clothing.
- Zutano Fall/Winter 2008 Line to support global action for children organization in their efforts to help children around the globe.
- Check out the Top 8 Hollywood-Inspired Halloween Costumes for Kids.
Shop the Garnet Hill Pre-Season Outerwear Sale and Help K.I.D.S.
Loobalee as News & Trends
Sep|10|2008
The Garnet Hill Pre-Season Outerwear Sale just got better!
Between now and September 30th Garnet Hill is donating 15% of the purchase value of all kids coats to K.I.D.S. (Kids in distressed situations).
Per Garnet Hill:
“We are excited to be partnering with K.I.D.S again this winter to improve the lives of children and families in need. And of course, helping a good cause makes you feel good, but these jackets are also on sale right now for a pre-season outerwear sale. Help others and save $$!”
This is the best time to purchase a Garnet Hill coat for Fall/Winter. The selection is substantial this year - something for every one. Buy now during the pre-season outerwear and get 10 - 15% off on select items, too! We likely won’t see these discounts again for another several months.
My picks?
- Try the Zip Front Shearling Coat (in Grape Juice!) for Little and Big Girls - on sale for $78 ($11.70 donation to K.I.D.S.)
- Or, the fun Zip Front Racing Jacket for Little and Big Boys - on sale for $70 ($10.50 donation to K.I.D.S.)
Knowing you are saving 10 - 15 % and Garnet Hill is donating another 15% makes for a purchase you can feel great about!
And, don’t forget that Garnet Hill coats should re-sell well too! Take good care of that coat, and you could earn 40-50% of it’s original value when you are ready to re-sell. Or, donate your used coats to K.I.D.S today!
– Suzanne Rielle, Co-Founder, Loobalee.com
Keep track of future Garnet Hill promotions in our bi-weekly Sales At A Glance post!
Children’s Apparel Market: News & Views
Loobalee as News & Trends
Sep|7|2008
- Back to School shopping analyzed in Teen apparel market. Will we see more fallout?
- Runway to a Playroom — celebrity fashion for babies and toddlers, L.A. Times
- Fleeting Fashion Trends Dictate Growth in the World Apparel Market — children’s clothing major sector driven by childhood brand awareness
- Press Release: Baby Bling Swarovski Crystal pacifiers now available at Sandboxcouture.com
- Just for fun - check out: A Lesson in Dress for the School Run (for Moms)
- Back to Cool: four Montreal designers with staying power reviewed - Euro-chic fashion for kids.
- Payless Show Source extends deal with guest designer, Stacey Bendet Eisner for exclusive designer label “alice + olivia for Payless” (focusing on both women’s and girls’ shoes).
- Gigi*s shoes offering new strap-change Mary Janes –change the straps to match your outfit. (this is one of those — Why didn’t I think of that! ideas). See Gigi*s store on-line.
- Gold Medalist Nastia Luikin Jumps into Apparel. And…heres more Nastia Luikin endorsement deals!
- Chldren’s clothing line created with organic and recycled cotton - available through Twirls & Twigs: the featured company on WallStreetNewsHour.com
- Take a Peek at this Kids Line: Peek…Aren’t You Curious
- Payless ShoeSource(R) has launched the Payless Inspiring Possibilities Program and will join together with its shoppers to raise money to support the future of Hispanic youth.
- Unique boutique Australian baby clothing label, Monster Baby, extends clothing line from baby to toddler and pre-school sizing.
Children’s Apparel Market: News & Views
Loobalee as News & Trends
Aug|31|2008
- Luxury children’s clothing market has grown 12% despite gas prices and housing slump. How and why? Think social awarenes, eco - green, and global design influence.
- Burberry opening first childrenswear store in US - November 7 at The Westchester in White Plains, NY.
- Kohls partners with tween social networking and dress-up doll site, Stardoll.com, to offer line of virtual-inspired junior’s clothing. See Kohl’s “Abby Dawn” collection design by Avril Lavigne.
- Sheryl Crow plans to introduce children’s apparel line in Fall ‘09.
