I just read an interesting article from the San Francisco Gate, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/14/LVG3GINV291.DTL about the difficulty parents have finding the styles they want for their babies.
I never really looked at my kids as a form of self-expression, but in hindsight until they get to be about four or five years old they really are blank style canvases.
The couple in the article laments the lack of modern looks for baby gear, clothing and furniture, but I think that tide is about to turn.
There are vendors who subscribe to the modern design aesthetic and it seems their number is growing. Skip Hop, which just debuted a new line with industrial designer Scott Henderson, along with other like-minded vendors, will be exhibiting in a Modern Baby section at September’s ABC Kids Expo. Fleurville is teaming up with Yves Behar of Fuseproject on Calla, a highchair for modern life.
Granted many of the contemporary designs have higher price tags than the average American can or wants to afford, but as with any niche market, it’s about supply and demand. Contemporary looks are still on trend in the home accent and home furnishing markets after their explosion onto the mainstream scene a couple of years ago. That’s not to say modern design hasn’t always been there, it just hasn’t always been in the spotlight and hasn’t always been easy to find.
The juvenile industry is mimicking the adult industry in that regard, so I have no doubt before long we’ll see plenty of middle price point products that are cutting edge and hip.
