When I found out I was pregnant with my first son, I was so excited to start buying all kinds of cute baby clothes. But after visiting a few stores, I started noticing a trend: most of the boys’ clothing was in darker, blue-ish colors while girl clothing tended to be pinker and fluffier. It was difficult to find clothes for my son that didn’t have a dinosaur, car or animal print on them. So I thought that I’d just outsmart the system and simply pick out clothes from the girl’s section for a more gender neutral kids’ clothing wardrobe.
Shortly before his birth, however, I was looking around his closet and noticed that the majority of his clothes were still blue. No matter how hard I had tried, I was being overshadowed by gender stereotypes.
This is where the idea to start Maxence The Brand came from.
I thought, why not create clothes without old societal gender norms attached? And why can’t boys wear pink?
When we assign genders to colors, we are unconsciously assigning roles to our children. It all begins with clothing; if we start telling kids what they can or can’t wear then they start thinking that their gender has limits. And I don’t believe in passing down preconceived notions. The wonderful thing about babies is their limitless potential. We should let them have a clean slate and decide who they are and want to be.
As parents, it’s our job to raise the next generation. We can’t raise them the way that we were raised because it isn’t the same world out there. Choosing a gender-neutral wardrobe for our little ones encourages curiosity, imagination and freedom of expression. It discourages imposed stereotypes that negatively impact development. For example, when girls aren’t expected to be patient and sweet and boys aren’t expected to be emotionless and tough, their real selves can unfold. Everyone can play actively. Gender neutral kids’ clothes are designed for functional movement and play, as opposed to some traditional clothing that can restrict movement, forcing them to play less athletically.
There’s no one way to be a boy just as there is no one way to be a girl. Gender neutral clothing devoid of traditional colors and patterns let children’s senses tune in to what matters most: discovering the world around them.
After all, we wear the clothes. They don’t wear us.
My family is multicultural, just like my company, meaning that we know there is no one perfect way to do things. And there is no one way to be a boy, just like there is no one way to be a girl.
At Maxence The Brand, we believe that kids can wear every and any color. We believe in big imaginations and curiosity. We believe that children’s clothes should be fun, practical, and most importantly, comfortable.
This line is for kids, but it’s also for the conscious parent who wants to pass on an open mind and endless possibilities to their child. It’s about self-expression without rules or limits.
To learn more about Maxence The Brand’s story, read here and shop our collection.
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