Names and Trends -

 by: Kirsten Hawkins

Whoever coined the phrase that there is nothing new under the sun was clearly not expecting to see the latest trend in clothing for infants and toddlers. The members of the punk rock generation of the ‘80s are the parents of today and it seems that a good number of them chose to go the way of Peter Pan and simply refused to grow up. That is the only viable explanation for the aforementioned baby clothing trend: “alternative” baby wear. Parents are now able to dress their little Joeys and Siouxsies in all manner of punk-rock and biker inspired clothing designed to make even the most anti-social and anarchistic parents say, “Isn’t he a cute little punk?”

Available at various specialty shops and a number of online retailers, these clothing items intended for infants and toddlers consist primarily of Tee shirts bearing slogans like “If you can read this… THE BIB FELL OFF!” and “Little Punker” colored in the requisite blacks, reds, and hot pinks. Many of these articles hail from the UK and are available in the US by mail order only. The panhandling punks of yesteryear must have a bit of cash saved up, however, at a UK site called The Rally Shack the aforementioned “bib” slogan shirt as well as a hot pink tee adorned with a pattern of skulls and crossbones that might look more fitting donning the chest of John Lydon or Iggy Pop sells for £10.00 (about $18.00 US) and is available in 6, 18, and 24 month sizes. Eighteen bucks is a pretty hefty price for a baby tee that is going to be spit up on and outgrown, but, with the number of these sites in business, there must be a market. A few other offerings follow.   (continued...)

Alternative Baby Clothing
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