Demand for kids’ personal shopping appointments soars across the UK

Kids are taking control of their wardrobes by having personal shopper appointments to ensure they stay ahead in the style stakes, according to department store Debenhams.

Traditionally booked by busy mums looking for personalised style advice, it’s now parents booking for their children says Debenhams, having seen a 100% increase in demand for in-store appointments for under 18s over the last year.

From prom dresses and occasionwear to casual capsule wardrobes for the season ahead, it seems many children no longer trust mum’s style radar and prefer the advice of a professional when it comes to those all-important ensembles.

Label-loving celeb mini-mes like Harper Beckham and Suri Cruise seem to be setting the trend as 61% of appointments are looking for clothing with a well-known designer label, but at a price that won’t break the bank.

Says Anne Deegan, head of personal shopping services at Debenhams: “The number of personal shopping appointments for children over the last year has doubled. Busy mums don’t always have time to keep up with the latest fashion trends, so our style experts make it easy for kids to look cool without breaking the bank.”

Continues Deegan: “There has been increasing demand for affordable kids clothing with a designer label, so much so that over half of all children’s clothing sold at Debenhams is from our designer collections.”

Debenhams recently announced its latest designer childrenswear collaboration as fashion designer Markus Lupfer joins forces with model Donna Air to launch ‘donna & markus by markus lupfer’ available exclusively in Debenhams from 26 November 2012.

Renowned for his inspiring use of colour and logos, German-born Markus Lupfer has collaborated with fashion-insider Donna Air to create a capsule collection of sequinned knitwear, sweatshirts, t-shirts and leggings for girls aged 4-14.

Launching just in time for Christmas, the collection is expected to be snapped up by fashion-forward mothers looking to dress their daughters in designs usually only spotted on the catwalks at fashion week.

Says Markus Lupfer: “I’m delighted to launch our first collection for children with Debenhams. It has been really exciting introducing elements of my mainline collections to a new and much younger audience. Fun and humour is central to the Markus Lupfer brand – so a collection for children was a natural next step for me.”

Currently a twelve-piece range, Lupfer and Air are already finalising designs for a wider Spring/Summer collection, due to land in stores in March 2013.

Says Donna Air: “It’s so much fun working with my good friend Markus. As soon as I met him, and like most women, fell in love with his designs, I immediately saw the potential and thought a childrenswear range was a must. I’m excited and proud to launch our first collection with Debenhams, at an affordable pricepoint for mums.”

donna & markus by markus lupfer is the latest addition to the designer kidswear portfolio at Debenhams which includes Butterfly by Matthew Williamson, Star by Julien Macdonald, J by Jasper Conran, Rocha.John Rocha, Pearce Fionda and No.1 by Jenny Packham.

The range is priced from £10 and will be available in 87 Debenhams stores and online from 26 November 2012.