The North West Effect: Can Kardashian Kids Sell Clothes?
Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West have considerable pull within the fashion industry — no matter how polarizing they may be. Although Kim’s a fashion icon — with designers clamoring to make her custom clothes — Kanye is his wife’s biggest influence, not only directing her style, but also designing much of what she wears. Now the Wests are using their significant sartorial talents (this much is undeniable, regardless of the polarization factor) to tap into a new market.
On Tuesday, the mother of two announced via Snapchat that the couple will collaborate to create a children’s clothing line.
A photo posted by Kim Kardashian Snapchats (@kimksnapchats) on Jan 31, 2017 at 5:14pm PST
She revealed the line will be coming soon in a snap featuring the pair’s 3-year-old daughter, North West, wearing a chartreuse ensemble consisting of a sequin dress, shearling coat (which is reminiscent of the jacket Sofia Richie walked the Yeezy runway in last September), and Vans.
North is often outfitted in high-end brands (although she also makes her own clothes, according to Kim, “Bc she has a passion 4 fashion &we’ve given her the tools 2 explore that? Spending time w dad @work isn’t bad either”), as Kim holds strong relationships with top designers such as Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, and Riccardo Tisci, designer and artistic director at Givenchy. These creatives — along with many other notable figures — dress her and her children for everything from everyday appearances to formal galas.
The toddler has served as a muse for many designers and has, in part, helped bring about custom creations and children’s lines with high-end labels. When North was born, luxury designers including Roberto Cavalli, Oscar de la Renta, Kenzo, Hermès, Stella McCartney, Giuseppe Zanotti, Lanvin, and Alexander Wang sent Kardashian custom styles for the newborn, which Kim posted all over her social channels. The gifts haven’t stopped coming since.
Designers who have created gifts for the West children might have given the clothing out of kindness, but they also received major publicity for their labels through Kardashian’s posts. In 2015, Kim shared a shot of three children’s jackets on her Instagram from Balmain, custom-made for North — also revealing that her daughter serves as inspiration for the French fashion house.
A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Aug 5, 2015 at 6:26pm PDT
She thanked Rousteing in the caption, writing, “Baby Balmain!!! Thank you so much @olivier_rousteing & @balmainparis for making North these one of a kind jackets!!! I’m so honored that Northie is your little muse! Can’t wait for her to wear them!”
A few months later, Balmain launched its own line of children’s clothing, with Rousteing again citing North as his inspiration.
A photo posted by OLIVIER R. (@olivier_rousteing) on Jan 25, 2016 at 5:46am PST
At the time of the release, Rousteing discussed his motivation for getting into the children’s apparel market. “One of the things that we both [Emmanuel Diemoz, Balmain CEO] love is visiting Balmain’s boutiques and watching couples shop together. This house offers them a unique vision that can easily be recognized in both the men’s and women’s collections,” he said. “Because of that, we couldn’t possibly introduce a children’s line without guaranteeing that it met the same exacting standards and style.”
Another designer who has made clothes for North West: Italian fashion designer Riccardo Tisci. In 2013, Kardashian posted a picture of a children’s T-shirt featuring the custom Givenchy Bambi design, which was made for her daughter.
OMG Baby Bambi custom shirt for North!!! Thank you Riccardo! #Givenchy
A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Oct 1, 2013 at 4:41am PDT
She captioned the image, “OMG Baby Bambi custom shirt for North!!! Thank you Riccardo! #Givenchy.” Since then, the designer has since created many custom pieces for the West children. The fashion house recently announced a children’s line, which will launch this fall. The collection will be produced twice a year and feature 60 pieces for girls, 40 for boys, and 30 for babies.
With the major attention given by designers and fans to the clothing the West children wear, Kim and Kanye will likely be successful in their upcoming project. Children of celebrities and public figures often gain exposure from the media — whether their parents like it or not. The trend of famous tots’ clothing selling out quickly is evident with children like North and even royals like Prince George.
The 3-year-old son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is not often spotted publicly, but when he is, whatever he’s wearing usually flies off the shelves. His $147 Pepa & Co. double-breasted wool coat, which he wore to a church service during the holidays, sold out online the same day he was spotted in it. Pieces Prince George wore to a birthday photo shoot also sold out almost instantly, as did the robe the toddler wore while meeting the Obamas.
It will be interesting to see if Kanye and Kim’s creations fly off shelves — just call it the North West effect.
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