- Gold Medal winner, Nastia Luikin, announces Vanilla Star Jean’s “Live The Dream” scholarship contest. More on Vanilla Star Jeans’ “Smart Girls Rock” ad campaign here.
- Read Patrick Thomas of Krickets and Designer’s insights into Montreal as a hub for quality children’s apparel design — featuring well-known brands La Senza Girl and Deux par Deux.
- Menswear styles in fashion for Tween back-to-school selections.
- Accessories spice up School Uniforms this year.
- Read a review of Sketcher’s brand shoes at Best Toddler Tips.
- Who is Lawrence Stroll? Designer of Pierre Cardin women & children’s line. Also responsible for expanding Women & Children’s Ralph Lauren Lines into Canada.
Children’s Apparel Market: News & Views
Loobalee as News & Trends
Aug|22|2008
Welcome to the first installment of Loobalee’s Market News. We review many news feeds on an ongoing basis and do a significant amount of children’s clothing market and brand research each week. As we collect press releases and news we think our readers will find interesting, we will be posting them here in our News and Trends category. Enjoy!
- Von Maur announces it will off ‘My Vintage Baby’ for the first time in Fall 2008.
- Estella NYC, a leading New York City children’s boutique, partners with Action Against Hunger
- Children’s Place profits surge in second quarter
- Gymboree Corp. beats analysts prediction - sales rose 13% in second quarter
- Gap Q2 earnings preview indicate drop in sales
- “Soft” children’s clothing coming December 2008. Developed by a special education teacher and parents of special needs children who have clothing sensitivities.
- Sally Miller, the “Queen of Tween” fashion, whose designs are featured at Nieman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, and 375 boutiques around the country, opens her first retail store in Milltown, NJ
- PaigeLauren baby clothing line to be featured this fall at Neiman Marcus
- Nogales Investors, private equity firm, backs Naartjie children’s store and on-line expansion in U.S.
- Creative Clips by Colleen announces wholesale product line
- Baby Legs to offer infant sizing with “My First Baby Legs” this fall
Limited Too is Out, Justice is In. Is it the Right Switch?
Loobalee as News & Trends
Aug|20|2008
Can you believe it? After 20 years of building up significant brand recognition, Tween Brands is (literally) all-out ditching its Limited Too brand in favor of switching over all of its stores to its more profitable Justice - Just for Girls. Read the official news on the Tween Brands investor’s website in their 8/12/08 press release.
What does this mean? By first quarter, 2009, we’ll see approximately 600 Limited Too stores convert to Justice Stores. There are over 300 Justice stores today. Of the total 900+ stores, about 10% will either close or be put on a watch list for possible closure in the future.
At a high level, it seems quite obvious that Tween Brands would run into an issue competing with themselves in virtually the same market, so the fact that a change is occurring is not surprising.
What is surprising, however, is their choice of direction. Giving this a cursory glance and using my basic math skills, I’ve got to believe this is an expensive, high risk move. Wouldn’t it be less risky and less expensive to convert all stores to Limited Too? This would only be 300 store conversions and would leverage Limited Too’s long-standing brand recognition.
We live in a market that recently opened a Justice store about 15 miles away, but where we’ve had a Limited Too store in existence for years. The girls in our Tween Brands’ target market have hardly heard of Justice, let alone developed the brand ‘loyalty’ they express with Limited Too.
Even my 6 year old daughter brought up an excellent point, “Mommy, will they have to change the Limited Too outfits at Build-A-Bear to Justice outfits?”. I wonder if Tween Brands has considered the extensive reach of the Limited Too brand in their decision.
With either direction, there would be some transformation and tuning of their merchandise offerings to meet expectations and retain the customers of both stores. It appears that the driving force in the direction chosen was the assumption that customers prefer the lower pricing model of Justice.
