# Children's Functional Clothing: Design Challenges and Opportunities
## 5 Analysis of Functional Children's Clothing Brands
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt}} \hline \hline
**Brands** & **Target** & **Functionalities** & **Textile Materials** & **Technologies** \\ \hline Smartwool & Underwear & Resistance; Thermoregulation; & Merino wool, polyester, nylon & IndestructawoodTM; Inside-Out Design with merino wool \\ \hline  & & Clothes with origami structure that “grows with the child”; Rainproof; Resistance; Reflective details; (harmful chemicals free) & Recycled polyester & Pattermmaking; Ripstop fabrics \\ \hline Ker Sun (multi-brand) & Outerwear & UV protection & Diverse materials & Zinc oxide protection \\ \hline Waterproof World (multi-brand) & Outerwear & Waterproof; Adjustable details; Reflective details; Breatable & Diverse materials & Polyurethane (PU) coating \\ \hline Muddy Puddles & Outwear & Waterproof; Breakable; Reflective details; UV protection & Recycled polyester & PU coating; BIONIC FINISH®ECO \\ \hline Kidunk & & Waterproof; Breathable; https://www. kidunk.com/ & Waterproof; Breathable; Reflective details; Removal details & Recycled plastics & Teflon EcoEliteTM \\ \hline Eclipse & & UV protection; Thermoregulation; (harmful chemicals free) & Recycled polyester, elastane & No information \\ \hline The good day lab & & & & \\ \hline https://www. thegeomodaylab.com/ & Outerwear & Stain and liquid-repel; Anti-shrink; Breathable & Cotton, elastane & Clean Shield Technology \\ \hline Spellbound & & & & \\ \hline [[https://www.spellbound.ee/](https://www.spellbound.ee/)]([https://www.spellbound.ee/](https://www.spellbound.ee/)) & Outerwear & Prints with colour change materials (glow-in-the-dark) & Left-over natural materials & No information \\ \hline Illuminated & & & & \\ \hline Apparel & & Interactive UV glow torch & & \\ \hline https://www. illuminatedapparel. com/ & T-shirts & per to draw onto the glow canvas panel on the t-shirt & Cotton & No information \\ \hline Babyglow 1 & Bodysit & Changes colour when baby’s temperature is too high & Cotton & No information \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} 1 Isolated product.  
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Table 2: _Cont._* Textile materials: analysed by the type of material used for functional clothing. * Technologies: observed through the main technologies used or applied to the materials to achieve the functionalities presented. After interpreting the results, this information was cross-referenced with the previous research about children's fashion design process and functional textiles, discussing the role of the designer in creating functional children's clothing. After conducting a thorough market analysis of children's functional clothing, 21 brands/products were identified that meet these criteria. This analysis indicates a principal focus among children's clothing brands on functionality through the patternmaking of clothing items. * Pattermmaking  
Key aspects highlighted include the incorporation of adjustable or removable details in clothing to accommodate the child's rapid physical growth, the utilisation of interactive applications to promote cognitive development, strategic placement of labels to improve physical comfort and the careful crafting of garments to ensure a comfortable fit. In the case of the Bonsie brand, the patternmaking design is crafted to facilitate skin-to-skin contact between the baby and mother in a convenient and accessible manner at any time and place. This is possible due to the simple design of the piece, which has a Velcro opening on the chest. The brand underscores the significance of this patternmaking feature, especially for babies with medical complications and disabilities in a hospital situation. This patternmaking allows professionals to easily place sensitive medical equipment on the baby without the need to remove all clothing. In contrast, the Petit Pli brand uses a space-inspired design with mixed fibres, compact seams, and high-resistance materials to imbue the clothing with the functionality to adapt to the child's growth.