2025 Baby & Kids Retail Trends: At-Home Circus
Claudia Cabrero Málaga This season, the ‘anti-hustle’ movement continues to resonate with caregivers, reflecting a collective urge to slow down and refocus on what truly matters. Creative resourcefulness lies at the heart of this shift, as children embrace a hands-on, DIY spirit.
This season, the ‘anti-hustle’ movement continues to resonate with caregivers, reflecting a collective urge to slow down and refocus on what truly matters. Creative resourcefulness lies at the heart of this shift, as children embrace a hands-on, DIY spirit.
This ethos comes to life in this playful, theatrical trend where the home becomes a family circus, celebrating silliness, spontaneity, and the joy of artistic expression.
Choosing to opt out of overinvestment and let go of guilt, Gen Z parents and caregivers embrace a ‘good-enough’ mentality. The antithesis of helicopter parenting, this hands-off approach promotes intuitive exploration, encouraging children to explore and express their own tastes and interests, whilst fostering skill-building and creative thinking.
This shift is fuelled by a reaction to STEM-focused mainstream education and the elimination of creative subjects from the curriculum. In response, families seek alternative, creative-driven educational environments such as Steiner schools, where children’s self-directed and imaginative free play permeates all areas of the curriculum.
2025 E-commerce and Retail Trends: Tracking ‘Clowning Around’
Our Baby & Kids ‘Clowning Around’ trend first highlighted this shift in our seasonal trend forecast, published back in 2023.
We explore the adoption of ‘Clowning Around’, as we track and validate how this trend has been applied across retail trends and e-commerce this season.
TrendBible’s Forecast in 2023:
This theatrical and imaginative story sees children take to the stage at the family circus. Silliness and spontaneity set the tone, as parents aim to instil the importance of the arts and creativity.
Traditional circus themes enter a new era, reimagined through the juxtaposition of contemporary lacquered finishes with antique and vintage objects, blending old and new. Hand-painted star, stripe, and diamond motifs adorn walls, furniture, and toys, elevating simple silhouettes with a charmingly imperfect aesthetic. Charismatic acrobat and contortionist characters inspire both prints and play, while core softs are enriched with ruffles, tassels, and skirted details, adding to the whimsical feel of this trend.
How this translates in 2025:
Habitat’s circus-inspired play tents showcased classic harlequin patterns in sophisticated yet fun hues, whilst vintage bobbin-carved furniture appeared across US and UK retailers, most notably updated by George at ASDA in a fresh light blue finish. Tufted cushions trimmed with pom-pom edging added tactile appeal, enhancing the theme’s sensory dimension.
Are you ready for the next shift in consumer attitudes and tastes towards baby and kid’s product design?
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