Is Disney Out of the Children’s Designer Clothing Line-Up?

Posted by Loobalee in Reviews

Jul|23|2008

Once a beloved brand on eBay, is the traditional Disney we know and love going the way of the Dodo? Are we “all Disney-ed out”? It seems that way, as Disney fashion has lately taken akin to its recent programming, as opposed to the classic characters that have stood the test of time. Since the Miley Cyrus craze has hit, there has been nearly no interest in clothing with the images of Mickey, Pooh, or the various princesses have been extremely popular for so many years. But with this shift to live-action heroes, is the resale value of their clothing styles really worth buying them now? Probably not.

Being the 12th largest apparel company in the world, the Disney brand is able to promote just about however and whatever they want. Of course market demand comes into play, but market demand is primarily driven by Disney’s wildly successful Disney Channel. I’m a parent and my family loves the Disney Channel, but that doesn’t mean my kids obsess over the brand or that I thoughtlessly clothe them in this trend.

On a recent, disappointing trip to Target I noticed High School Musical, Camp Rock, and Hannah Montana themed merchandise all taking front row and substantial space in the Girls clothing section. Intrigued, I traveled the mall just to see how much Disney Channel merchandise I could find. At JC Penney, I could hardly find an item in the Girls department that wasn’t Hannah Montana. Have you heard that the Cheetah Girls branded clothing was the most successful launch of an apparel line in the history of Sears? Potentially only to be topped by its newly introduced Vanessa Hudgeons “Arrive Lounge” line? And, it will be interesting to see how far the Jonas Brothers branded apparel reaches.

What is most noticeable about all these clothes is that this new, trendy Disney brand clothing has severely decreased in its quality, which automatically makes the resale value near worthless.

Secondly, are these characters going to stand the test of time? Even though Miley Cyrus is being touted as a modern day Disney Princess, whose dreams of becoming a rock star and television star came true, she will eventually grow older and portray a much different persona than the bubbly heroine girls adore right now. Will she live happily ever after? This inevitable growth as a star and her to-be-determined future, in my opinion, makes the current clothes endorsed by her basically worthless, so why bother?

At Loobalee, we want to our customers to have access to the highest quality clothing available, and there are definitely Disney brands that are higher in quality out there. My family recently took a trip to Disney World, where we found lots of wonderfully crafted apparel by Disney, much better than you’ll find at your local mall’s Disney Store. And, on the market today you’ll find Disney Couture, Signature Disney, and Disney-themed Designer items such as those from Reyn Spoon, Icky Baby, Trumpette, and Lucky Brand to name a few. These are the types of exclusive clothes that have great resale value, continue to focus on traditional Disney themes, and should also stand the test of time.

Speaking of which, I’ve also noticed that while Americans are obsessed with “new” Disney, foreign countries are newly or still embracing “classic” Disney. This traditional Disney wear is now being promoted much heavier on the global market rather than in the U.S. because the demand is higher abroad. For example, a new concept, Disney Jeans (for kids)—which may be launching in U.S. this fall—is promoted and available at upscale retail and specialty boutiques in Europe and India. This “non-character” merchandise also is the type that makes for wonderfully resalable clothing.

So, Disney is not out of the game yet, it is just unfortunate that the response of audiences to their new branding is causing a surge of cheaply made and essentially worthless clothing. My prediction is that 2-3 years down the road, no one will want these clothes. Not only won’t you be able to resell them, you won’t even be able to give them away. It won’t be until that point, that those who eagerly purchase these items today will realize the wastefulness.