Kids' clothing store comes from land Down Under

Cotton on Kids landed in Irvine last week, marking its first U.S. appearance from Australia.

The children's apparel line, an offshoot of parent company Cotton On, rolled out its first three U.S. locations in Irvine, Brea and Torrance this month.

"We are excited to open our doors to the U.S.A., and after seeing the reaction to the parent brand Cotton On, we believe the U.S.A. market is ready for Cotton on Kids," company spokeswoman Marine Cole wrote in an email. "We feel like the Cotton on Kids brand works everywhere as it is the perfect combination of fashion and affordability. Cotton On already exists in this location, and we wanted to be able to expand our fashion offering to the mini fashionistas in the USA."

A grand opening took place Jan. 14 at the Irvine Spectrum Center for the opening of the 2,189-square-foot store. The center already is home to the company's adult line, Cotton On.

The store caters to newborns, babies, toddlers, girls and boys and to 25- to 35-year-old-mothers, whom Cole said the brand expects to be the primary buyer of children's clothing.

Apparel, sleepwear and accessories in fashionable styles, including skinny jeans for girls and checkered button-up shirts for boys, range from about $10 to $35, according to CottonOn.com.

"Cotton on Kids captures the hearts of children and adults alike," Cole said. "Fun and bright collections allow kids to express their individuality and dress with attitude whilst being light on Mum and Dad's wallet."

The company has hired about seven new employees for each location, Cole said.

About 100 Cotton On stores are located across the country while another Cotton on Kids location is planed to open soon in San Diego.

sarah.peters@latimes.com

Twitter: @speters01