I disagree. I do think that Justice currently offers a better match of quality with pricing, but I don’t think that lowering the pricing model of Limited Too would be an insurmountable task — especially if they have found a way to keep their current Limited Too leases and real estate in tact, while switching them to Justice stores. Additionally, the distinction in quality between Justice and Limited Too is not always perceptible. The designs are different - yes, but does the difference in quality justify the price difference - upwards of 25%? I don’t see it.
While I do agree that Limited Too’s pricing is too high, thus artificially inflating the value and perceived quality of their clothing, I suspect they may not be making the right choice in dropping the brand.
A part of the equation in the decided direction that is missing is the quality factor. I’m not buying that Tween Brands target customer just wants cheaper clothes. Rather, they don’t want to pay prices that are too high for the quality. If Tween Brands can find a happy medium in their transformation to offer a desirable mix of pricing, quality garment construction, and quality designs, it may be irrelevant which direction they chose. After all, the tween market is significantly lacking in this space, especially for girls ages 8-12.
Hopefully this natural force being placed on Tween Brands to reconcile the best of both competing brands will motivate them to deliver the quality and designs at the prices the market desires. While there could be some trial and error initially, I hope they can get their formula right as they merge the best of both brands under one roof — but, only time will tell if they have chosen the right roof.
What are your views on this decision? Can the Justice for Girls, with 800-900 stores, withstand the expectations of Limited Too customers? Do you think Tween Brands will be successful? Please comment and share your views.
2008 Back to School Shopping Predicted to Increase 8% over 2007
Loobalee as News & Trends
Aug|13|2008
I came across an interesting article today to share with you. A recent study of Moms who are back-to-school shopping for their children this year predict an increase in spending over last year. This caught my attention - who would have thought? Given the state of the economy, gas prices, etc., that this particular area of spending would actually increase?
My instinctive prediction, based on the continuing addition of children’s apparel brands to the market is that the demand hasn’t slown down, but it’s also curious to me that it’s picked up at this time.
So why the increase? A couple thoughts I have, in addition to the statistics coming out of the study and points presented by the article:
- The “Big Box” stores make it very easy to buy. These stores keep their price points under $20. It can be less expensive to buy a children’s shirt than to buy a latte.
- Shoppers are easily hooked into buying this time of year. Enormous investments are made by companies in back-to-school advertising. You’ll notice that the introduction of new clothing lines is made simultaneously with back-to-school promotions (such as free shipping, 20% discount coupons, “2 for” deals, etc).
- In general, I think most parents want their child going back to school with a fresh start on a new year. A new wardrobe has been associated with back-to-school as long as I can remember. I think a certain amount of tradition and cultural/social expectation also drives back-to-school shopping behavior.
While I’m happy to see this market thriving, I’d ultimately like to see a shift in spending from the current trend toward inexpensive (and low quality) clothing to more spend on smaller designers and high quality clothing that will last and retain it’s value.
What are your thoughts? Has your back-to-school spending subsided, increased, or stayed about the same?
Suzanne Rielle, Co-Founder, Loobalee.com
Suzanne Rielle - Co-Founder, Loobalee.com
“77 Kids” by American Eagle: 77 Day Countdown has begun!
Loobalee as News & Trends
Aug|12|2008
In January 2008, American Eagle announced plans for an Infant to 10 Year old children’s clothing line. “77 Kids” stores are scheduled to opening in 2009, and the brand is scheduled for debut this fall. Email subscribers received a noticed on August 7th that the 77 Day countdown to the grand opening of 77 Kids on-line began. If all stays on schedule, we should expect the opening to be October 23, 2008 — just in time for Holiday shopping.
We’re excited to see what they have to offer. The website landing page is very happy and light. I’m expecting every day basics for babies and kids with a little flair at a reasonable prices. We’ll be anxious to review their line as soon as we can. We are already curious as to why they cut the age limit for sizing at 10 years. There is a serious need for tween clothing for both boys and girls, and the American Eagle sizing doesn’t fit the 12 - 18 tween range well. Even their smallest size ,’00′, is off from the typical size charts we see for tweens.
If you’re already an AE fan, you might want to get on the email announcement list at 77kids and keep in the know as time progresses toward their opening.
