Comfort features, washable uppers and on-trend designs continue to upgrade children’s footwear collections—and new brands are taking note. Here’s a look at three new collections delivering fashion and function to the kids market.
BCBGirls
Vida Group debuted its first collection for BCBGirls in Las Vegas last week for sizes 10-6. The Fall ’18 range, geared toward mid-tier and premium retailers, complements BCBGirls’ new line of tween apparel and accessories.
The brand adds a fun factor to silhouettes inspired from its women’s line by playing with glittery materials, grommets, velvets, pearl embellishments, celestial embroideries and leopard prints.
Silhouettes span dressy Mary Janes and ballet flats, to ankle boots, tall stretch boots and casual slip-on sneakers. The collection will retail for $39-$79.
Børn
H.H. Brown teams up with children’s footwear manufacturer, Synclaire Brands, to launch Børn Kid’s. The debut line for spring serves up mini me styles for boys and girls in sizes ranging from infant 1-4 and first walker sizes 3-10.
The collection is based on Børn’s casual comfort styles for men and women. Styles include floral-accented Mary Janes to sneakers with Velcro closures. Each shoe is designed with a memory foam footbed and non-slip, flexible outsoles for stability and natural movement.
“Over the past 20 years, Børn has attracted a loyal following amongst men and women alike, offering them an opportunity to infuse their looks with both fashion and comfort, and ultimately keeping their feet happy. We’re excited to now offer Børn enthusiasts the chance to extend this same experience to their children or the kids in their lives,” Børn president and creative director Tom McClaskie, said.
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The line, available on kidsshoes.com and at select Dillard’s locations, retails for under $40.
Plae
Popular children’s footwear brand Plae brings together oceans, plant life, jungles and deserts in its Spring ’18 collection for boys and girls. Coined the “Interplanetary Collection,” the line offers the Mimo, a water-friendly vegan shoe; the Cam, a sleek suede and polyester sneaker; and the Ty, a water resistant, breathable mesh play shoe.
The spring collection is enlivened by marbleized uppers, leopard-eel hybrid prints and pops of hibiscus pink, dandelion yellow and Amazon green. Shoes can be customized with interchangeable straps. The collection retails for $34.95-$59.95.
This month, Plae also introduced three new kid ambassadors to its Plae-it-forward community program, which allows participants to earn up to 10 percent of new sales value for a chosen cause. Since launching last April, Plae has donated more than $1.5 million through contributions to foundations like Make-A-Wish and Baby2Baby.