They do not necessarily flip through fashion magazines or wonder endlessly about the new John Galliano look for the season. Well, they can barely lisp Hermes. But this untutored-in-style segment, otherwise called children, has a whole fashion industry springing for them. Indian tweens and teens could even object to being called untutored, for they are relentlessly educated by television series such as Gossip Girl, and would insist that they dream of, if not demand, a Burberry trenchcoat. Designers are now taking baby steps in the industry to dress up the aspiring glamoristas, if not to indulge their mamas’ fantasies.

At the autumn-winter showing at the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week, designer Falguni and Shane Peacock had a surprise up their sleeves. Along with the models who took to the runway, a bunch of kids walked the ramp, dressed in tees and matching jackets. The move was not meant to be a one-off element. “Most of us are doting parents and like to dress up our kids. Unfortunately, in India, children’s fashion does not have many players and hardly offers a choice. We thought it would be a good idea to explore the market a bit, particularly because we have been designing clothes for the kids of our customers on and off,” says Falguni. Their collection, under the label Spendthrift, meant for children between four and 10 years, is now ready and will hit their flagship stores in the next few days. “It’s a funky range of clothes that one can wear to birthdays and parties, and we have everything from biker jackets to cute dresses,” says Falguni. These are priced between Rs 1,500 and Rs 4,500.

It is not just Falguni and Shane. A bunch of designers, most of them disgruntled parents who found themselves short of a stylish outfit for their children, has decided to take matters into their hands. Like Delhi-based designer couple Norden and Aparna Wangdi who have an 11-month-old baby boy. After designing outfits for their little one and nieces, they now churn out regular collections for children, particularly girls. In Delhi, they also take orders to create customised outfits for kids between three and eight years. “It’s a market that’s waiting to be tapped. Most of our regular clients are in the age group of 22-40 and many have kids. When they come to the store, they are also looking to get something for their children,” says Norden. Their prices start at Rs 1,800.

Even though international design houses like Burberry and Ralph Lauren have dabbled in kidswear, in India it has had very few takers among designers. Bangalore-based Anshu Arora and husband Jason Cheriyan were the first off the block, when they came up with a high-end line of kidswear under their brand Small Shop over a year back. Recently Ritu Beri followed suit with her Baby Beri line . Arora’s collection which sells out of stores like Bombay Electric in Mumbai and Evoluzione in Chennai has quite a fan following because of their unique designs. “We came up with a high-end line of handmade keepsake clothes priced around Rs 5,000. They were intricately embroidered with cut-out fish and dolphins in organza, and were quite interactive. We followed it up with a simple collection in Mangalgiri cottons, for which we had trained women from Hampi. It was priced between Rs 800 and Rs 1,500. We still continue with these two lines,” says Arora.