Swiss market does not ask for gender-neutral children's clothing
John Lewis has launched gender-neutral children's clothing in England. In Switzerland, there seems to be little demand for them. The motivation of the suppliers to change something about the status quo is correspondingly small.
The launch has led to a fashion dispute in England. While some praise the John Lewis chain for its courage and see the neutral children's clothes as a first step in the right direction, others are offended by an excess of political correctness. Conservative MP Bridgen scolds: "I wonder how many parents go to John Lewis to buy a dress for their six-year-old son. Men and women are biologically different (...). Why should you, as a parent of a boy, waste time going through the dress department?".
John Lewis is concerned with no longer pushing gender stereotypes in the children's collections. In practice, this means, for example, that garments with girls' cuts also feature supposedly boys' subjects such as dinosaurs. According to John Lewis Nytimes.com launched unisex baby clothing at the beginning of the year. The company is also considering abolishing the division into boys' and girls' departments.
Gender stereotypes in children's fashion are a much-discussed topic in England. In May, supermarket chain Asda was criticized for a children's sweater that read "Boys will be Boys." criticizes. A slogan that teaches children that men can always excuse their bad behavior by just being men, the accusation goes. The same supermarket chain sold clothing for boys with inscriptions such as "Future Scientist," while girls' clothes bore slogans such as "Hey Cutie!" or "Ponies Rock.
There is no demand in Switzerland
The newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende asked whether gender-neutral children's clothing is also an issue in Switzerland. According to the report, Migros only carries unisex children's clothing in hosiery and rainwear - the desire to expand the range is "only very sporadically expressed by customers," says spokeswoman Monika Weibel. Among girls, the orderer for years has been the color pink, which is hardly ever worn by boys, says Weibel. Since neutral subjects are sold much more poorly, a change in practice is not planned. For babies, on the other hand, Migros has been offering unisex clothes for years.
At the request of Schweiz am Sonntag, Manor, C&A and the Charles Vögele buyer OVS sounded a similar note: since there was too little demand for gender-neutral children's clothing, there were no plans in this regard. (hae)
Photos: John Lewis
