Goodbye, Baby Picts! The international childrenswear fair, now in its 89th edition, has just closed its doors in Florence. Here are all the numbers, trends, news of children’s fashion for spring-summer 2020: a season that promises to be… fairy tale.

 

The numbers. The Tuscan capital has welcomed 603 collections in the space of 47,000 square meters, of which 399 come from abroad (62% of the total). And again: 5,350 total buyers (of which 2,450 foreign) and a total of 10,000 visitors, in line with the last summer edition. Among the new names and returns, 150 brands have animated the event. 11 sections that have welcomed the best spring-summer 2020 collections dedicated to children’s fashion: starting with the brand new The Kid’s Lab, which brought together for the first time all the different different variations of research in children’s fashion, (KidzFIZZ, #ACTIVELAB, The Nest, EcoEthic, Kid’s Evolution), and then Apartment, Pitti Bimbo, Fancy Room, Sport Generation, SuperStreet, Fashion at Work. Russia, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, China, Belgium, Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, France, Japan, Greece, in order, the countries most present at the event; while the data of the childrenswear sector (0-14 years) compiled by Sistema Moda Italia state that for the year 2018 there is a slight acceleration in the pace of growth of children’s fashion compared to the previous ones. Turnover grew by 4.2% to close to EUR 3 billion.

From left, looks from the runways of Amaya, Manila Grace and Tuc Tuc SS20

Trends. Good news in trending too. Children’s must-haves spotted among the stands in the Fortress, at the parades and events leave no doubt: the next spring-summer format kids will be fairytale as a children’s tale, but to all rock. On the one hand the classic elegance formed mini, with sartorial dresses enlivened by applications, floral prints, pastel colors, ultra trendy neutrals, combined with chic accessories in raffia and other natural materials (I Pinco Pallino, Sarabanda, Amaya, Simonetta, Mimisol) . On the other, tropical rhapsodies based on feathers, stripes, animaliers, catwalk protagonists from Tuc Tuc and Boboli, the cult names of the children’s fashion from Spain show, and safari variations ranging from the urban of Manila Grace’s utility jackets ( debut on the catwalk) to Stefania’s all-fluo jungle fever and elegant gardeners, but on skateboards, of Il Gufo.

 

A detail from the presentation of the SS20 line to the entire Karl Lagerfeld Kids logo

Romance is also more modern in the Dolce&Gabbana stand, with 1950s balloon dresses doll-like but worn with graffiti sneakers. And then, the “Fairy Tale” show of Monnalisa at the Torregiani Garden, which saw contemporary princesses take to the field in wheeled dresses of jeans and chunky sneakers, the must-have shoes for spring-summer 2020 according to Pitti Bimbo 89. The mini-me trend is reasserted in full authority, with the appearance on the catwalk for the brand of supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio and her daughter Anja, but also with the punk girls looks of Pinko Up (on debut at the show), the biker shorts of Fun&Amp , the garments in Emilio Pucci’s iconic Heliconia print, up to the logo, lettering and streetwear lines of Msgm kids, Neil Barrett kids, Gcds mini, Zadig&Voltaire, Karl Lagerfeld Kids and Herno kids. All the trends are gathered in the parade of Apartment’s luxury research brands, which celebrates 10 years: from the monsters of Michaela Buerger to the decorative maxi flowers of Little Ludo, to the crop tops of rock’n’chic silk by Amelie et Sophie.
Another increasingly strong trend in baby fashion? Sustainability: In addition to the ecoEthic labels, the dedicated subsection of the show, Jarrett also presented green lines, which debuted with the Re-Generation recovery capsule collection, followed by Blauer junior with the new vest made of Repreve fiber, 100% recycled and with sustainable total looks of North Sails (which returns to the salon) and G-Star Raw (on debut at the fair), up to Ari London, a new 100% eco brand created with plastic waste from the oceans.

The SS20 campaign of Emporio Armani’s new junior line

The novelties and projects of Pitti Bimbo 89 to keep an eye on, between fashion, solidarity and creativity. Among the new names and returns, the collections in the spotlight for spring-summer 2020 have seen the protagonist at Pitti Bimbo the junior line of Emporio Armani, presented at the Hall of Fencing. The new baby proposal is divided into newborn and baby (0 – 36 months), junior girl (4 – 14 years) and junior boy (4 -16 years). For the first time at Pitti Bimbo also Jacob Cohon’s kidswear collection: designed for children from 4 to 14 years old, moves in absolute continuity with the identity of the company but at the lively rhythm of digital natives, with American style inspirations that play between denim and surf . The capsule collections on the crest of the wave? They go from the My Clever Petit Bateau line that continues to expand, simplifying the life of parents and offering innovative and practical zip suits, to that dedicated to the Disney character of Minnie by Fracomina: t-shirts, dresses, shoes in a palette of magnetic and bright colors and a riot of polka dots, for girls from 2 to 16 years old. And the coolest babies are Balmain, with a sophisticated new capsule brand based on stripes and logos.

A shot of Alberta Ferretti Junior’s presentation at Ghile’s Square

And then, how can we resist the new variation of Alberta Ferretti’s now iconic Rainbow Week, which celebrates love in all its forms? #LoveIsLove, just like in the women’s line, is a capsule collection of romantic writings such as Ti Amo, I Love You, Te Quiero, Je T’aime, which appear on sweaters, shorts, jackets, bomber jackets, miniskirts and ruffled dresses. In the name of customization, there are also the new sweatshirts of I Pinco Pallino, designed for a daily couture look.
Not only childrenswear: among the projects presented to Pitti Bimbo 89 stood out the one promoted by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, aimed at rebuilding the school “E. De Amicis” of the municipality of Muccia, the country of the province of Macerata strongly affected by the earthquake of 2016. A photographic exhibition at the salon told the story of the journey of reconstruction of this reality, supported by Chopard: a real fairy tale with a happy ending.

One of the fairy illustrations by Nathalie Lété, protagonists of the children’s volume Craft the Seasons: 100 Creations

And alongside solidarity, Pitti Bimbo 89 does not forget the importance of creativity: the famous designer and illustrator French Nathalie Lété (who has already collaborated with numerous brands around the world, including Anthropologie, Gucci, Issey Miyake and H&M) has presented his first book in English, Craft the Seasons: 100 Creations, in the new area The Kid’s Lab. Over 200 pages of illustrations and instructions dedicated to the DIY format kids, where the artist guides his readers in the creation of decorative objects for children from fairy designs, including postcards, napkins, masks, cake toppers. To learn while having fun… styled, it is understood.