Kids Clothing In Auckland
Thanks to coronavirus, this is the first season I’m buying kids clothes in New Zealand and not relying on my husband being my Tea Collection/Hanna Andersson/GapKids mule from the US. I’ve been scouring my options because kids clothing isn’t as ubiquitous here as it is in the US, quality is all over the place, and prices can be ridiculous if you let it. Fortunately, because kids wear uniforms to school, I don’t need the immense quantity of kids clothing that I needed in the US. Here’s what I’ve found:
Big International Brands
H&M - There are a number of H&M outlets around town with the typical assortment of H&M clothes for kids. Unfortunately, there’s no New Zealand online store.
Zara Kids - Zara has one store in Auckland in Sylvia Park and also has an online presence. I’ve noticed the store has a very limited selection of clothing in the 4-6 year range, but has ample things in other sizes.
Cotton On Kids - This is the Old Navy equivalent. Relatively inexpensive clothes, often pretty cute, don’t last for a terribly long time. Made in sweatshops - remember that big Bangladeshi garment factory fire?
Regional Brands
Country Road Child - These are higher quality, slightly higher price point clothes. They can be very cute, but they often have a Country Road logo emblazoned somewhere on them. The average dress costs between NZ$50-$80.
Seed Heritage Kids - This one I really like for play clothes. They’ve got cute items of decent quality at reasonable prices and generally without logos. There are many Seed stores around, but the Ponsonby and new Westfield Newmarket locations have the best kids’ store. They also have a good online site.
Farmers - I’d compare this chain to something like a Dillards. Maybe a Macy’s. There’s middling cost clothes at middling quality. Periodically they have a big half off sale, so if you can wait, the sale is pretty good if you’re looking for a few items.
David Jones - David Jones is an Australian department store and the closest thing to a Nordstrom we’ve got. (I don’t want to set your expectation that it is a Nordstrom though - it is not.) There is a decent kids section that carries brands like Country Road, Seed, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo, and their eponymous brand. It’s a decent one-stop shop if you’re in a hurry and want to see a lot of options at once. The website linked takes you to their Australian site. All of the offerings online are not available in store here in Auckland, so don’t get too attached to anything you see.
New Zealand Brands
Band of Boys - As the name suggests, it’s all about boys’ clothing here. The quality is decent and the sales are pretty good.
Jaimie Kay - This appears to be the most popular kids brand, especially on the resale market (which is limited compared to the US I’ve noticed.) The pieces are comfortable, tend to be neutrals, and of very good quality. I’m a fan.
Radicool Kids - Radicool is stocked all over the place and is generally good quality, though more than you’d expect to pay coming from the US. I’d compare it to something like Tea Collection, but edgier.
Boutiques
Kids Republic - There are two Kids Republic stores, one in Hamilton and one in Newmarket in Auckland. They provide free NZ shipping with orders over $75, too. This shop has a ton of different brands and styles and sells not only clothing but kid gear. Pricing is typical for New Zealand, so its more than you think you should pay coming from the US. (Most play dresses range from NZ$50-$100.)
Parnell Baby Boutique (PBB) - This store isn’t located in Parnell anymore. It’s moved to Remuera, but it still has a fun collection of curated kids’ clothing and toys including brands like Radicool. They have free shipping on online orders over $60.
Kizclub - If you’re looking for kids’ designer clothing, this shop in Epsom (or online) is the place to go. They cary everything from Acne Studio to Fendi to Stella McCartney to Veja. There’s free shipping on orders over $100, and if you’re shopping here, it is probably over $100.
Future Feet - While there are lots of places that cary kids shoes, especially inexpensive ones, this is the place for a full on high-quality shoe experience. I’d compare it to Kid-O-Shoes in Austin. This is the place to get your kid’s feet properly measured after a growth spurt and to get good, high quality shoes that will last. There are stores in Ponsonby and Wanaka.
Online Only
The Kids Store - This store has a ton of brands and covers kids up to 14. There is free shipping for all orders over $99. I haven’t shopped here before, but it seems to stock all of the favorite Kiwi brands like Band of Boys, Radicool, etc.
Grey + Wild - This is an online only boutique with free shipping on orders over $100. It has a lot of similar items to Kids Republic, but there are some gems to be found if you’re looking for something a little different.
Lulu Funk - For super comfortable undies and PJs, this is the place to go. They have great sales from time to time. It was one of the first Kiwi brands I loved. I even posted about it here.
The Iconic - This Australian site has a strong New Zealand presences and loads of brands - but still charges you in Australian dollars so make sure you do the math and include any foreign exchange fees from your bank. It is the one place I’ve found that carries some Gap clothing and Native shoes if you can’t wait for a YouShop order.
The Market - The Market is a consolidation site of lots of online shops. It is an Amazon-lite, and it is the one place that carries J.Crew clothing if you love that style. (And oh I love it, but the quality has gone down, down, down in recent years.) If you play the coupon game right, you can often get a good deal.
“Disposable” Clothing
There are a couple of options for low-cost/low-quality kids clothing. Sometimes you just need a shirt that can be destroyed or sent to art class. If that’s the case, check out Postie, The Warehouse and K-Mart.
Are there any other places I should look for every day kids clothes? Tell me all of your favorite spots!
