School shoppers giving a lesson in individualism

NEW YORK — Stores and manufacturers always try to court kids during the all-important back-to-school season, but now that engagement means interactivity, not a flier with coupons or a catalog full of smiling children clutching notebooks.

Kids want shopping to be fun, and they want clothes and shopping experiences with personality. Today's class of kids doesn't want anything cookie-cutter.

And the industry is responding with creativity: Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, for example, has drafted an online storybook that allows young shoppers to choose the outfits off the backs of their favorite characters. The American Eagle-owned 77 Kids, which launched online in 2008, now has new brick-and-mortar stores with life-size MP3 players that allow kids to play DJ. J.C. Penney gave away shopping sprees to popular "haulers" — teens who show off their shopping hauls on video — if they'd come into its stores and report back about the merchandise to their loyal fans.

Younger kids might not be plugged in yet, but they still want to play. A new T-shirt brand called SwitchittZ provides interchangeable, easy-to-attach pieces — sort of like patches — with a variety of characters, props and scenery so kids can tell different stories with their shirts each time they wear them.

"For the past few seasons, we've been talking about interactive clothing and toylike apparel, everyday costumes — like tutus, hoodies with ears or a tail in the back. It's all about using imagination for kids," says Khalym Schell, children's editor at trend analysis company Stylesight. "All this makes kids excited to buy clothes. And how you sell a garment is winning the parent over and winning the kid over. It's the product and the experience."

She adds: "It really makes sense. The market had been slow. Hitting up kids is the best way to bump up sales."

"Back to school has become a bigger event," agrees David Lauren, senior vice president of advertising, marketing and communications for Polo Ralph Lauren. "It's its own form of a holiday. It's an opportunity to do something new and different, but there's also more competition, though, and you have to think out of the box."

The original thought at Ralph Lauren was to do an online fashion show, following an existing successful model for the young adult line Rugby, but that didn't necessarily capture the "family spirit" that the children's line aims for, David Lauren explains. Hence "The RL Gang: A Fantastically Amazing School Adventure," which features a really well-dressed cast of characters.