Designing a Brand Kids Love to Live In, and Parents Choose with Confidence

Gen Alpha’s coming of age is reshaping retail, with children playing a more visible role in purchase decisions through early preferences around color, comfort, and self-expression. Research continues to show that kids increasingly influence household purchases, especially in apparel and lifestyle categories, pushing brands to rethink how early identity, confidence, and joy are designed into products and spaces. At the same time, parents are craving brands that feel human, values-driven, and rooted in community rather than trend-chasing. The stakes are high: brands that fail to emotionally connect risk becoming invisible in a market shaped by both digital awareness and a renewed desire for real-world experiences.

So how do you design a brand that’s about more than clothing—a world children genuinely love and parents trust enough to be part of their family’s everyday moments?

That’s the focus of this episode of Retail Refined, hosted by Melissa Gonzalez, who sits down with Stacey Fraser, founder and CEO of Pink Chicken. Together, they explore how Pink Chicken has built a joyful, vertically integrated brand that blends nostalgia, craftsmanship, and community into an experience kids don’t just wear, but live in. From designing with both child and parent in mind to creating retail spaces that feel playful, welcoming, and emotionally resonant, the conversation spans brand strategy, generational shifts, and the future of experiential retail.

Top insights from the talk…

• How Pink Chicken identified a white space for premium, joyful kidswear that balances vintage inspiration with modern relevance.
• Why vertical integration and clear brand pillars are critical to maintaining quality, consistency, and emotional resonance.
• How Gen Alpha’s growing sense of autonomy and aesthetic awareness is reshaping product design, retail experiences, and self-expression.

Stacey Fraser is the founder and CEO of Pink Chicken, an artisanal lifestyle brand she launched in 2006 after a 15-year career spanning children’s and women’s apparel design. She brings deep expertise in brand building, product development, and childrenswear, having held senior design leadership roles at Ralph Lauren, Gap Inc., Tommy Hilfiger, and Old Navy—including helping launch Baby Gap as one of its first employees. Drawing on her background in premium fashion and her love of vintage textiles, Fraser has built Pink Chicken into a vertically integrated, multi-channel brand known for joyful design and effortless dressing across age categories.

Article written by MarketScale.