Article taken from the July 26, 2010 edition of KansasCity.com

Camouflage is one thing you can’t hide from this back-to-school season.

The print has been growing in popularity for kids, especially as designers develop new color combinations — for boys and girls — and feature it in places such as pant cuffs and bag straps. And camo cargo pants have gone from novelty to classic status.

But doesn’t that defeat the purpose of camo, which, in theory, should be flying under the radar?

“I think kids are seeing it from street fashion, more of a cool-kids point of view,” says Betsy Schumacher, senior vice president/chief merchandising officer for American Eagle’s 77 Kids. “It’s very savvy from a fashion standpoint. Kids gravitate toward things that feel real, and it feels like something easy to wear. … This trend is one kids can have fun with.”

While sticking to the authentic pattern, the spirit conveyed by color, style and other embellishment makes it clear that children’s clothing isn’t trying to mimic modern military uniforms.

“We don’t base it on current uniforms,” says A.K. LaMonica, senior director of apparel at The Children’s Place. “For our boys’ line, our inspiration truly comes from vintage.”

Boys’ shorts and pants most often get the camo treatment, and camo-covered baseball caps are the brand’s best-sellers. LaMonica says camo is the boys’ equivalent of, say, the embroidered butterfly for girls.

“Girls always have flowers, hearts, butterflies and whatever the trendy print of the season is. Boys don’t get that. They get plaid. Camouflage can be an alternative to that,” LaMonica says.

Brit-based brand Mini Boden says it has been successful translating camo for both sexes.

Girls usually get their camo with a splash of lilac or pink, boys like theirs brown or gray in the fall and winter, but like a bright blue in the spring or summer, says design director Emma Stevens. The pattern is a favorite on board shorts, soft twill trousers and an anorak jacket.

“We don’t want to imply a uniform at all. We use it just like a pattern, and it can look quite surfy, especially in sun-washed colors,” Stevens says.

“We try to do camouflage in a softer way, with more colors and increased scale,” says Stevens, who also designs the company’s teen-oriented Johnnie B. line.

The look grows up into capris and miniskirts, among other silhouettes, for tween and teen girls, says Sonya Cosentini, style adviser for T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. It works for the younger market and for the teen set.

“Camouflage is a print that you don’t always see on the shelves, but it’s a trend that makes its way back every year in a different way. This year, that way is absolutely in the details, and we will continue to see that into the fall fashion season,” Cosentini says.

The print is a direct complement to the from-the-runway military look that’s hot this season in every market — from womenswear to infant clothes.

“Kids are really savvy from a fashion standpoint. When they see a trend on adults, they want it, too. There’s no lag time,” says Schumacher. And, she added, unlike some adult trends, this one translates to childrenswear because comfort is at its heart.

There’s also an implied durability, and the back-to-school catalogs, for example, are full of camo-clothed kids running, jumping and playing in the autumn leaves.

Schumacher says children’s clothing has to appeal to two audiences: the kids who wear it and the moms who typically shell out the cash.

“Military works as a trend because of its classic heritage and comfort,” she says. One other selling point to mom: Camo is pretty good at masking dirt and stains.