GOOD TO KNOW

Wanna know how Urban Outfitters keeps things fresh?

The retailer relies on its managers and merchants’ instincts, says CEO Glen T. Senk. Managers are encouraged to travel widely and to experiment freely he says, although they’re also expected to carefully track the success or failure of their pilot campaigns. “We are gut driven but we verify with data.”

Malkie Milstein is designer and CEO of MalkieM Headwear, established in 2007. The company is known for custom designs of hair accessories and baby hats made with close attention to detail, comfort, color and durability. Malkie recently introduced a stylish 100% cotton zebra baby hat with what she calls a “shocking red daisy, a definite fashion statement and people stopper.” Available in several sizes to accommodate the needs of the ever-growing child, including infants and toddlers.

Bayá was founded on the idea that travel bags and accessories for today’s women should be exceptional in style and quality. Versatile designs are perfect to tote long after baby outgrows diapers.

Australian company aden + anais®, makers of baby essentials, debuts the signature 100% muslin cotton nibble™ snap bib with a unique three-front snap design that adjusts to grow with baby, ensuring a perfect fit from newborn to toddler. Co-founder/CEO Raegan Moya-Jones, is also the author of swaddle love, a candid and practical guide to the history, science and techniques of swaddling.

Gerber Childrenswear integrates of an ‘exclusive print assortment’ of Gerber Brand essentials for baby into select Old Navy stores across the United States. The line includes Gerber Onesies® brand one piece underwear, sleep ‘n play one-pieces and accessories for baby, sizes ranging from birth to 24 months and all priced under $15.

Tutu Pour Mon Deux makes own custom tutu ensembles for girls. They can choose the outfit style, colors, accents and image, creating a look that matches their personality. Erika Deady-Wohlers, mom of two daughters, with fine arts and architecture degrees, is behind the adorable collection. Erika is actively giving back to those in need, donating one-third of the proceeds from each tutu sold to the Children’s Hospital in Boston. She also dedicates time to raise awareness about congenital heart defects and disease in newborns and children through her new business.

LPB Showroom is a new nationwide showroom headed up by Melissa Lopez. Contact her at 714.862.3073.

An explosion of growth is the best way to describe action sports company Neff Headwear. Best known for the staple, perfect-fit beanie, Neff has branched out to include t-shirts, gloves and watches. Since December 2009, the brand has expanded its distribution from 1,000 doors in 35 countries to approximately 3,500 doors in over 40 nations – a whopping 145% growth in one year. and an even more amazing feat as the economy took a hit in the peak of their expansion. With pre-orders for next year up 200% without even opening any new major retailers and expansion into Europe and Asia, Neff Headwear is the brand to watch.

Coolibar, a leader in sun protective clothing, introduces the Coolibar Sun Blanket, made of the company’s ZnO Suntect fabric – a cotton/bamboo/spandex blend that’s soft, lightweight and breathable. It is rated UPF 50+, giving complete peace of mind and priced at $24.00.

Bow Allure introduces the new glamorous rose petal glittery velvet ribbon hair clips. in five vibrant colors.

The former Rugged Bear children’s clothing stores in Beverly, MA and West Lebanon, NH are reopening with an exciting new name and identity: C&C kids. The change in name coincides with a slight shift in philosophy, now focusing on the active lifestyles families are leading today, and feature several popular and hard-to-find lines of kids activewear and “everyday” clothes.

“We’ve been in the children’s clothing and apparel business for more than 20 years, so we know the value of listening to our customers. They’ve told us that quality and value are most important to them, and we listened.”

-owners Brad and Megan Greenwood

Among the new brands C&C kids will carry are Patagonia, Columbia, The North Face, Helly Hansen and many more. New products aren’t the only differences between C&C kids and Rugged Bear, though. The stores will include a personal shopper experience as well as an even more family friendly atmosphere.

Sierra Julian is a luxurious contemporary children’s wear line dressing boys from 6 months to 12 years and girls from 6 months to 16 years. The collection adjusts to every moment of a child’s life with exclusively designed, tailored pieces for adventurous, relaxed, fashion driven experiences.

