Net-A-Porter Branches Out Into Kidswear With Gucci

On July 16, Net-A-Porter.com will unveil a children’s Gucci pop-up shop in the e-tailer’s first foray into kidswear. The new category will be sold for six weeks only, with a campaign inspired by a fairtyale entitled The Imagination Booth, and in line with the eclectic aesthetic of Alessandro Michele’s women’s and menswear.

“Our customers love Gucci and the brand’s DNA translates incredibly well into kidswear,” Alison Loehnis, president of Net-a-Porter.com and Mrporter.com tells Vogue, exclusively. “And, I would hasten to add, the clothes are incredibly cute.”

The imagery that will accompany the e-commerce pages shows a group of Gucci-clad kids playing in a retro photobooth. The typically Guccified set piece brings to life their fantastical stories through illustrated animations and brand motifs. Each logo-embellished, animal-printed or heavily-embroidered piece worn by the gang will be available for babies, and girls and boys up to the age of 12.

“Over the years we have had consistent requests for kidswear from our customers, especially our most engaged ones,” Loehnis says of the business move. “Women and men are not just thinking about style in terms of their own wardrobes, but in a broader sense of family and lifestyle. I have had no doubt that social media has had some influence on this.”

The six-week stint is to keep an element of exclusivity to the collection, and Loehnis predicts it will fly. Mr Porter’s kids’ beachwear pop-up, which sold a variety of brands, did “phenomenally well, so we are eager to see the results,” she says.

Could this mean that plans to open a Mini Porter are in the works? Loehnis is not ready to give the game away, but, she teases, "Watch this space".