N°21 is the luxury fashion label and brainchild of designer Alessandro Dell’Acqua, a seasoned collaborator with the likes of Rochas, Brioni, and Tod’s. Drawing on his expertise in form-fitting tailoring, high quality fabrics, and minimalist silhouettes done in a palette of rich colors, the Milan-based label offers a fresh take on contemporary Italian clothing. “21” is also the designer’s lucky number.

In November 2018, N°21 started a new partnership with Brave Kid to relaunch the kids RTW project. We sat down with Brave Kid, a leader in the product research and development with 30-year experience in the sector, to ask a few questions about N°21 Kids.

How does N°21 Kids manage to capture the essence of the brand? Which elements of the adult collection are also present in the children’s collection?

N°21 provides a “mini me” version of its pret‐à‐porter collections: the aesthetics of the adult styles are brought into the world of the child, maintaining and reinforcing the brand’s DNA.

How important is comfort in the children’s collection compared to the adult collection?

Comfort is an essential element in children’s collections, the shapes and fabrics are carefully chosen to ensure comfort and functionality without sacrificing style.

And how do you manage to combine comfort and style?

The unexpected combination of materials and the balanced mix of male and female wardrobe characteristics of N°21 are also present in our childrenswear, without neglecting the particular needs of comfort and wearability typical of children’s lines.

In terms of sizes and wearability, is there anything in particular to keep in mind with N°21 Kids for children?

The N°21 kids collection includes a Junior line (4-16 years) of ready-to-wear garments and accessories for boys and girls. Also recurring in every season are the packages made entirely of fleece and the shinier garments, which in FW22 are made of organza and embellished with sequins. The collection is created ad hoc for kids, taking inspiration from particular models of the adult collection.

Which materials do you mainly use for your collections, and how do you select them?

A concept dear to the brand is the use of a mix of materials, which always combines different fabrics. Present in every season, we then find the fleece packages and the more shiny one with garments made for special occasions. In general, the collection is created ad hoc for the kid and takes inspiration for graphics or prints from particular models of the adult collection.

How would you describe N°21 Kids in three words?

Refinement, character, and contemporaneity.

How would you like children to feel wearing N°21 Kids clothes?

For the Fall / Winter 2022 season, N°21 imagines a wardrobe for a young community of model students, struggling between books and school desks, but also lots of sport and fun. For days to live in company, sharing special moments with friends.

Finally, can you create two outfits – one for girls and one for boys?

Here are the images of the chosen looks. Shop N°21 looks for her and shop N°21 looks for him and save up to 45%* on FW22 collections.

 

About the Author

Alex English is the Head of Content Marketing at italist.com, building on a lifelong passion for fashion and luxury. After publishing a lifestyle blog for nearly ten years and obtaining an MBA in Milan at SDA Bocconi, one of Europe’s top business schools, he joined the italist team in 2019. His work since then has focused on upper-funnel messaging, brand storytelling, establishing italist as a thought leader in the space, and enriching the customer experience on the platform. Find him on LinkedIn.