Thom Browne Launches Childrenswear For Kids At Work And Play

How did Thom Browne dress as a kid? “Pretty much like this,” he says: Gray suit, gray knit, gray shorts, tie, and oxford shoes. There’s something reassuring in the fact that many years and successes later, Browne hasn’t changed much—and not only in his wardrobe. A sense of childlike wonder and fantasy pervades his work, making his shows, whether IRL or URL, some of fashion week’s most magical experiences. (Who else would turn their dog into a spaceship or create a full zoo of animal-shaped leather bags?) It’s a delightful and welcomed quality in fashion, especially during the bleak and too-serious times of 2020 and 2021.

Now, instead of just dressing adults with a childlike sense of mischief, Browne is adding a full range of kid’s clothing to his offering. He’s launching the collection on the official calendar of Paris Men’s Fashion Week with a comical short film by Cass Bird that sees a group of six-ish- to ten-ish-year-olds enter Browne’s office and get to work. “I don’t think any of them had actually ever seen a typewriter. Shocking,” the designer deadpans. “They looked at it as if it was a foreign object.”

Office machinery aside, he assures me that the children had a blast in their miniature suits. “What they have on is very tailored, very strict, and you would think that they would have acted differently than they normally do as kids, but they were exactly the same,” Browne says. “They were playing and running around just as much as they would’ve been in any other clothing. It was great to see.” The designer’s rigorous construction is every bit as precise in his childrenswear as his adult clothing, but instead of shrinking proportions as he does for ready-to-wear, Browne made sure the children’s clothing is “more true to size.”

Parents should know that while a Thom Browne kid’s kit is still certainly an investment, Browne is proud that the collection offers more than just style. “The kids [in the campaign video] are all wearing the exact same thing, but the individuality of each one of these young kids is so strong and so unique and so special that it stands out beyond their clothing. I think that is the most important message,” he says. “There’s something really charming about their true personality really coming through, as opposed to the clothing being what dictates what type of personality someone has. I think when a lot of people go to buy clothing, they want their clothing to make them individuals as opposed to themselves being the individual.”

That’s not the only wisdom Browne has for a younger generation of fans. Having tuned in to President Biden’s inauguration—and dressed Katy Perry for the evening’s virtual celebration—Browne was struck by poet Amanda Gorman’s recitation. “The way she spoke, I want people to see that quality, see someone that is just so good at what they do. You see the work that goes into creating important moments and important people. That is so important for kids these days to see and to really aspire to.” He continues: “The most important thing is putting the work in, not just expecting it to happen overnight, because sometimes it does take longer.” The good news is that no matter how long it takes someone to really hit their stride, be it 10, 20 or 50 years, Browne now has a complete range of clothing to dress them along the way.