What’s trending in market niches? Kids

Kids have become a significant new revenue stream that’s growing with a vengeance.  It seems that kids (as with pets) are recession proof and parents are forking out the big bucks on everything from designer clothing and six figure playhouses, to private jet travel to summer camp.

High-end, glamorous, and colorful children’s collections are a growth area for fashion houses, smaller versions that still embody a brand’s essence. Inspired by Jeanne Lanvin‘s own daughter, Marguerite, Lanvin Petite features 25 super-luxurious pieces for girls: signature jewels, ballet flats, and sumptuous tulle dresses. Versace, which is well-known for its iconic Greek frieze and Medusa symbols, will be reinterpreted for their childrenswear line using more amusing, fun prints and more child-friendly fabrics. Burberry has also garnered attention for its new children’s ad campaign that is stylish, cute, and features more color vs. its more adult lines, with conventional prints and neutral colors.

Private jet travel was a popular choice for sending kids to camp this summer. The nation’s wealthier families cut out the car ride and arduous logistics of traveling to remote, rural summer camps.  So much so that private planes are jamming up the runways at small rural airstrips from Virginia to Maine. There are even a number of companies in Europe and the US making high end playhouses that can cost as much as $200,000 such as replicas of real houses, pirate ships or treetop hideaways.

Luxury hotels are increasingly creating exclusive luxury services aimed at children. Inside Trump Las Vegas, there’s no chirping of slot machines or smell of smoke. There’s also no nightclub nor posh celebrity restaurants. Not the ideal scene for the typical Las Vegas customer who is coming to party and gamble, but it’s a niche market the Trump is trying to fill: a family-friendly Las Vegas luxury hotel. The Ritz Carlton, Berlin has VIK’s, Very Important Kids program – the ‘ultimate luxury hotel experience for children’. From miniature Mercedes Benz’s to whizz around the lobby, to child friendly china and petite gold furniture. Plaza Athenee in Paris has redecorated entire rooms to please the children. They have created Barbie-themed rooms for the girls and gadget-filled Hot Wheels rooms for boys. And an increasing number of hotels have introduced the service of ‘baby butler’ to warm the milk, change the diapers or rock the crib. Throughout August, the eclectic Rubens at the Palace Hotel is transforming one of its conference suites into a complimentary mini cinema just for its younger guests.