Baby & Kids Retail Trends: Endless Bloom

Following a period of uncertainty, a sense of energy returned to both retail and e-commerce Autumn Winter 2023/24 ranges. We witnessed a vibrant use of colour, print and pattern continuing to emerge in baby and kids ranges.

We’ve been tracking the rise of seasonal mashups for several years. This season we see the garden brought indoors for the Autumn and Winter months. As forecast in our Baby and Kids design trend ‘Endless Bloom’, beautiful flora and fauna inject much-needed joy into the home.

First forecast in 2021, we evidence how this joyful mindset and design trend has been translated across baby and kids retail and e-commerce.

Tracking the adoption of our Baby & Kids ‘Endless Bloom’ trend.

From picket fences to plant pots, outdoor materials are refreshed and repurposed with colourful stains, dyes and powder-coated lacquers. Simplistic and squat forms are paired with pleats, frills, and hand-embroidered details, adding softness and a delicate edge to this contemporary trend.

What we said

This trend story sees little ones become the protectors of their endangered local flora and fauna, establishing and growing their own wildflower garden. Design brings the garden indoors with prints featuring friendly flower characters, swooping and gliding birds and hand-rendered blooms. Simplistic and squat forms are paired with pleats, frills, and hand-embroidered details, adding softness and a delicate edge to this contemporary trend.

What we saw

Micro and macro florals are central to this trend story, and were used to inspire print, pattern, shape and character at several stores. Friendly floral characters were spotted at John Lewis, simple flower shapes informed furniture and lighting at H&M and Urban Outfitters and tactile blooms adorned play mats and stationery at both Crate & Barrel and Claire’s. Scalloped edging highlighted in this trend was also evidenced at John Lewis and Zara Kids, used to add visual interest to furniture, decorative accessories and textiles.

Get to know your future consumer

During a time of mass disruption, never before has it been more essential to understand the underlying motivations of the future consumer. If you are a designer working up to 2 years ahead or a brand marketer working on your annual communications strategy, our future trend forecasts offer exclusive insight into the shifts in householder attitudes and lifestyles with design translation and messaging applications.