We’re not sure if we’re ready for this, but here goes: Michelle Obama’s daughters, 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha, are starting to be seen as fashion trendsetters. The labels who made the dresses they wore on election night are trying to cash in on the publicity. Biscotti Inc. — maker of Malia’s silk taffeta dress — sent out a press release about it, of course. But they sold out of the dress long before Tuesday, so they lost out on a sales boost. (Neiman Marcus still has some in stock online, and sales of the piece were up Wednesday.) The company that made Sasha’s black dress, Gerson & Gerson Inc., has been calling retailers to let them know the $72 dress was theirs, and they have also sold out of the piece. They plan to reincarnate the garment for future seasons and have even named it “Sasha.”
We feel a little weird looking at kids as young as Malia and Sasha as trendsetters. It begs the question: How much should they be in the spotlight, and should it be for their clothes? We understand clothing makers want to reap the benefits of the publicity, and the high-end kids’-clothes market is hot right now (thanks, Suri Cruise!), but it seems rather unfair to place so much emphasis on their image at such a young age. They have four years of high school for that, and that’s hard enough.
Cashing in on The Sasha Obama Connection [Heard on the Runway/WSJ]
First Daughter Malia Obama — Fashion Trendsetter in the Making? [Heard on the Runway/WSJ]
