Fashion and democracy: what is happening in children’s fashion?

Children have a special status in society: despite their ability to interact with and take part in social activities, they’re not considered as responsible individuals by most political regimes. However, children are dressed, from birth, with clothing influenced by and influencing new trends and dress codes. Children’s fashion and dress codes are ruled by the adults as educators, designers, policy makers, and citizens, for socialising children: shaping children’s identity, their sense of belonging, their role and position in society is therefore a strong element of children’s fashion as much as envisaging, sometimes through innovative dress codes, children as becoming adult. Examples in Modern and Contemporary history illustrate the subtle or more obvious politicisation of children’s clothes, when adults are constrained by laws and conventions. Therefore, one could ask: when adult’s dress codes are regulated by the power in place, what is happening in children’s fashion? When children are not considered as full citizens, why does their fashion style and presence in the communication of the ruling families become a priority? Finaly, in the contemporary context of the adoption of the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child, what would happen politically if the fashion industry was listening to children’s voice to design the clothing of young people, as seldom heard communities? Based on the study of European fashion from the 19th century onwards, and on the analysis of museums collections and archives, this communication will question the political side of children’s dress codes and open towards a child centred perspective on fashion.