Revolution in Children's clothing...

[NickyRobb]

Hi
I am a 3rd year product Design Student at Strathclyde university, Glasgow, and I am currently developing outdoor clothing for children, including jackets, trousers and wellington boots.

The unique thing about these clothes is that they feature patterns and designs which can magically appear, or change color when wet! when the clothes are dry they return to their original state and can be washed/used unlimited times without the effect fading.

...imagine a plain jacket suddenly lighting up with a colorful design, or their favorite cartoon character, as they splash around in puddles, or in rain.

I was wondering what your response as parents would be to this product, would this type of clothing be of interest to you? and If so would you be willing to pay a small amount more for this jacket over another, or would only the same price be acceptable?

any advice you could offer us on this matter (negative feedback welcome) would be much appreciated!

best wishes, Nick Robb =)

Well, I'm pretty sure my kids would love it (they are 6, 4 and 2)

For me- depends what the small amount more was! My kids do wear their outdoor clothes more than a lot of others, as we walk dogs through a muddy forest each day, but their waterproofs are essentials, not really going to be seen by anyone else, and they grow out of them fairly quickly, so I'm afraid price would definitely come into it for me. HTH

I'm not sure I'd pay any more than I would for an item with a nice design that's there all the time.
But the idea sounds fun, and I think it could be popular.
My DD would like it.

I have to say, i think i would hate it.

simply because my children would want it to be wet ALL the time so they could see the picture.

It's a great idea.

Wouldn't, however, pay any more for a jacket or trousers since they are quite pricey items anyway and they grow so quickly out of them. Also only in the summer do the children have a light-weight waterproof jacket; have never bought them waterproof trousers.

Think the wellies have more mileage as an idea since they are a year round requirement at nursery and school and the dcs can see the designs more easily when wearing them. The most I've ever spend on wellies at their age (5&3) is £12 but more usually around the £8/£9 mark.

Remember any child worth his/her salt is going to run those trousers under a tap until they show the pattern.

So it really needs to be printed on sometghingthat dries off quickly, not layers & layers of dryclean only wadding.

thank you for your great feedback!

to clarify I wouldnt imagine adding any mroe than £5 to the price anyway, but with your feedback we would definatley aim to maintain a standard price.

all feedback is always welcome...

Wellies - yes, and would possibly pay more for that.

Can't see it working on anything else because they'd want to take them off to see what picture's come up. A rain hat, eg, would be a nightmare.