The Baby Bunch announces the new Birdhouse PJ gift box, each opening to reveal a super-soft 100% cotton pajama set with a fun plush toy. The PJs are generously sized for girls ages 0-6 months, 12-18 months, 2T and 3T; And for boys ages 0-6 months and 12-18 months.

“We wanted to design the kind of gift that the child would immediately fall in love with – the kind of gift that she would carry around with her. We already knew that parents adore our innovative gifts and that they are very welcome at any baby shower. But when designing this gift, especially since it is offered in toddler sizes too, we wanted to win the child’s approval as well as the grownups.”

-Bryony Boxer, Baby Bunch co-founder and a mother of three

Kicokids moves to new offices 451 West 24th Street, New York NY, 10011.

Six Retailer Trends in 2011

The retail industry is expanding in directions it would have been difficult to predict even five years ago.

Despite the sluggish economy, e-commerce reports record sales last year with an anticipated double-digit growth in 2011. Fueled by new technology and an evolving social-media shopping sphere, commerce is almost unrecognizable to the common consumer. However, it spells good news for retailers who quickly adopt such changing sales and marketing strategies.

Here are six retailer trends changing the way consumers shop in 2011.

Social Media Sales. As Gen Xers move into their peak spending years and become entranced by social-media shopping, more retailers are jumping on the bandwagon to engage their customers via Twitter and Facebook. In fact, the Facebook store, referred to as “F-Commerce,” is an increasingly popular outlet for retailers to target such social-media shoppers. Also known as social shopping, the process allows consumers and retailers to aggregate and share information in real time about special offers, products, prices and purchases. The big advantage to consumers is they needn’t leave a social-media site to shop and can immediately share their purchase with friends and other fans. This helps reduce the solitary feeling of online shopping. Via social media, merchants also provide information about special offers and, increasingly, coupon codes and downloadable coupons.

Daily Deals. With the explosion of limited-time daily deals via group-buying (more than 23 million in the last year) and flash-sale sites like Gilt Group & Jetsetter.com, it’s no surprise other retailers have adopted this successful sales strategy. In fact, online retailers like Target and Overstock now offer Deal-of-the-Day sales that bode well for sales. Even Facebook and Amazon have added daily deal services.

Mobile Sales, Coupons and Instant Deals. The busier we become, the more we rely on our smartphones to shop, compare prices and look for deals while on-the-go. Retailers have cottoned onto this need as a new opportunity for capturing and engaging customers. For example, the CouponSherpa iPhone app allows shoppers to research mobile coupons for specific items, then use those same coupons at checkout. Foursquare has become increasingly popular as a way for retailers and restaurants to provide special offers when you “check in.” Amazon’s iPhone App allows you to scan a bar code or take a photo of a product seen while window shopping and, at the your later convenience, purchase that item with just one click.

Free Shipping. Originating in Australia, retailers are talking about charging shoppers for use of their changing rooms. The move is designed to prevent consumers from trying items in-store, then buying them online at a discount price. Fortunately, retailers have shifted marketing efforts to target online shoppers by creating a more accessible e-shopping experience and offering free shipping both ways as well as site to store free shipping. Online stores like Zappos and Piperlime now offer free shipping both ways and merchants like Walmart and REI offer site to store free shipping.

Name Your Own Price. Gap has recently taken the daily deal concept a step further with the launch of its new Gap My Price program, which allows customers to bid for clothing and accessories. The process is the same as with Priceline, which targets cost-conscious travelers: You extend a sales offer for a particular item; Gap then makes a final offer you can either accept or reject.

Body Scanners In Malls. We’re not talking about security scanners here, but rather a system that helps you deal with manufacturer’s increasingly different sizing charts. MyBestFit addresses this problem with mall kiosks offering free 20-second, full-body scans. Here’s how it works: You step fully dressed into a 380-degree booth and a wand rotates around you, emitting low-power radio waves that record roughly 200,000 body measurements to assess areas like bicep circumference. The system then matches these measurements to sizes in its database for roughly 50 stores, including Talbots, Old Navy and Eddie Bauer.

