Designer Children's Clothing
in Canada

In 2023, Nordstrom announced its withdrawal from Canada, closing all thirteen stores. For parents buying designer children's clothing, this was a blow. Holt Renfrew is too expensive and has too little selection; Nordstrom was perfectly positioned in the middle tier—brands like Burberry Kids and Stella McCartney Kids could be found there. Now that it's gone, you either fly to the US to shop, or order online and pay customs duties.

Customs duties deserve their own discussion. Canadian customs charges taxes on imported packages over twenty Canadian dollars; the US threshold is eight hundred dollars. The gap is outrageous. A Gucci children's T-shirt at one hundred fifty Canadian dollars, ordered from Net-a-Porter, ends up costing another thirty to forty in taxes and fees upon arrival. Living in Windsor, Sarnia, or other cities near the US border is still manageable—you can drive across to Detroit to shop and return the same day. People in Toronto and Vancouver just have to accept it. Before the pandemic, some people ran dedicated personal shopping businesses, bringing children's clothing back from the US for a fee.

Quebec children's clothing design takes a different approach from English Canada. Brands like Deux par Deux and Souris Mini use bold colors—color blocking, large color fields, exaggerated patterns. English Canada's Hatley and Mini Mioche take the safe route—gray, beige, navy blue, Nordic minimalist style. It's not that one is better than the other; it's different aesthetic preferences. French-speaking moms dress their kids in flashy outfits; Ontario moms look at them and think it's too loud. Ontario moms dress their kids in all gray; Quebec moms think they look half-dressed.

Mini Mioche founder Alyssa Makepeace said in an interview that when she started her business in 2012, you could barely find locally-produced organic cotton baby clothes in Toronto. Now this category is packed with brands, proving the market definitely exists. But how long the "Made in Canada" label can hold up is uncertain. Labor is expensive—a basic T-shirt costs three to four times more to produce locally than in Vietnam. Consumers say they support local, but when they see the price, they hesitate.

The secondhand market reveals the real circulation of designer children's clothing in Canada. There's a store in Toronto called Kidiosity that specializes in high-end children's clothing consignment. The owner says what sells fastest is Canada Goose children's down jackets—originally five to six hundred dollars, selling secondhand for just over two hundred, and good-condition ones are gone within a day or two of being listed. Gucci, Burberry actually move slower—fewer buyers, fewer sellers. This shows the group actually consuming luxury children's wear is very small; most people buying designer children's clothing still focus on practicality—Canada Goose really does keep you warm in winter.

Interestingly, areas with large Chinese populations have significant spending power. Children's clothing store owners in Richmond and Markham all know that around Lunar New Year is peak season. Red-themed and festive designs need to be stocked in advance. Chinese families don't hold back spending on their children, but what they buy isn't necessarily Western luxury brands—Korean children's clothing brands actually sell better in these areas, with designs that fit Asian aesthetics and more accurate sizing.

Also, Canadian winters are long, making cold-weather children's clothing essential—this is a market segment where local brands have an advantage. Brands like Canadiana and Kombi make snow boots, ski gloves, and insulated snowsuits—the designs aren't fancy but can handle minus thirty degrees. Designer brands can't compete with locals in this category; Moncler children's down jackets look nice, but when you're in Edmonton's real winter, most people still wear Canada Goose.

The Holt Renfrew children's section is busiest during the holiday season. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, gift-buying demand concentrates. South Asian family wedding season is also a peak—kids need to dress well for weddings. Otherwise it's quiet, with occasional weekend browsers. Staff say many customers come in, look around, note down the styles, then go buy in the US or wait for sales.

Sale season is another topic. Boxing Day is a big day for Canadian retail—designer children's clothing discounts can reach fifty percent off or even lower. But popular sizes are long gone; what's left is either too big or too small. Experienced parents buy a size up six months ahead and stock up, since kids will grow into them anyway.