The SS18 Trends you need to know from Dot To Dot London
From gender neutral to crayon brights we've rounded up the top 5 must-know trends from the bi-annual Dot to Dot kids trade show in London.
For children stylists, journalists and buyers Dot to Dot is one of the must-do events on the fashion calender. A bi-annual trade show that supports independent children's fashion and lifestyle brands it's always a riot of creativity, colour and innovation.
This years sees it's 9th show which carried on this signature tradition - presenting the SS18 collections from over 40 brands including much-loved and established brands like The Bonnie Mob, Amy & Ivor and Tootsa McGinty, as well as newer names including Mini Stiches and The Little Tailor.
We asked London-based kids stylist Yvadney Davis to share what next season is looking like.
She said, "While they all put their own stamp on the kids' industry, there were some interesting patterns that ran through. So, here I'm sharing some of the key trends from Dot to Dot SS18."
1. UNISEX BABYWEAR
The trend for gender neutral baby fashion continues for SS18 with more and more brands shunning the traditional pink for girls and blue for boys. This is all about easy-to-wear and stylish pieces, regardless of gender. The fashion is not only that bit cooler, but also makes for great gifts for parents to be and are perfect hand me downs to younger siblings.
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Most brands at Dot to Dot such as Etta Loves and CarlijnQ, opted for greys and statement monochromes. Newbies Claude & Co. used a warm colour palette of ochre, denim and rust to create a more colourful start to babies' wardrobes; while Bla Clothing and My Little Cozmo had delicious candy pastels with fun prints on them.
2. MUM AND MINI TWINNING
Twinning is winning, especially in the social media age and how better to rock your mum and mini #ootd than in coordinated outfits? Quite a few Dot to Dot brands tapped on to this burgoeining trend with fun mummy ranges.
Organic Zoo's 'Planet Motherhood' 'Planet Childhood' tees stood out for their clean minimal lines and organic cotton fabric tags, so much kinder to the skin. It's also not a surprise Cribstar's mummy range is so cool, given the label's city aesthetic. Mums can chose from one of the statement print t-shirts, the monochcrome leopard print is my favourite, or rock the 'Not Your Basic Mumma' tee, a basic t-shirt with a sassy message.
For those who want to upgrade from t-shirt twinning to more, Tootsa has expanded it's mummy collection from knitwear to include it's popular denim jacket.
3. GEOMETRIC BRIGHTS
Like so many timeless kids' design themes, geometric shapes and bold colours stand the test of time. Put them together and you have oh so fun trend for SS18. Be it bold stripes, harlequin diamonds or circles, it is a cheerful style season indeed.
Mini Stiches ticked the boxes with an oversized gemstone design in crayon brights. While Swiss brand Goganga revved up it's innovative collection with primary brights and geometric textures, and Alba of Denmark had a retro mid-century vibe to its bright colours and prints.
Childrenswear power house Bang Bang Copenhagen, presented its signature stripes and dots over primary brights and its signature attention to fun details – hello fringing!
4. NEW DENIM
There's so much more to denim then a pair of jeans. SS18 will see denim reconstructed and used in interesting ways, as this industrial fabric is used for play and fashion.
New brand OTTI, showed an innovative collection entirely made from lightweight pale and dark denim. The oversized dungarees and two-toned denim jacket stood out as must-haves for very cool kids' outfits.
Goganga integrated striped denim into it's collection in funky silhouettes, while Tootsa has brought back it's popular denim bomber jacket, this time with a vibrant print, inspired by peace signs – it's good vibes only for next summer.
5. BACK TO NATURE
Be it pretty garden flowers or wild animals, at Dot to Dot Mother Nature was in full force throughout many collections.
That means SS18 sees oh so pretty flower prints, of which both kimono-inspired KIKI and vintage style Their Nibs showcased excellently. Lily Balou demonstrated that palms and cactus prints are here to stay, while a number of brands from the Ana-Moly's interiors prints to Stay & Bird super sweet hedgehog illustrations integrated animals into their designs.