Sarah Jessica Parker Collaborates With Gap Kids For Clothing Collection Inspired By Her Past

Sarah Jessica Parker grew up in a big family where hand-me-downs were a given, so it’s no surprise that the actress kept her childhood experience in mind when she collaborated on her upcoming clothing collection with Gap Kids. The spring clothing line, set to launch March 1, features designs dictated by Parker’s past — with the hope that buyers will hold on to them for the future.

In an interview posted by British Vogue, Sarah Jessica Parker revealed that when she first began talks with Gap Kids, she was able to show the design team clothing pieces she wore as a child because her mom had saved them all. Parker also revealed that with seven siblings, she knew firsthand about sharing clothes.

“I’m from a large family and we hand down a lot of clothes, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a boy or a girl,” Parker told Mini Vogue.

“I really concentrated on making the clothes fluid and for everybody…I wanted to give [people] something that they can pass along and that will last. It’s a part of the sentimental and sustainable conversation.”

The collection, inspired by Sarah Jessica Parker’s childhood and Gap’s archives, features a variety of spring styles for kids, affordably priced from $16.95 to $78, including a bomber jacket with “Rabbit, Rabbit” stitched on the back, a saying that Parker’s family says as a “sign of good luck.” Sarah Jessica’s Gap Kids line also features retro touches, like sewn-in tags that say the “property of.”

Sarah Jessica Parker on her @Gap Kids collaboration: “I really concentrated on making the clothes fluid and for everybody” https://t.co/mbmE2jP4QH pic.twitter.com/9VjOEzK6dV

— British Vogue (@BritishVogue) February 22, 2018

Sarah Jessica Parker told the Hollywood Reporter she was grateful to have access to her old clothes for the collaboration.

“The designs were really dictated by my past — my mother saved all of our clothes,” Parker told THR. “We made fun of our mother, but we were so grateful to have access to those. So much of what we wore was simple and beautiful dresses.”

Parker added that dresses have always been a big part of Gap Kids, and her line is no exception.

“The dresses are very simple but not precious,” Sarah Jessica said of her collection.

“They’re pieces you can put away for three years, they feel timeless and the construction is really nice. They’re not trendy pieces — there’s so much out there that offers that. This collection is focused on handing down — it’s a collection that’s hard-earned.”

With classic prints like gingham, florals, and eyelet, Parker also paid attention to the fabrics that were used, explaining that she wanted fabrics that felt good and were well made — and that weren’t going to fall apart.

“The dresses I grew up wearing weren’t expensive, and they were made in this country when we had a wonderful garment industry,” Sarah Jessica Parker told THR. “I feel honor bound to preserve the same thing for other parents.”

Just ahead of the Gap Kids launch, Sarah Jessica Parker took to Instagram to share news of the collection with her followers and to tell them that her children’s apparel line is “meant to be worn and shared for generations to come.”

“I’ve always loved a hand me down,” Parker wrote.

Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband, Matthew Broderick, are parents to three children. While their 15-year-old son, James Wilkie, is too old for Sarah’s Gap Kids collection, Parker’s twin 8-year-old daughters, Tabitha and Marion, are at just the right age.

Although they have a privileged upbringing, Sarah Jessica Parker’s kids know a thing or two about hand-me-downs themselves.

Sarah recently told People, “I grew up in a house where we all wore hand-me-downs and those bins of clothes still exist. My daughters wore the dresses I wore — those clothes have been passed along to friends and our babysitter’s children when they gave birth.”