Kidss Talk started its journey in 2003 as a 200 sq. feet store with three people as a team. Today, it has branches in four Locations covering 13,000 sq. feet in Madurai, India. Offering over 150 leading brands and more than 5,000 different varieties of kids’ products, the retail stores stack the widest range of kids products across new born essentials, premium kidswear upto 12 years, footwear, glossy accessories and more. Director Rachna Binani speaks to Fibre2Fashion about children’s clothing and the company’s expansion plans.
What special things mothers need to consider when they are buying clothing for their children, especially infants and toddlers?
When you shop for baby garments, you have to make sure that they are comfortable and safe for the baby. New born babies have very delicate skin, so soft cotton and linen fabrics are recommended. A rough fabric may cause irritation, so it is important to buy high quality clothing.
Kids also grow in size very fast, so it is a good idea to plan and thoughtfully purchase clothing to celebrate their little milestones.
Why is children’s clothing so expensive these days, with prices comparable to those of adult clothing?
Fashion in kidswear is seeing a massive change compared to a few decades ago. Today, kids clothing is no longer seen as a basic need, but a larger force which sees clothing as fun, fashionable and trendy. Details such as sequins, large, colourful prints, embroidery and different kinds of stylish cuts are now in demand. Providing the same, and not compromising on the comfort comes at a price.
Having said that, at Kidss Talk, we keep our kids clothes in a pocket friendly price range. We are able to do it by studying demand and supply, consumer trends, purchase life cycles, seasonal demands etc. We also have a team of designers who curate designs and order them in sizeable quantities to bring down the cost.
What is the story of Kidss Talk? How did it come into being?
Anyone who has visited Kidss Talk knows that it is more than just a place to shop. It is a feeling that captures the love you have for your little one. Our journey started in in 2002, in a tiny two-member store with a passion to create a unique, all-in-one space for mothers in Madurai. As a new mother, I couldn’t find a place which catered to all my baby’s needs under one roof. That led to the birth of Kidss Talk.
Today, we have a team of 100+ members and have built relationships with over 1 lakh loyal customers. From parents bringing cakes to celebrate their kid’s birthday with our team to receiving the most heartwarming messages during the pandemic when we delivered baby essentials, we feel blessed to have received so much love and support from our customers.
What kind of kids clothing does Kidss Talk offer?
We have a fun and catchy way of categorising our kidswear. For example, we call our collections by names like My Birthday, My friend’s birthday, Ice cream shop collection, After school, Sweet dreams etc. Basically we offer every piece of clothing a child requires, from casuals to wedding wear, from winter wear to beach wear, now with the right pair of cute accessories as well.
What sizes of clothing are available at Kidss Talk?
We are a part of your little one’s growing years, right from when they are new-borns, up to when they hit their teens. So when a customer starts shopping with us, we know that we need to meet their growing needs for the years to come.
Does Kidss Talk offer any premium kids wear brands?
We only source our kidswear from the best brands there are in the kids’ fashion market. However, we are extremely picky in our selection as we try to curate one cohesive look for the season – Pastels, Floral, Wildlife, Summer-y etc. So when a customer enters our store, our counters look top notch.
Going forward, in our bigger format stores we will be introducing some international and niche brands, so our customers can have an experience of shopping from exclusive collection as well.
Are there any specific brands or styles of kids clothing that Kidss Talk is known for?
During the pandemic we had taken time to brainstorm and experiment with different styles of kidswear. We analysed market trends and saw it was here to stay – the fashion forward way of parenting. We now have a whole new palette of looks – airport looks, funky street wear, co-ord sets, bro-sis matching looks, all in mostly soft pastel or bright colours. Today, every kidswear wall in our stores is curated and has never looked better.
Are there any seasonal collections of kids clothing available at Kidss Talk?
In Madurai, a city located deep in the south of Tamil Nadu, the majority of the year is summer, with winter and rains making room for themselves for a few months. We definitely plan our collections across the seasons so we are able to provide kids clothing relevant to their needs. We, however, also make decisions based on data about emerging trends, colours customers gravitate towards, popular styles etc.
We try to showcase new collections every month, but the flavour and what our brand stands for remains constant.
How do you ensure the quality of the clothing that you sell?
As I mentioned earlier, we have teams in place for garments who curate the designs, select the fabric, liaise with vendors and run a stringent quality check before the clothing hits the stores. For example, if we love the quality and design of a T-shirt, we start producing the same in frocks, jump suits, shorts etc.
The best way to ensure consistency in quality is to have your systems in place and allow no room for error.
Any expansion plans in the pipeline?
Yes, we are geared up for our upcoming stores which we will launch this summer. India is a growing market, and it is a great time to be where your potential consumers are. We are very excited to begin work on our new flagship store in Madurai and are also taking the brand to another city for the first time. Twenty years of hard work and perseverance has brought us to where we are and now sky is the limit.
Interviewer: Shilpi Panjabi
Published on: 21/03/2023
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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