Girls, boys and lightbulbs
We had one of those lightbulb moments last year when we realised that all children are not the same. Like most brands in our industry, we were treating older and younger kids – and girls and boys – the same. Quite simply, we woke up to the fact that this unisex, generic, age-doesn’t matter approach doesn’t reflect what’s happening out there on the high street nor provide credible solutions for childrenswear customers.
Market reports on childrenswear within the retail sector indicate there’s a change there too with many well-known high street brands (including supermarkets) expanding their offer or introducing stand-alone kidswear stores. It all points towards a growth in the kidswear market with customers now spending more time and attention to the area.
Result? We’ve changed the way we do kidswear
We all know that girls can like different colours to boys and we understand that 12 year olds can be more demanding fashion-wise than 3 year olds (who may – understandably – name Spiderman as the epitome of street-cred chic). It seems common sense to us to offer clothes that suit and reflect kids’ needs and wants, and that will allow customers to target end users much more easily.
So it all starts here with the introduction of 2 new age-specific brands: “Mantis Mini” for 2 – 7 year olds and “Mantis Kids” for 8 -12+ years. New brand names, new logos and a determination to give you the best choice of modern and credible kidswear in the market – all backed up our “Well Made” ethos and commitment to ethical manufacture.
We’ve also already added age 12+ to cater for the much overlooked younger teenage market and, as the brands develop, you’ll be seeing more fashion-aware styles for this key market. You’ll also still see some styles and colours reaching across both Mantis Mini and Mantis Kids so will be able to get hold of them across all ages.
Mantis Mini will retain our current HM style code, and Mantis Kids will use a new MK style code and join Mantis and Babybugz in the Mantis World brand family.
