Science Dresses, Feminist Messages & Gender-Neutral Clothes: 8 Clothing Brands for Kids

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Father and child wearing graphic tees

On the hunt for science dresses, feminist messages, and gender-neutral clothes that aren’t pink, frilly dresses? There are a bunch of fun companies making them, so we thought we’d round them up!

If you have a daughter who’s not interested in pink or princesses or sparkles (not that there’s anything wrong with those!), you’re probably tired of wading through stereotypical “girl” clothes (either online or in stores) to find things she’ll like. The selection of clothing for girls is much better than it was even 10 years ago, but there’s still a lot of things out there like graphic tees with messages like “Perfect Princess” and “Flawless Like Mommy.”

Here are some of the best brands for feminist-positive clothes for girls — and most were founded by moms!

While we’ve aimed this post at moms with daughters, of course clothes like this are great for kids of any gender! For example, a few years ago, I bought my friend’s toddler a shirt from Etsy that said “Smash the Patriarchy” that went over well (with my friend, that is — her son couldn’t exactly read yet!). It’s still available from shop FourthWaveApparel in six colors in sizes 2T and up! (More of their wares are pictured at top!)

Princess Awesome

“Star Search” Astronauts Long Sleeve Raglan Shirt, $24.95

Princess Awesome is probably one of the first brands parents think of as a source for clothes like this. The company makes clothes for babies (3M–8M) and kids (2T–16) that break gender stereotypes and are durable and ethically produced. They also proclaim, “Pockets are non-negotiable!” — yes! They organize their clothes by topic, including animals, magic & adventure, and vehicles.

Some of their clothing is made in the U.S.A., and some is made overseas; see their factories webpage for details.

They also have adult sizes — like this Pi hearts dress in sizes 0/2 to 24/26. And if you like, you can wear matching outfits with your kids!

Bonus: Sister brand (sibling brand?) Boy Wonder offers designs for boys’ clothes that aren’t usually easy to find among mainstream clothing brands — like this monarch butterfly T-shirt or this unicorn “imposters” tee.

Piccolina

Isla Dress – Oceanography, $48

I first heard of Piccolina from Ann’s post a few months ago that featured their Trailblazer Collection, which includes shirts, masks, underwear, dolls, and art prints! Some examples of the many trailblazing women featured are Ada Lovelace, Harriet Tubman, Jane Goodall, Frida Kahlo, Lisa Leslie, Kamala Harris, Marie Curie, and Mabel Ping Hua Lee. Size ranges are 2T–14 and 6M–24M.

Piccolina’s designs also include themes like robotics, construction, and sports, and among them are activities you don’t see often on kids’ clothing, such as mountain climbing. They’ve also created a Black Lives Matter tee design; 100% of net proceeds go to the National CARES Mentoring Movement to help further their mission of eliminating intergenerational poverty within the Black community.

Like Princess Awesome, Piccolina has adult sizes, such as this Katherine Johnson tee in sizes XS–XXL.

Lands’ End

Rainbow Rocket Ship Graphic Tee, $7.49 on sale (from $16.95)

In 2014, Lands’ End leaned away from gender stereotypes in their kids’ clothing after a mom called them out, and now their selection is more balanced. Some clothes are gender-inclusive, as well — simply labeled as “kids'” rather than “boys’ clothes” or “girls’ clothes.”

The clothes are more affordable than a lot of brands offering similar options for girls (especially with their frequent 30–40% off sitewide sales, so we thought they’d be a good option to include in our list, even though they’re not an indie brand. (Also, they offer girls’ plus sizes — and girls’ slim, but the latter isn’t available in graphic tees.)

Lands’ End graphic tees aren’t organized by theme, but the designs include science, empowering messages, and more.

Annie the Brave

Insects Play Dress, $35

Annie the Brave is a Black-owned company that makes STEM-inspired 100% cotton dresses in sizes 2 to 11/12 (size chart here). The website notes, “Annie the Brave seeks to let girls know they can be anything.”

