Twins Wang Ruiqi and Wang Jun'er (right), 2, appear at a fashion show for children. Zou Hong / China Daily

Fashion designers cast their eyes toward the big market for little children that has mostly remained beneath the gaze of domestic labels. Chen Nan reports.

When Zhou Gengfei quit her job as a Beijing-based fashion magazine editor to create her own designs in 2008, she found big inspiration in her little niece.

Her sister, she says, regularly dressed the 3-year-old girl, "like a doll".

"Don't underestimate a 3-year-old," Zhou says.

"She has her own ideas about what she wants to wear."

Zhou realized few Chinese designers have considered the little people - and that she should.

So Zhou used her niece as a guinea pig for her experimentation with creative clothing.

"She once told me she feels like a star because her friends don't have clothes like hers," Zhou says.

Zhou recently showed her children's fashion line Geng at an event featuring 150 designers at the Brand New China store in Beijing's trendy Sanlitun Village.

Ten of her outfits were shown off by 2-year-old twin models Wang Jun'er and Wang Ruiqi.

The two tots were treating the catwalk's back stage like a playground during the show.

Wang Jun'er walks with a male model at a recent fashion show.

The girl was pretending to fly in her hooded red cape, while the boy was playing with the spines of the dinosaur outfit he was going to wear after the blue and white polka dot jacket he had on.

Their mother was called in to lure them onto the runway with candy, as electronic music played and the audience watched.

"Parents love the brand for its sense of humor and its sophisticated, cool and classic look," Zhou says.

"Kids love the brand because it's fun and makes them feel like cool grownups!"

Zhou opened a store for her label in Wangjing, selling clothes for ages 1 to 7.

"Many parents, especially young ones, regard fashion as part of their lifestyles and want to reflect that through their children," the 33-year-old says.

"I've heard many mothers complain children's clothes can only be worn for a year, which is such a waste. My clothes grow up with the children."

She designs around the certainty the children will get taller in mind - A-shaped skirts and trousers with adjustable waists are commonplace among her creations.

Cotton is her fabric of choice, because she believes it's comfortable and practical for children.

Her designs seek a subtle aesthetic that shies away from glaring colors and cartoon figures.

"Most major luxury and boutique brands' children's wear lines mimic the trends that identify their adult lines," Zhou says.

"But children have individual styles."

Parents are catching on to this, Zhou believes, and are putting more thought into how they dress their children.

And designers are catching on to the parents' ideas.

Tong is a children's wear label started five years ago by 35-year-old mother of two Yu Jinjin.

The Shanghai native recalls envisioning how her children would look in clothes when shopping while pregnant and being disappointed at how they actually looked.

"Kids' clothes are too brightly colored and covered with too many decorations like lace and cartoons," Yu says.

"Children are cute enough without embellishments that overshadow their personalities. I like black, gray and white, but those colors are rarely used in children's wear. So I use those elements in my kids' clothes."

She also believes children, especially young ones, have no need for gender differentiation in their clothing.

Yu says she has only followed her own fashion sense since she was a teenager and has never read style magazines for inspiration.

"When I returned to Shanghai (from living abroad), my hair was dyed red and green," she recalls.

"I was so different. And I want my children to be unique, too."

Yu says her clothing has attracted much attention from customers of the restaurant she owns.

"The designs and color schemes impressed them because they have never seen such children's clothes before," she says.

Simplicity, comfort and individuality are the hallmarks of the clothes she makes for children ages 2 to 7, she says.

Yu joined the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) fashion store in 2010 and plans to open a branch in Beijing in 2012.

Yu and Zhou seem well positioned for what is set to become a booming industry.

China is home to more than 400 million children younger than 16 - 80 percent of whom are younger than 10, China National Garment Association figures show.

The market is expected to grow by 10 percent a year. While more companies are entering the industry, most are adult labels crossing over into children's wear rather than designers specializing in creating with just young ones in mind.

"Luxury labels' expansion into children's wear presents opportunities and challenges for Chinese designers," UCCA fashion store art director Jing Peng says.

"As domestic consumers become more interested in original designs, the less established labels are becoming the more interesting ones."

Zhou Gengfei designs for children and opens a store for her label.