Campaign for Better Boys' Clothes - letter

[BadHair]

Here's a draft of the e-mail/letter to the high street retailers, to accompany the link to the thread.

During recent discussions on the talk boards of the award-winning parenting website Mumsnet, we realised that we, as parents, are dissatisfied with the range, quality and choice of children?s clothes currently available in the UK?s high street stores.

Below is a link to an actual discussion thread that took place during the week of 24-31 May 2004. Its free market research for you, should you choose to view and act upon it.

The people who took part in the thread are parents from all social backgrounds, with vastly differing household incomes, and with children of varying age groups, yet all were agreed that we are not being offered a good enough choice of clothing for our children.

We believe that all high street shops could offer a wider choice of colours, patterns and fabrics for its boys? clothes, and could minimise the use of logos and inappropriate and often violent imagery. We would like to see boys? clothes representing a percentage equal to the girls? clothes on sale, and to be available in brighter, more vibrant colours.

We are also unhappy that so many clothes for our girl children are scaled down, inappropriate teenage designs and that the choice of colours and designs are again restrictive and uninspiring.

We believe that our high street shops are willing to, and capable of, providing us with a much better choice in future seasons. We await your response.

Not too snappy is it? Would anyone like to make any changes, seeing as how its coming from all of us?

Also, if Justine et al are around, are you OK with us using the Mumsnet name for this?

Right, I'll add all the stores listed here and will get this sent off on Tuesday. I'll shout if I'm getting stuck for addresses.
Think I'll copy in some of the parenting magazines too. So far I've come up with:
Junior
Mother and Baby
Family Circle
Any more? Had a glass of wine and brain gone blank.
Tommy, totally agree that I'd happily spend (much) more if the choice was more inspiring.

Oh, and if anyone has posted support here, please could you repeat it on the other thread (under Products, probably not too far away from this thread), as that's what I'll be linking to. Thanks.

BBC Parenting
Practical Parenting
?

Brilliant letter! You could add Boden to the list, as their unisex clothes have become an endangered species as well. They now have about 3 times as many girls' as boys' clothes, with the usual grunge/skater/logo vs. pink/purple/flowery polarisation.

Great letter BadHair, thanks for putting it together. Have to agree with the orange LOL, seems that is the only 2bright" colour boys are allowed to wear

Great stuff Badhair. Re magazines, why not send to woman, woman's own and Best as well - someone rightly said that they are effectively parenting mags in disguise.

Badhair - hope you don't mind, but I've literally just discovered that one of DH's colleagues wives is a childrenswear buyer for Tesco's, and is in Asia at the moment sourcing next years stock. I told him about the threads before I realised you were doing this letter (which is brilliant btw) and have sent the links to him, to send to her. Hopefully she'll take some of the points on board.

WEll done Badhair.
Went to buy pants for DS, nearly 3, yesterday: M&S only had military/camoflage ones. M&S!!!!

Camouflage pants!!! OMG

now have you allbeen to Pumpkin Patch?
fantastic boys wear

YES! As in 'oooh, look your new BigBoy pants that are so important to confiming how well you are doing with your toilet training and we need to admire the nice picture and choose something you like' undercrackers! And woolworths were no better, England Footie team or (the nervous should look away now) BARNEY!

add on at the end theat Puplkin patch are great

ds3 has england ones

I read that as 'ds3 has enlarged ones' until I blinked some sense into myself!

no typ o that time!

I agree that boy's clothes are terrible, but girl's clothes are just as bad! Bright colours yes, as long as you like pink or purple. Everything is either embroidered or sparkly or fluffy and lots of clothes are like versions of teenage fashion and are far too tarty for little girls. I don't want my 3 years old dd to wear one-shouldered cropped tops and fringed miniskirts. And the little girl's shoes that have a heel! What the ?
Would it be possible to add to the letter so that it mentions boys and girls clothes?

Just wondered if you'd had any response to your letter Badhair? Any update?

I went on a mission to find DS (12 months) a few coloured t-shirts on Saturday - no horrible logos, no army styles, no flourescents, no cutesie pictures,just nice colours. I EVENTUALLY tracked some down in H&M - not especially nice colours, but better than nothing. You'd think that sort of thing would be available everywhere. I was particularly struck by the awfulness of the boys clothes in Next.

Ah, ahem, I haven't actually sent the letters / e-mails off yet . Will be doing it in the next few days but have been unexpectedly swamped at work, and have had building work done at home so computer was packed up.
I've got the address list though, so will get started pronto. Sorry for the delay .

Oh, BadHair, don't apologise! I think you're doing a fantastic job. I think it's a great letter, and I think I posted my support on the other thread.

(Mind you, scratch the surface and you see just how many MNers know people who know people...)

tarka - ditto Next - al those bloody skulls! Horrndous

Really nice stuff in John Lewis at the moment, their own label. Got ds a great long sleeve layered t-shirt with stripes & a crocodile on it for £12 (nice than it sounds...).

Sorry Badhair, didn't mean my message to sound like I was chivvying you - just dying to know what sort of replies you get... Do keep us posted!

Codswallop - yes, horrible skull motifs in Next. Why? Does anyone actually want their children dressed like this?

That's a great letter BadHair, thanks for taking it forward when you get a chance (NOT hassling ).
Do add that Pumpkin Patch seem to be doing more of what we all want than any other high street retailer...but they're hardly all over the UK at present.
Agree re hideous skulls in Next. Blech.

I can't find the original dullboringboysclothes thread but I thought here would do. frogs posted a link on another thread to Jako-o which is a German site but has an English language version. Loads of lovely bright clothes, up to height 152-158, not expensive, and if a group get together and place a large order there is a 5% discount. p&p is 7.50 euros.