Despite its position as one of the more dynamic of the ready-to-wear segment on the global fashion market (Euromonitor 2021), children’s fashion is still considered as anecdotal in fashion studies and as a reflection of adult style. Furthermore, Childhood studies have neglected the analysis of clothing despite the daily contact of children with this second skin. Questioning the nature of the traditional sources of fashion history such as museums’ collections and fashion archives, this essay conveys the analysis of contemporary fashion and the observation of children from birth to teenage, to provide an alternative insight into the role of clothing in childhood. Through the investigation of children’s clothing behaviour from the 19th century onwards, from the evidence of self-styling to the re-interpretation of clothing by children, this essay reveals the importance of moving away from an adult focus to address the role of clothing for the socialising child. Based on recent pluri-disciplinary research, and conveying original methods to interpret children’s voice in their relation to clothing, this essay questions children’s clothes in their ability to act as catalysts in the construction of self-, peers- and familial identity. In a world where the voices of young people are still overheard by the industry despite the progress of policy making and education in this matter, this essay establishes the impact and effects of a child centred practice on the design of their material environment and specifically, clothing.

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