Essential for launching a kids’ apparel brand! Design points for children’s clothing focused on safety, comfort, and independence using buttons and zippers

Hello!
I'm Kimura from the ApparelX trend blog. 

Recently, I’ve often been arranging colorful materials in pop colors, and I suddenly found myself thinking that cute color combinations remind me of children’s clothing. 

On a personal note, when I was a student, I worked part-time for about three years as a sales associate at an apparel brand that offered Ladies + Kids (85 cm to 120 cm / about ages 2 to 6). 

So this time, while recalling what customers said back then, I’d like to introduce design points for children’s clothing focused on “safety, comfort, and independence” for brands and designers who want to add kids’ apparel alongside their existing lines, or who are wondering how kids’ clothes should differ from adult wear.

Introduction

Designing a kids’ line cannot be done with visual design alone. For brands that develop both Ladies/Men’s and kids’ lines, that will likely be the first hurdle.

From my perspective, having continued to hear parents’ opinions in stores at large shopping centers, clothing for toddlers in the 85–120 cm size range (about ages 2 to 6) often had very clear purchasing purposes and functionality requirements, such as “I want something easy to use every day at nursery school/kindergarten” or “I’m looking for a neat outer layer for performances or weddings, but I want it to be washable.”

What specifications are really needed for nursery school clothing?

Hooded outerwear is almost always a no, but some schools allow it if it’s detachable! 

Many kindergartens and nursery schools prohibit hoods. The reason is clear: when playing outside, there is a risk of getting caught on playground equipment and suffocating. 

However, some parents said,

“I was told it’s okay if the hood can be removed.”

That’s why we recommend 2-way designs with a detachable hood.

We recommend using easy-to-attach and remove zippers or snap buttons as accessories.

● Recommended zipper for attaching/detaching a hood

Zippers come in open, closed-end, and two way separator types, but for detachable use, please choose an open zipper in this case.

One side is sewn to the outerwear body, and the other side is sewn to the hood.

5CIFOR
Coil Zipper 5 Size Open

Coil zippers use polyester and other resin materials, and the elements are coiled.Because they are continuous elements, they are more flexible than metal zippers or Vislon(R) zippers.

They are lighter than metal zippers, so they don’t feel heavy even when wearing a hood. It may be difficult for preschoolers to fasten and unfasten them by themselves, but if you want to emphasize lightness even more, a size 3 coil zipper is also recommended.

● Recommended snap buttons for attaching/detaching a hood

SUN GRIP SG600 (Head/Spring/Stud)

SUN GRIP plastic snap buttons designed with durability and strength in mind. They fasten smoothly, resist sideways pulling, and have a resilient opening/closing feel, so they can also be used for sports and outdoor wear.

These environmentally conscious plastic snaps won the Good Design Award in 2012 for achieving both high durability and beautiful design.

By attaching them to a stand collar and hood, you can create a fully detachable hood design. For lightweight outerwear such as nylon windbreakers, this snap button can also be used to create a style where the hood fabric can be folded away into the stand-collar neckline.

A 2-way spec that lets you choose whether to use the hood depending on the situation is highly regarded. Since policies differ by school, we can’t say that any one design is always safe, but it is an important element for preventing accidents before they happen.

This introduction assumes lightweight outerwear for outdoor play, but for heavier autumn/winter outerwear such as mods coats, it may be useful to use metal zippers and metal snaps to create 〇-way designs that allow the hood, fur, and liner to be removed to match the item’s style.

2. Tips for choosing buttons and zippers

Of course design and color matter, but in nursery clothing, fostering the feeling of “I did it myself!” is also an important theme, and being able to dress independently is a key point.

As support for that, thoughtful selection of small hardware parts is a major factor. 

From the standpoint of planning with trims and accessories, I personally also recommend the points below.

• Larger buttons → easy for small hands to pinch and practice with 

• Make the button and buttonhole the same color → easy to understand, like “red button 🔴 goes in the red hole ⭕️,” supporting successful experiences

• Choose a larger zipper size → a larger coil zipper of size 5 or above, or a Vislon zipper, slides smoothly and is easier to open even with weaker fingertip strength. 

💡 In actual sales settings, we also heard comments such as “stiff zippers make children dislike them,” and there were many situations where adults checked how easily the zipper opened and closed, or children tried items on to see whether they could dress themselves.

