Is the ‘mini me’ fashion trend cool, or tacky?
By Niki Bruce
When you were a child did your mum dress you to match her? Or your siblings? Did she dress the whole family the same? Did you hate it?
Well, get ready to see lots more matching ‘mummy and me’ outfits all over your social media feeds. The ‘mini me’ trend is back.
This trend, something that as grown adults we generally hate – dressing to match someone else – is raising its head again now all the Gen-Xers and millennials are starting to have babies. The ‘mummy and me’ or ‘mini me’ fashion trend of matching outfits for mummy and kids, or daddy and kids, or the whole family, is back.
Why? Well, basically it’s a combination of fashion brands looking for new customers, combined with celebrity social media accounts. Who doesn’t remember the Internet-crashing pics of Kim Kardashian and North West in matching Vetements dresses?
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Mini luxury fashion is a huge market. According to a recent Euromonitor report, the luxury childrenswear market is set to hit US$6.6 billion in 2018 – that is a 3.8 per cent year-on-year increase, that is supposed to only get bigger.
Big brands like Dior, Burberry, Gucci and Balenciaga all have childrenswear lines that bring in big dollars. For Burberry the kids’ clothes made about US$153 million in 2017.
Not only are the brands making the clothes, the parents are obviously buying them. According to a report in the Business of Fashion (BoF), much of the market for matching outfits is coming from trend-friendly mums from countries like Russia and the Middle East, along with China and countries in Latin America.
So, the trend is happening, but what do real mums think about it?
Pro ‘mini me’ mum
Radio DJ and Singapore celeb mum Sara-Ann Shuen Krishnamoorthy admits that she is a bit of a ‘mini me’ mum, but as she has a son rather than a daughter, she finds it a bit harder to do.
“I think it’s harder to do it with a boy,” explains Sara-Ann, “We usually do like a family vibe. The whole family sort of rocks out in theme.”
She admits that wearing matching outfits is a bit “cheesy and corny” and even that she used to be someone who was “anti-couple tee”, but that she and her husband Vernon do sometimes accidentally end up wearing matching colours.
“After a while we got used to it, [and] we started coordinating our outfits when we were heading out. So that little ritual sort of got passed down to George as well.
“He usually matches his dad when he goes out because he has mini versions of a lot of his dad’s outfits. I just try to coordinate with the same colours,” says Sara-Ann.
She also admits that after a certain age, however, cheesy becomes fun.
“You start appreciating small cheesy things as a unit,” she says. “And you don’t really care if people say anything about it or not. That said… It often leads to really nice photos.”
The Anti ‘mini me’ mum
For Lasalle lecturer, fashion designer and club DJ Ginette Chittick, the mini me trend is not something she is a fan of, despite her 3-year-old daughter Luella loving to dress up.
“I don’t do the twinning thing! I don’t do it because I think it’s a waste of money,” explains Ginette. “Kids grow out of their clothes so fast, that Luella hasn’t even finished wearing all of her existing wardrobe!”
Ginette also laments that because Luella grows so fast, and they have received so many gifts of clothes, she often doesn’t wear everything.
“Sometimes we don’t even get to have her wear the clothes we have before we have to give them away because she grows so fast!”
On top of that, Ginette says she finds the trend “a bit tacky”, and that besides, she only has one item to wear that she could match with Luelle: “It’s a Dinosaur Jr rock band tee.”
Where to shop in Singapore if you want to do the ‘mini me’ trend
One of Singapore’s top homegrown fashion brands, In Good Company has its very own Mini Me section of comfortable but super stylish kids wear that have pieces that correspond to various items from the main womenswear and menswear collections. There are shorts, cute tops, dresses and tees for girls and boys both. You can ‘mini me’ the whole family if you want to.
This super hip online store has some fun ‘Mummy and Daddy’ slogan tees that match up with childrens’ versions.
Not a Singapore brand, but Seed Heritage is hands down one of the most popular stores for trendy Singapore mums to shop for themselves and their kids. Pretty poplin dresses and skirts, muted colours and patterns, plus matching plain tees for boys and dads.
Match your jelly sandals with your kids’ with Melissa Shoes Mini versions.
This is a Korean fashion brand that features lots and lots of pretty, feminine mummy and me looks. So many cute looks in gingham, florals and plain shades with fun photos that show you how to ‘twin’.
For mums who go for the simple, natural, neutral look, Muji also has kids clothes in the same linens, cottons and neutral tones so you can easily match up the whole family.
What do you think about the Mini Me trend? Cute? Or tacky?
Niki Bruce is a fashion writer and editor. You can follow her on @ini_niki_b or on www.nikibruce.com.
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