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Never Too Young for Marketing
by JB Sacallis Agoo Apparel - August 28, 2008
Recently my son's little four-year-old girl friend arrived at our house wearing a very hip and stylish Hannah Montana ensemble. I, of course, have a boy, and have not been privy to the Hannah craze. I was surprised that this little tyke was completely informed and up to speed on all things in Montanaville. When I spoke to another friend who has six-year-old twin girls, he said that they know everything there is to know about the show, and dressing like the lead character, well, duh... of course they do.
I remember when my son was born, how outfits with Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse were given to me as gifts. I also remember returning some of them determined to be that mom who didn't buy into marketing ploys. Instead I preferred classic and traditional over obnoxious and commercialized. As he grew, I refused to buy Sesame Street diapers and anything Elmo. I picked zoo animals as his bedroom theme over Buzz Lightyear or Clifford the Big Red Dog. I wanted him to be stimulated by creatures of the sea, dinosaurs or bugs found in books, flashcards and the many excursions we made outdoors. It was my opinion that all of the marketing and advertising wouldn't affect him if I didn't let it, and our house would not be full of TV characters and movie images.
Now that he's three, I have to admit that Speed McQueen and Diego do tend to dominate his world. He has his favourite Cars t-shirt, toothpaste, PJs, and bed spread, along with his Diego light-up runners, rescues-pack and adventurer socks. Suddenly these things represent cool, neat, and fun. He will dig through his drawers to find his Wingo t-shirt and go looking in the laundry basket for his Nemo swim trunks. At no point did I tell him or show him that there is a connection between his clothing, his feelings and these personified images. He learned it quickly and completely, the way any marketing master would have planned as he imagined selling to kids and selling big.
At the moment my biggest concern is the Bob the Builder underpants he wants. Next year I imagine it will be Spiderman and Shrek, then Harry Potter or Luke Skywalker. Still, I have a few years before it is anything I won't completely understand or something I'll utterly disagree with. And yet when he becomes a teenager, how can my hopes for endangered animals or real life heroes compete with celebrities and multimillion dollar advertising budgets that highlight speed, money, rebellion and all things hip? Or in the case of my daughter (still only 10 months), beauty, glitz, glam and sex appeal.
These and other images are what our children are seeing and imprinting as acceptable representation of fashion in today's society. Their suggestive posturing and barely-there clothing give a vey distinct message, and our kids our buying into it. It seems that as they move from toddler to teen their focus becomes being the image and then becoming the person. What I was taught was to be your own person and create a unique image.
Kids today are heavily plugged into to what they see gets noticed, and it is their desire to copy that.
John Maltby, who lectures in psychology at Leicester University and co-authored a study on youth attitudes toward celebrity, says, "Celebrity worship now provides an important reference point for growing up. It's part of the transfer of attachment from parents to peer group. Also, whereas in past times family, friends and teachers were influential role models, celebrities now fulfill that role." (Source: Timesonline.co.uk)
Unfortunately children are emulating those who are famous and copying their style of dress right down to the stitching. In a survey for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), some 60% of the 304 teachers quizzed said that their pupils most aspired to be David Beckham because he looked cool and was rich. More than a third said pupils' motivation to become famous is only for the sake of being famous. And 32% of teachers said their pupils modeled themselves after heiress Paris Hilton.
Young children often dress themselves in ways that receive attention, recognition, and acceptance. Older kids tend to try to fit into a group or classification, using their dress to make an outward statement of who they want to portray. Clothing is often an extension of an emotion or state of mind and can easily vacillate from conforming to rebellious. Clothes allow them to make a proclamation, create a signature and say something without having to say anything at all. Just one look at someone's clothing can quickly sum them up, giving you a clear message about who they want to be and what they want you to know.
As industry suppliers we have the challenges of meeting the needs of our own fashion preferences while supplying the wants and desires of the customer paying for them. Finding a balance between what sells and what works is sometimes difficult. Choosing distinctive fashions over commercialized items, kids' demand, or celebrity trends kids prefer can easily become a complicated choice. Merchandizing, advertising and promotional material that enhances what celebrities are wearing are becoming commonplace and everyone seems desensitized to the reality of the underlying message it gives.
Let us hope that as trendsetters change, so do fashion followings. What and who is popular now may become quickly unknown in years to come. Let us also hope that celebrities soon recognize the responsibility they have to younger generations and use their status as a platform to teach and inspire. Children should have the freedom and influence to dress like kids, full of individualism and innocence. How they dress should be about the ideals and standards of the person, not the price tag or party scene. Teaching kids to recognize the principles and ethics of their idols is an important step in establishing what they are attracted to and where they place their value. By pointing out qualities and achievements first we can show our children it is about what we do, not how we dress.
JB Sacallis
About JB Sacallis, Agoo Apparel
JB Sacallis has an extensive background in the fashion industry. She obtained her degree in Fashion Design and Textile Science and for the past 18 years, has worked vigorously in mass market, prêt-a-porte, couture, wedding gowns, custom/ one-of-a-kind, and even created her own label; Simply JB.
Her diverse talents have allowed her to report on fashion as a correspondent for news and television programs, direct fashion shows and write for a syndicated newspaper column. She is also a published author; “Letters for my Mother,” is about healing the Mother/ Daughter bond.
She spent ten years working in the costume department for the film and television industry, supervising the wardrobe department on major motion pictures and award winning television series.
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Currently she is the owner and president of Agoo Apparel Inc, a children’s clothing company that focuses on sustainable and performance-based active wear. Her company sells throughout Canada and the United States and is dedicated to giving back to the children.
Despite her many hats and career experiences, she says, “Children’s wear is the most fun I have ever had in fashion.” With a three year old son and six month old daughter, she has the two perfect customer’s right at home.
Her weekly blog can be read at agooblog.com.
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