Walker said her 5-year-old daughter Valentina had some input into the designs in the children's wear range, which will be available for one season only. Photo / Supplied
Kiwi fashion designer Karen Walker is venturing into children's wear for the first time through a partnership with a Japanese retail giant that will see the collection sold around the globe.
The range of 20 pieces including dresses, tops, pants and skirts will be available from April at Tokyo-based Uniqlo's
262 premier stores in countries such as the United States, China, Britain and Japan.
Auckland-based Walker wouldn't give any figures on what the partnership could be worth to her business but said it was "lucrative". She said the collaboration would increase awareness of the Karen Walker brand among consumers around the world.
Local consumers, however, won't be able to purchase the range as Uniqlo doesn't operate stores in this country and its online service doesn't deliver to New Zealand, Walker said.
She said the children's wear line - available for one season only - drew inspiration from her brand's other collections, while her 5-year-old daughter Valentina had also had some input into the designs. The concept behind the collection, which features alphabet and maths-themed prints, is "child geniuses".
