Hot Child Enters Retail
Hot Child president Lloyd Parks Jr. says he knows everything there needs to be known about junior fashion—but then again, Parks has been in the business long enough to know.
“The most important aspect of any junior market is fit,” said Parks, who previously spent 11 years as vice president of production at junior denim label Z. Cavaricci. “I guess the best formula for the junior brand is to constantly give junior customers something new and exciting to wear each season.”
Parks and his partner, Jess Kim, who recently launched their new junior sportswear line for Spring, have created a brand that combines comfort and fit all in one package. It’s a trendy line that covers all bases with fun looks and innovative stylings.
“When I first got into the apparel business there wasn’t as much of a clear focus on the junior apparel market as there is today,” Parks said. “There was a lot of meshing of junior and contemporary styles, which is the direction we would like to take our line.”
Hot Child’s design director, Donna Losa, who previously designed private-label denim at Tarrant Apparel Group before working with Parks as an assistant designer at Z. Cavaricci, created a 200-piece collection that offers a wide apparel mix for fashion-forward teens.
The collection is made up of casual bottoms, activewear and denim. It includes tattoo-printed denim (plain or with beaded embellishments), logo knit tops, a five-pocket standard low-rise skirt, cotton tops and bottoms with foil-screen printing, stretch and rigid denim with deconstructed pockets, and a miniskirt with ruche stitching and pearl pocket chain. Wholesale price points range from $5.50 for a logo-printed T-shirt to $25 for a pair of regular denim pants.
Hot Child’s activewear is comfort-driven, and it includes such offerings as French terry pants and skirts made with indigo yarn and sandblasted and two-toned reversible yoga pants.
Parks said business has been good on the East Coast, where the company recently opened a showroom in New York’s garment district. Last month, Hot Child came back from New York market week with a whole slew of new prospects on the horizon, including junior retailers Alloy and Tillys. The company is currently taking orders for immediates and late spring deliveries. Parks anticipates sales for spring will reach $2 million by the end of the season.
Jess & Lloyd International Inc., the parent company of Hot Child and better contemporary label E Pop 360, is based in Irvine, Calif.
The bulk of the company’s manufacturing is done in Mexico, Guatemala, Fiji and Singapore. Parks said the company also wants to be known as a domestic house brand. The company has minimum order agreements with several contractors in Southern California.
“We want Hot Child to be a mainstay in the market by continuing to evolve as a company that produces new developments domestically and as a company that grows as a global brand,” Parks said.
Hot Child is getting ready to launch an accessories line that will include sports caps and a denim bag collection. The company is currently working on its back-to-school line, which will make an early preview with accessories at this month’s MAGIC International in Las Vegas.
Parks said the company would most likely debut its Fall collection during Spring markets in New York and Los Angeles.Parks also noted that Hot Child is currently negotiating a licensing agreement for lingerie with a Korean-based company.