Courtesy of consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch, who has been featured on NBC’s Today Show, FOX & Friends, MSNBC, ABC News NOW and more. Find more information at AndreaWoroch.com.

Industry News Briefs

Are kids looking for a unique tie to give Dad for Father’s Day this Sunday?

Look no further than TheTieBar.com. The company’s collection features more than 140 brand new cotton and silk ties, pocket squares, bow ties and tie bars for only $15.

The Cribsie Awards is a new online awards program for the parenting/baby industry sponsored by Diapers.com. After an inaugural nomination period with more than 4,000 brands in the baby industry nominated by their fans, the editors of A-List Mom and StrollerTraffic along with industry experts hand-selected the 344 best products, brands, services and websites for babies and tots. Sixty winners are honored. Categories include Best Skincare for Babies (winner: Aveeno Baby) to The One Baby Gadget You Won’t Regret Buying (winner: Cloud B Sleep Sheep). See the complete list at CribsieAwards.com. Only subscribers of StrollerTraffic and A-List Moms were eligible to vote.

“We reached 63,000 votes in just a week and word spread fast. Many traditional and online media properties and brands campaigned hard for the awards.”

– Elina Furman, A-List Mom publisher

A-List Mom (formerly Mamaista.com) is a premium digital lifestyle brand for the influential, savvy and powerful mom demographic. StrollerTraffic is a trusted resource and powerful influencer for urban moms raising babies and toddlers in cities across America.

Designer, brand builder and sports enthusiast Teko Bernard has been designing brands and apparel graphics for over 14 years – 10 of which he spent designing children’s apparel graphics for the likes of ESPN, X Games and the licensed college market. It was the birth of his two nephews, three nieces and his intense love for cartoons that inspired him to create his own brand, Elmdale Park™ including a fun basketball-inspired apparel collection for boys called Hoop Kid®. Elmdale Park is a fictional backdrop where Teko’s cartoon characters featured on the clothing work, play their favorite sports and hang out together. It is also the name of an actual activity center and park in Teko’s hometown. Contact Teresa’s Room for more.

EMU Australia‘s new collection includes water resistant boost and sandals as well as the newly designed Denimwool® jean. The designers have collaborated with some of Australia’s best denim experts to create the new Valla Beach Denim slim fit breathable jean available in three popular colors. Known for timeless sheepskin accessories and fashionable yet down-to-earth apparel, EMU Australia makes it easy to pull off that clean, effortlessly cool look with their apparel collection consisting of nappa sheepskin biker and bombers, woven merino wool blouses, wrap-arounds, cardigans, dresses, tees/tanks, hoodies, pullovers and more.

-Janet Muniz

HUDSON’S is Making a Quick Change

This June, exciting things are happening at HUDSON’S Childrenswear Review.

We’re in the process of making a few updates for you, our readers –ones we plan on revealing very soon. We hope you’ll be pleased!

Our next issue will be out in July.

In the meantime, keep informed with what’s happening in the children’s wear industry right here with HCRSourceBook, our official blog. Check out HUDSON’S current CALENDAR and plan your summer road trip to the trades. You can find it by clicking the “HUDSON’S Calendar” tab at the top of this page.

Every Wednesday, check out HCRSourceBook for all-new INDUSTRY NEWS posts and more. Why not set up an email subscription to our blog right now? Simply enter your email address in the form found on the right column, under “Email Subscription.” And our new posts will be waiting for you in your email box every Wednesday morning. We promise you’ll be glad you did.

Stay in touch with what’s happening at HUDSON’S! Check back to our website in July! Like our Facebook page, too. We’ll be posting updates there all June long. Please contact us directly, if you have any questions or comments. We’d love to hear from you.

Good things are happening this summer at HUDSON’S. Make sure you’re a part of it!

-Janet Muniz