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?

Codswallop - where is Pumpkin Patch? I have only ever come across this shop in New Zealand and think they stock fantastic clothes. Would be great to hear of one in the UK!

It is very strange - I've just managed to find enough nice t-shirts and shorts (cheerful colours, broad enough fit, tough cotton, NO LOGOS) for ds (5) for this summer and they were ALL from the bottom of the bargain bin, at Gap, Zara, Mothercare, Bhs etc. Which suggests that what we want is not what generally sells. Isn't that odd?

Gap t-shirts specially lovely - emerald, burnt orange (peculiarly good with grey-eyed mouse colouring), yellow/white stripes with navy binding at collar. But no-one else wanted them!

larlylou - there's a Pumpkin Patch in Milton Keynes

larlylou, there's a pumpkin patch in basingstoke and another in southampton

I went shopping the other day to get ds's clothes for next winter in this year's winter sales. All the clothes were either exactly what I wanted, no logos, nice colours, no skaters or graffitti or they were the really revolting "little monster" type. Just goes to show that the stuff we all hate does sell.

I don't know if you get Pumpkin Patch a season ahead or a season behind us in NZ, but if you are just getting what we have had it's not as inspiring as usual, lots of orange and grey and totally irrelevant numbers. I didn't even really see anything I liked on sale. First year I haven't bought anything.

Agree with all comments - boys clothes (& things like shoes) are really dull in comparison to all the girl stuff. At the moment everything (Woolies, Adams etc) seems to have skate board stuff or skulls on it. Inappropriate for a 3.5 yr old who can't skateboard !! Or there are the left over England footie tops which are rather out of date now. Lets see what other responses come back. Like the Asda one - would your son wear 'Mary kate & Ashley ' ??

Must post link to Jako-o again. Have a look!!!!!!! (For UK orders p&p 7.50 euros per order.)

I would like to complain about Asda! Looking for a rain coat for DS1 (size 3-4)recently, they had 2 or 3 girls' ones - pink, Barbie etc and with designs/patterns on them and either plain navy or black (I think) for boys. Rubbish! The poor boy is only 2 (but very big) I'll tell 'em!

This is a subject that is really annoying me too. My DS is only 11 months and you try finding anything smart for a boy under 3!! We went to a wedding a couple of months ago, and we're going to a christening at the weekend, and I'm b***ed if I can find anything nice and smart, but there are rows upon rows of pretty trousers, skirts and dreeses for little girls.

BR

Jako-o is fab, bought some stuff from them a few weeks ago that arrived within a week. ds has been insisting on wearing his red shorts ever since! It's not the thickest, highest quality cotton I've ever seen, but great for summer. Highly reccommended.

Sorry to say that I've nothing else to report back - apart from Asda not one of the other stores bothered to get back to me, other than the "thank you for your query we'll get back to you soon" rubbish.
I'm getting the impression that I've just p*ssed in the wind. Ah well, at least we tried.

Thanks for trying anyway, Badhair. I was in Mothercare today and was disappointed. although not surprised with their Autumn collection - same old crap

Thanks for Jako-o link Janh, I like the clothes and the prices. Also love the motto "With little money and few parts, a lot of combi-fun" - fantastic Euringlish! Looking forward to trying it.

I@ve not yet looked in any depth but even the Jako website has 8 links for "girls fashion" and only 4 for boys.

Glad this thread has sparked up again as wanted to have a moan.Got the new boden catalogue the other day and the boys clothes were dul,dull,dull.Also got the pumpkin patch catalogue and they seem to have gone the boring beige route this season.Which is disappointing as i felt they were one place I could rely on.Mothercare's range for boys and girls looks like it has all been in a mixed wash and the colours have run,really greige.And next are doing lots of brown.
Loved the jacko website..this is exactly the kind of thing I like,will be making an order i think.
Got to say i find gap very good..get the boys lots of stuff from there, and john lewis has some nice stuff too.

Oh I'm so sorry you haven't had many responses badhair Did you write to the magazines too?
As for Asda, in our local store there are hoards of girls clothes and toddler clothes but anything inbetween for boys and you're stuck with bland drab colours and the horrid logos.

Oh and the quantity for boys 7 and up is minimal

I was disappointed with the Jako stuff on offer Most of the boy specific stuff had Cowboy and Indian logos on it; very little was plain. Maybe the unisex stuff was better.

The summer stuff was brighter, soupy. Have a look here though - dragons!!! (Stripes too.)

And the one next to the dragons is also available in shades of blue, if you click on the small pic it takes you to the detailed page with different colourways.

And look at these - built-in kneepads!

Apparently Tesco are now doing more colourful clothes - they were going to anway before I mentioned this. And dh's colleagues wife (who buys for them) is pregnant. So lets hope she has a boy!

I saw the dragons - they looked rather alarmed and were being "ridden" by someone with what appeared to be a sword down their back! Poor dragons.

The plain stuff was good but there was still a huge bias towards girls stuff. Don't boys wear clothes out quicker and therefore need more?

I have a Mothercare world near me which has a concession within it called Okaidi. I believe it is french. They do lovely girls and boys clothes at reasonable cost, a little more expensive than Mothercare but much better imho. Has anyone else seen this shop?

Oh I like that Jako-o stuff Janh - Thanks! My boys are mad about stripes, so am off to shop

I don't find the site very friendly though.