You Won’t Believe the Work That Goes Into a Children’s Fashion Show

Child models at the Bonpoint show, Spring Summer 2017. (Photo: Swan Gallet/Rex Shutterstock via ZUMA Press)
Child models at the Bonpoint show, Spring Summer 2017. (Photo: Swan Gallet/Rex Shutterstock via ZUMA Press)

If anyone knows what it takes to pull off a show featuring toddlers, it’s Christine Innamorato, the creative director for Bonpoint, the fanciest kids’ clothing brand out there. It recently put on a show during Paris Fashion Week, in which tots took the runway in matching tartan, fairy-esque tulle skirts, and flower crowns. Celebrity guests included Coco Rocha and her children, and Alessandra Ambrosio.

If you think staging a children’s fashion show is like producing one for adults, only in miniature, think again. It’s a major production and takes much more work than one would expect just to see some kiddies wander down the runway in fancy pants.

Innamorato revealed the logistics behind putting on a show with underage models.

Photo: Swan Gallet/Rex Shutterstock via ZUMA Press
Photo: Swan Gallet/Rex Shutterstock via ZUMA Press

“There are many constraints and uncertainties,” Innamorato told Madam Figaro magazine. “Bonpoint [ranges in] children from 2 to 10 years old, sometimes teenagers. This age mix is both a constraint and an asset.” All the models, even if they are simply the children of friends, have to be registered with an agency, she explained. “And all rules governing the work of minors are scrupulously applied.” Bonpoint casts about 45 children, and one adult per child is needed, so it’s actually a larger cast than at most fashion shows.

And just because they are young doesn’t mean they are less high-maintenance. Innamorato notes that while “excitement dominates,” some are so stressed that they can’t get out onto the runway. There are even some “cheeky” children with supermodel attitudes. Each dresser has to make sure his or her model is “comfortable” before Innamorato shares a word of encouragement with each child.

We’re exhausted just from reading about what it takes to pull it off. But the amount of work shows in the immaculate presentations that result.