AROUND KIDS #3
Angela Rui Italy
News
Edition 92
05.03.2021
Today we are in Italy and we meet with Angela Rui

INSTAGRAM - Curator and design critic
photo credit: Mattia Balsamini

Angela is mother of Ida, 5 years old, a lively girl whose Pippi Longstocking pigtails generally last ten minutes!
 
How do you normally shop for your children? Occasionally? Very often? Mainly online or in stores?
I must admit that choosing clothes for Ida has become that moment of detachment from the files from which I normally work, that is, pure escape. I choose from web sites I know, often aided by newsletters. Oh my God, now that you make me think yes, online communication has the desired effect.

And when? At the beginning of the season or every now and then?
With a little advance on the season, because children grow up quickly and there is a moment when nothing is good anymore. Then large bags are organized and redistributed among friends with younger children to make room for new things. Second and third hand clothes are also valid for us, who bring back the things passed by Allegra, Gastone and Lorenzo.

Do you listen to your child and how involved is she in the process of choosing?
Ida is 5 years old, and for now she is not the child who chooses what to wear in the morning. So for now I choose, but trying to interpret her tastes and her character. We do it together and it's always a very happy moment. In any case,I like that she can dress comfortably, to play in the park and run with friends or with our dogs. She is a lively child and Pippi Longstocking pigtails generally last ten minutes.

What are the 3 colors your child prefers?
We are still in the "rainbow" period, or rather an explosion of colors. Among her favorite colors, purple, yellow and blue. Better if mixed and polished.

What do you consider important when buying clothes for your child?
In general, we are sensitive to products that have a controlled supply chain and to local brands that often have a small distribution in stores, or sometimes do not even have one and therefore can only be purchased online. It is amazing how children perceive convenience and comfort based on the material of which the clothes are made, in general for the same color or cut she chooses the one that has the best yarn. Having said that, we don't like to dress Ida with brands that announce themselves on the dress itself, nor clothes that use language as writings and statements, because I believe that associating a specific message with a child is a form of etiquette that limits the understanding of the little individual. The children have a changeable and carefree shape, we try to make sure that it remains so, until she asks for something different in which she will recognize herself.

Do you follow the current fashion trends for your child?
I would say no, we like to combine things freely, sometimes even if I am not convinced of how we leave the house, I do not express myself about it because I am convinced that the freedom that children have to choose and combine things, and therefore the way to combine different garments and accessories, can help us adults in the first place to understand more about children and their tastes, and in a second moment also the phenomena that pass between them, and of which it is still difficult to express in words. I always think that we can learn a lot about the reality that surrounds us simply by observing them, as individuals or as a collective.

Which brand do you prefer, if there is any you would like to mention?
As I said, we are not oriented by a precise code but certainly Bobo Choses, Babaa, Chianti Shine (mostly inherited from my sister who is pure fan), Gray Label are among those we choose most of the dresses, but also Petit Bateau , Cos and Muji.