Joyce makes dresses for boys: ‘You see them shine’
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Jovian (5) likes nothing more than playing with his trains in his favorite dress. His mother Joyce searched for boys’ dresses to no avail. So her company Little Prince Charming produces them herself.
Joyce Dur (39): “It was an ordinary family holiday in Zeeland. My then three-year-old daughter Jem had been given a pink tutu and Jovian loved it so much he wanted to wear it. He never took it off again – his muddy boots always underneath.
Self-expression
I think children should be given the space to develop freely. So Jovian and Jem choose their own clothes, even if I don’t think their outfit looks right. But when I googled dresses for boys, I found nothing except other parents around the world who were looking for the same thing. Crazy right?
“I didn’t find dresses for boys, but I did find parents who were looking for the same thing’”
Especially at a time when Brad Pitt appears on the red carpet in a skirt and retail chain Scapino comes up with pumps for men. Hello, even the Romans fought in dresses. Pants were once taboo for women, but I don’t think that this is still the case for men in skirts. That is how the idea for my company Little Prince Charming was born.
I finished art school, but now I work in IT and I don’t know anything about fashion. So I looked for a designer for my dresses and a manufacturer through a creative network of international independents. I found them in Germany and Ede, but production in the Netherlands is expensive. No matter how honest and sustainable I want to work, I have now moved abroad.
Collections
My third collection of boys’ dresses is now being made. I make skirts with tulle, but also cool, long hoodies with a split and sometimes cool texts, to romp in. Orders come in from all over the world, mainly from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. But orders also come from Israel and Hong Kong.
I released my first collection in sizes 86 to 122. I based that on the idea that children up to the age of six mainly choose clothes that they like, not what society considers appropriate for their gender. After the launch, questions abounded: could I also make dresses for boys aged eleven and twelve? Yet those sizes run less well now that I’ve made them, that age prefers a different, less childish design. So I limit myself to size 134 in my latest collection.
Comments
Jovian has never been bullied because of his clothes, at most he sometimes gets a comment on the street. Fortunately, he is smart – although we have practiced with that too. ‘Boys are also allowed to wear skirts,’ he says, ‘do girls also wear trousers?’ The environment also responds mainly positively.
Still, I did call the teacher before my son showed up at school in a dress for the first time. She found a book about animals that are just that little bit different and read it to the class. “Oh, okay,” said his classmates, and continued playing with a shrug. Incidentally, since then Jovian not only wears my designs, he also likes a pink skirt from H&M. Or ‘just’ jeans. All fine.
Dresses
It’s especially important to me that a ‘girl’s dress’ – a term I really don’t want to use – isn’t the only choice for boys. As progressive as many brands are, clothing collections for children are still very binary.
I also understand that society is not yet ready for boys in dresses. So I try to be somewhere in between with my own designs: dresses and skirts, but in a color palette that is more associated with boys. For example, a blue tulle dress with glitter in the collar was very popular.
And yes, the dresses and skirts are also suitable for girls, except for a few texts. At the request of my customers, the upcoming summer collection will include a pink version. Although that is not my own taste, even for my daughter.
Non-binary
I do get questions sometimes. Or I think my son is gay or born in the wrong body. That is simply the first association people have with a boy in a dress. But kids his age also just love role-playing, in addition to their pure view of what is beautiful in their eyes.
Besides, I don’t understand what wearing a dress says about his identity. Jovian likes to play with trains and stomp his boots in the mud. Sometimes he says, “Today I’m a girl,” and the next day, “And now I’m a boy again.”
“A boy will shine as soon as he wears a dress that he really wants. That is beautiful”
Maybe it will turn out to be non-binary, maybe not. I also feel more feminine one day than the other. I don’t want my child in a box. What I find particularly special is that a boy who really wants a dress will shine as soon as he wears it. That’s great, that’s what I do it for.
Read also – Patricia: ‘I was amazed at the ease with which my daughter used this ‘new language” >
Inclusive
Yes, of course, the thinking behind Little Prince Charming goes beyond just encouraging self-expression in children. If my son didn’t want to wear dresses from now on, I would still carry on with my business.
Why are we judged in society based on what we wear? It’s just a piece of cloth. Everyone should have the freedom to wear what they want without fear of being bullied or looked at weirdly.
I want to help make the world a better place, one that is more accepting, open-minded and inclusive. Of course there will always be people who have a problem with that, but you can’t keep everyone happy.”
Joyce Dur believes that children should be able to wear whatever they want. She hopes that it will become the most normal thing in the world for boys to wear dresses and skirts and is committed to this with her company. Knowing more? littleprincecharming.com, @dressesforboys
This article previously appeared in Kek Mama Magazine.
