What Does It Mean for Kids Clothes to Be Gender-Neutral?

Our mission at Primary is to encourage every kid to be the truest version of themselves, and creating high quality, gender inclusive clothing has always been at the center of that. One of our co-founders, Galyn, was actually inspired to start Primary after shopping for winter coats for her twin daughters. They both wanted orange jackets, which she could only find in the “boys” section. Eight years (and many orange jackets!) later, we’re proud to offer a rainbow of styles that customers can find by shopping for babies and kids, not boys and girls. 

To learn more about what goes into making gender-inclusive clothing, we sat down with Lori Idso, our Senior Director of Technical Clothing Design. Read our conversation below. 

Primary: What’s our general process for designing the fit of kids clothes? 

Lori: For every style we design, we start with two base sizes: size 3 and size 10, to make sure the item works for both ages, since kids’ bodies change a lot through those years. These sizes are based on benchmarks set by the American Society for Testing and Materials, or ASTM. 

P: How does designing with gender inclusivity in mind affect the overall process? 

L: Interestingly enough, for sizes 7 and under, we don’t need to consider designing for different genders. Kids grow at similar rates before that age; gendered dress forms don’t even actually exist for kids in smaller sizes! It’s only when kids are around eight years old that we start to see significant changes, mostly due to bone growth. So for sizes larger than 7, we take more measurements into account to make sure different garments fit well across different body types.

P: That’s so interesting! What does it look like when you’re fitting those larger sizes? Does it end up somewhere between standard “boy” and “girl” sizes?

L: We actually tend to think more about sizing in terms of body type as opposed to gender. Everyone’s body is different! So we try to focus on comfort, and work to ensure that each garment has enough room in key areas. For example, a t-shirt only really needs to be fitted in the shoulders, and the rest can be pretty roomy! So we’ll take as much liberty as we can with all the measurements besides the shoulders, so that style can fit as many types of bodies as possible. We regularly hold fittings with kids in our office to see how the clothes look on real bodies, and to hear feedback from actual kids on how the clothes feel. 

And of course, how clothes fit is ultimately up to the person who wears them. One kid may prefer a looser fit across the shoulders, while their friend might opt for a closer fit. There’s no wrong way to wear Primary! 

P: Is everything we sell truly made for kids of all genders? 

L: That’s our goal! And really, it’s not for us to ever dictate what styles kids can wear — we like to say that we make the clothes, but kids make the choices. 

There are some styles, like dresses and outerwear, that have more relaxed fits, and therefore lend themselves to fit easily across a range of different bodies and genders. It’s a bit more challenging for certain pieces that require closer fits in certain areas to provide sufficient support and coverage, like swimwear. We also always try to make sure there's a variety of cuts, fits, and silhouettes within each category. That way, there’s different levels of coverage, depending on a kid’s preference.  However, our UPF 50+ fabric has some stretch to it, so hopefully grown-ups can find a size that works for their kids. 

P: It almost sounds like we’re simplifying the process of designing kids clothes, in that we’re making one type of garment for everyone, instead of two. Why do you think then, that so many other stores sell clothes categorized for “boys” and “girls”?

L: A lot of reasons. Of course, those are terms we recognize and use in our everyday lives. Stores want to make shopping easy and understandable for customers, and part of how they do that is by directing you, the customer, to items they think you want to buy. 

But as we know, that actually ends up being a super limiting shopping experience — for kids whose identities don’t match those categories, and for kids who just like different colors and styles beyond what traditional gender norms have told them is right! My son Eli will *always* choose a pink t-shirt over any other color top, and it’s honestly such a relief that I can buy them for him without having to hunt through a “girls” section for one that he might like. 

Additionally, when clothes are only fitted on one body type, or even just marketed that way, it makes it harder to hand clothes down from kid to kid, which in turn results in customers having to shop more, spend more. Gender-inclusive clothes hopefully help combat that kind of constant consumption. 

P: Wow. I never thought about it that way before! 

L: Right?! It’s more inclusive, more sustainable, and less expensive for everyone!  

P: Do you have any tips for customers on how to find the right fit for their kids while they’re shopping on our site? 

L: We always encourage our customers to use our size charts! Every brand’s sizing is slightly different, so you might find that our sizes fit your kids differently than another store’s. Additionally, our amazing customer support team is happy to answer any specific questions and provide recommendations based on your child’s measurements. We also offer free 90-day returns for this reason! 

Thank you so much, Lori! We’re so proud of our team members who work so hard to create inclusive, high quality clothes for all kids. And we’re especially proud to have customers who support self expression and celebrate their kids for exactly who they are.