Feeling Foxy

How a wily woodland creature snuck into kids’ hearts—and onto their clothes.

This month kicks off the year of the horse in the Chinese calendar—but for children’s retailers, it just might be the year of the fox.

I overheard more than one retailer declare, “Fox is the new owl,” as I browsed the aisles at shows in Atlanta and New York. Designers’ fall collections were filled with creative takes on the clever animal, stamped on everything from tees to dolls. Clearly the woodland creatures craze is still going strong, but brands and buyers alike are ready to give the go-to owl a bit of a break and find another forest friend. Hence, the fox.

In a case of near-perfect timing, thanks to Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis, everyone is pondering a very perplexing question: What does the fox say? A viral Internet sensation, the duo’s song, “The Fox,” played on loop at our January and February photo shoots. Our young models couldn’t get enough of its catchy hook and goofy lyrics, meant to be a parody of today’s electronic dance music. Parody or not, the song’s official music video has more than 335 million views on YouTube, making it the top trending video of 2013.

In one of those strange twists of fate in the fashion world, the video was released in September of last year, but many kids’ designers had already been incorporating foxes into their Fall ’14 collections long before the song became a hit. It’s simply a case of serendipitous coincidence that some brands’ designs will feature foxes in the wake of the creature’s soaring popularity.

Take, for example, the case of Mack & Co.: At January market the brand debuted a playful twist on the popular fox fur stoles of the 1920s and 30s, with a jacket to match. Owner and designer Gerri Mack is pleased her design is on-trend, but her inspiration for the scarf didn’t come from Norway, but rather a little closer to her home in the Ozark Mountains: “Where I’m located we have some pretty great untapped antique and vintage stores, and about a year ago, I saw an old mink fox scarf, and I thought if we could make it playful, it would be a hoot,” she shares. “We’ve all seen the owl ad nauseam, so I think we’re all looking for another critter, and the fox is probably due for its turn.”

Leave it to a wily creature like the fox to insinuate itself into the zeitgeist so skillfully. What does the fox say for brands and retailers who jumped on the bandwagon early? Sales!