3. Strings and cords are a no-go. Outerwear without drawcords is in high demand!

Another common no-go word in nursery clothing design is strings and cords. 

From parents, we often heard things like “I’m looking for a windbreaker for outdoor play, but it’s surprisingly hard to find one without strings,” or “If the cuffs can’t be tightened, wind gets in and it’s cold, but cords are not allowed at school...” 

What those comments show is that designs without drawcords are recommended.

If a design uses full elastic or can be tightened with hook and loop, there’s no need for string adjustment and no parts to pull, so it can be worn safely, and many schools seem to allow them. 

● Recommended Corduroy elastic for full-elastic specs

OGC Corduroy Elastic *Uses Lycra

Corduroy elastic is a standard item on ApparelX as well. It’s perfect for cuffs on thin functional outerwear where flat elastic would be too stiff.

● Recommended hook and loop

4QNN-N
Quicklon® Qmate® Hook and Loop

This is YKK’s Quicklon® hook and loop fastener. Hook and loop fasteners don’t have to worry about corrosion from sweat or dust, and unlike regular zippers, there is no risk of the pull tab breaking. 

Because this Qmate® product is a mixed type with hooks and loops woven into a single tape, there is no distinction between hook and loop sides, so there is no difference in attachment direction, making it easy for children to use.

Also, I think everyone has experienced dust and debris building up on the hook side of hook and loop fasteners, so how easy they are to clean is another attractive feature for children’s clothing.

Recommended kids’ apparel items listed on ApparelX

There is also a Kids category in the style list, and from there I’d like to introduce a few recommended products that really feel like “this is kids’ clothing!”

174-101 Lame
Lame Crest Button

This accessory is used as a cuff button on shirt sleeves.

It is a fancy crest button that adds a highlight to performance outfits and going-out wear.

A crest button is a type of cufflink, mainly an accessory used to fasten shirt cuffs.
It is also used as a type of Chinese button and as a decorative element for costumes.

VE9489
Polyester resin front-hole two-hole buttonButton

A glossy polyester resin front-hole two-hole button. It can be dyed, so it has a wide range of uses.

It has a cute, girly kidswear look, but because the sizes are small at 8 mm / 10 mm, it’s also recommended for use as a decorative button on the chest.

VT9969  Colorful Button for Shirts, Polo Shirts, and Lightweight Garments

Colorful polyester buttons that are great for shirts, polo shirts, and knitwear.

Because there is a wide variety of edge colors, it’s cute to intentionally use a colorful button combination on one garment.

 PLEASANT

A standard, cost-effective vinyl leather from a home interior manufacturer.

With 46 colors in the lineup, it offers a rich color variation that can handle a wide range of color combinations for colorful items.

All colors have been upgraded to support “antibacterial,” “alcohol resistant,” and “sodium hypochlorite resistant*,” so they can be used with confidence for kids’ apparel and miscellaneous goods that require easy care.

Its alcohol resistance is also a helpful feature, since it can be quickly wiped clean with a wet sheet when it gets dirty on the go.

Sodium hypochlorite resistant*
This refers to the function of preventing discoloration during disinfection with sodium hypochlorite solution. Sodium hypochlorite is the main ingredient in chlorine bleach and is used in situations requiring disinfection to prevent infection in medical institutions, care facilities, and homes. Materials with sodium hypochlorite resistance are less likely to discolor even when immersed in sodium hypochlorite solution.

Summary

What did you think? 

In apparel design for nursery clothing, I think the important thing is to balance these three points: “school safety standards,” “parents’ practical perspective,” and “the child’s own experience of ‘I did it!’” 

Going forward, when designing and producing kids’ apparel, I believe that thinking in terms of “cute + safe + supportive of growth” will directly lead to fan trust and repeat purchases.

As an aside, when I was working part-time, I saw small children every weekend, so I somehow developed a mysterious ability to guess their clothing size perfectly just by looking at them. (I probably don’t have that ability anymore, though...)

While more and more children’s clothes are becoming as stylish, fashionable, and cute as adult wear, I realized that many people still separate everyday clothes from going-out clothes because practicality is so different.

I also heard that fast-growing children outgrow even their favorite clothes within a single season before you know it, so if there are clothes with detachable designs or clever features that can keep up with their growth for a little longer, that’s good for both the family budget and the brand. 

In addition to the materials introduced here, ApparelX carries a wide variety of products, so please take a look.