Baby brands on royal tenterhooks
WHETHER wrapped in pink or blue, the new baby of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, will have the power to influence trends worldwide as the latest addition to a powerful fashion dynasty.
Whenever Kate or her baby Prince George wear items, they rapidly sell out in a marketing phenomenon dubbed the “Kate effect” that is helped by social media and online shopping trends.
Kate’s maternity wear and Prince George’s baby clothes have proved particularly popular.
“They have global clout,” said Geraldine Wharry, head of trend analysis firm Trend Atelier.
“Everyone is going to be waiting to see what the baby is going to wear and what she’s going to look like post-pregnancy,” she said.
Social media allows fans to track down and share the items that Kate is pictured wearing — and it helps that she mixes expensive designer wear with more affordable brands.
Four years ago, Susan Kelley set up WhatKateWore.com, a site that publishes links to online retailers where readers can buy clothes worn by Kate.
“It just exploded,” Kelley said. The site can receive almost a million page views a month, largely from the English-speaking world but also from countries as varied as the Czech Republic and Libya. It stemmed from wanting to believe in a fairytale that the middle-class Kate grew up to marry a prince, Kelley said.
The few issued photos of Prince George have been analysed on What Prince George Wore.com, set to become WhatKatesKidsWore.com when the new baby arrives.
“If it’s a girl the interest will be extraordinarily high,” said Kelley. “There seems to be strong sentiment that as enjoyable as little boys are a baby girl is even more fun.”
The British monarchy has been estimated as having a brand value of £53.6-billion (about R980-billion) by valuation consultancy Brand Finance.
Although Prince George has yet to reach his second birthday, he can claim part of that influence.
British brand Cath Kidston was considering reissuing a soldier-print jumper he was pictured wearing “due to popular demand”, the company said.
Catherine Hudson, beauty and fashion editor of Prima Baby magazine, said that whether Kate’s new baby was a boy or a girl, “I think she will mainly stick to traditional silhouettes . . . and, hopefully, continue supporting great British design. If it is a girl, I predict we might see some of her favourite fashion designers bring out a girlswear collection.”
Brands are keenly aware of the value of being associated with the royal family, some paying commission if WhatKateWore.com drives traffic to them.
The site has received more requests from advertisers than it has space to host.
Particular hit items have been Kate’s nude court shoes by LK Bennett and dresses by the ethical London brand Beulah. Online retailer ASOS said that a $63 polka-dot dress she wore in March sold out in “minutes“.
There is clearly a strategy behind Kate’s choices and even an element of “fashion diplomacy”. Kate wore a lacy dress by Canadian-born designer Erdem Moralioglu on a trip to Canada and a silk dress by Singapore-born designer Prabal Gurung for her trip to Singapore.— AFP