The brand doesn’t have a huge selection of designs, but they’re all colorful and fun and include science, construction, and animal themes. One has a bug print, which is not something I’ve seen a lot for girls (if you don’t count butterflies!). As the description notes, “Girls like creepy crawly bugs too!” (Side note: Check out the adorable ladybug shoes in the pic above! You can only find them used now, but Etsy has lots of cute options that are similar.)

Girls Will Be

Be Bold Tee, $24

Girls Will Be, which was founded in 2013, calls themselves “a new direction in girls’ clothing: no limits, no frills.” Sizes for their clothing — tees, sweatshirts, and shorts — are 4/5 to 14 (size chart here), and their “in-the-middle-fit” is styled to be between a typical girls’ fit and typical boys’ fit. The tees are 100% cotton, tagless, and screen printed in the U.S.A. The clothes are made in the U.S.A. and by ethically-run factories in other countries.

Girls Will Be has a whole page emphasizing that their girls’ shorts have pockets! It features appreciative quotes from moms and one from a 6-year-old girl who said, “Wow! I can’t wait to go on a walk and put things in all the pockets!” Hooray for pockets!

The brand also has adult sizes: S–XXL in two fits, women’s fitted and unisex. This “Great Athlete” tee was designed exclusively for the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying soccer tournament.

Svaha

“Micro Biologist” Toddler T-Shirt (get it?), $19.99

Svaha is one of the more well-known brands on this list — probably for their women’s clothing (like this interesting fault-line skirt) rather than their offerings for kids and babies. (They also have matching family sets.) Svaha’s clothes are made from non-GMO, 100% organic cotton (except for the scarves and leggings) and are designed to “confront gender stereotypes and empower people to embrace their passions.” All of their manufacturers are ethically run and sweatshop-free.

Svaha sells a ton of different clothing items: tops, dresses, leggings, pajamas, swimsuits, underwear, and infant bodysuits, as well as various accessories like belts, socks, and scarves. The themes are science, technology, engineering, math, and arts & humanities. Sizes for babies are 6/9 months and 12/18 months; for kids, 2T to 13/14 years; and for adults, 0/XS to 6X, depending on the item.

The company runs a free rewards program, Svaha VIP Rewards, in which you can earn “smart points” and “my rewards” by making purchases, sharing the brand’s posts on social media, referring friends, etc.

Target

NASA Be Brave Bold Be Anything Logo T-Shirt, $17.99 (was $26.99)

Target’s kids’ section has a million graphic tees at very affordable prices. Often you can find some on sale for as little as $5, both in-store and online. (My son and I have some — speaking of that, see our Corporette post on wearing kids’ clothes when you’re petite.) Their Design by Humans collab tees are typically closer to $20.

Target’s been doing a good job of offering both stereotypically feminine designs (e.g., hearts, unicorns, Disney princesses) with more gender-neutral options that are often stereotyped as “boy” designs, e.g., NASA, dinosaurs, Roblox, science, Minecraft, as well as some designs with empowerment themes, like “My History Is Powerful” with three raised fists, a NASA logo with “Be Brave. Be Bold. Be Anything“, and “Strong Like a Girl.” (When you’re searching for clothes, you can also choose the “gender-neutral” option for the gender category.)

Also of note: This Pride tee is part of a gender-inclusive collab with GLSEN (still in stock in July, for now). There’s also a rainbow Stormtrooper tee!

Like Lands’ End, Target carries girls’ plus sizes — and they also have adaptive clothing (e.g., no tags, flat seams).

P.S. Looking for science dresses for teens (or as a mom)? Do check out Shenova!

Readers, do tell: Have you been on the hunt for science dresses, feminist messages, or gender-neutral clothes for your children? What are some of your favorite brands?

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i’ve also had luck at peek kids, winter water factory, jcrew and mini boden. there’s good stuff out there if you are looking for it.