Mi Arcus Partners with Papa Don’t Preach to Reimagine Festive Kidswear

Mi Arcus, a kidswear brand built around comfort, ease and everyday wearability, has partnered with designer label Papa Don’t Preach to create a premium festive collection for children. The collaboration brings together two different approaches to children’s fashion, with Mi Arcus’s focus on comfortable clothing and Papa Don’t Preach’s bold, playful design language. The collection will launch on October 15 across Mi Arcus stores, its website and e-commerce platforms including Nykaa Fashion and Myntra.

The idea for the collaboration came from a gap Mi Arcus saw in festive dressing for children. Parents looking for well-designed ethnic wear often have limited choices. Custom-made designer outfits can be expensive, take time to produce and may not always offer predictable fits, while more accessible options can lack the design detail parents are looking for. At the same time, a growing generation of millennial parents is approaching children’s clothing with the same attention to colour, design and personal style that they bring to their own wardrobes.

Mi Arcus wanted to address that gap without losing sight of what it considers fundamental to children’s clothing. Its approach has consistently centred on soft fabrics, comfort and designs that allow children to move freely rather than relying on heavy embellishment. When the brand began looking for a designer partner, Papa Don’t Preach stood out for its use of colour, playful festive aesthetic and distinctive visual language.

The partnership also represents a new category for both brands. It is Papa Don’t Preach’s first collaboration with a kidswear brand and its first collection created specifically for children, while Mi Arcus is entering ethnic wear for the first time.

“Most good ethnic wear for kids today is custom-made and super expensive, and designer labels are simply overpriced for children. We saw that gap and asked ourselves how we could give parents a quality product at a more accessible price. This collaboration with Papa Don’t Preach is our answer,” said Preeti Chugh, Co-founder, Mi Arcus.

The resulting collection interprets festive dressing through a more playful lens. Rather than treating occasionwear as clothing that is worn once and put away, the range is designed around pieces that can be styled across celebrations and other occasions. Lehengas sit alongside jackets and blouses, while Western silhouettes featuring Indian motifs offer an option for children who do not necessarily want to wear a traditional kurta pyjama.

The visual language draws on happiness and playfulness, with whimsical creatures and motifs including unicorns and pomegranates appearing across the collection. Bold colours, soft fabrics and unisex prints form a common thread, while minimal embellishment keeps the clothing lighter and easier for children to wear.

“Festive dressing for kids doesn’t have to be fussy or forced. It can be bold, expressive and cool. Today’s millennial parents want their children to reflect their own aesthetic, so we built our first ethnic collection around colour, whimsical creatures and 100% comfort. These are pieces kids can actually move in, and wear well beyond one occasion,” Chugh added.

The collection extends beyond clothing with matching footwear and bags, allowing families to build complete looks without making the occasionwear overly formal. The broader intention is to bring some of the design sensibility associated with adult fashion into children’s wardrobes while keeping the practical needs of children at the centre.