Back to school usually means a new wardrobe for both my kids every year. Right around when the new school year is starting is when I notice all their clothes are getting too small. We try to wear clothes as long as possible and use hand-me-downs, but we still end up buying quite a few new clothes.
I want my kids to look cute, feel comfortable, and be able to express their interests with their clothes. I usually let them help me decide what clothes we buy. I often find myself wanting to shop small and local for unique finds. I especially like dressing my kids in clothes with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) themes.
I’ve found a handful of really great quality adorable STEAM themed kids clothing companies over the years. Below I’m sharing four brands we have bought from and/or were given new back to school clothes from this year. Since we own clothes from all these brands I’ll share my honest options about the quality and durability of each brand.
Annie the Brave
Annie the Brave makes adorable STEAM themed play dresses for girls. The dresses are soft and perfect for twirling. They come in pretty pastel color palettes and the patterns feature cartoon illustrations of themes such as travel, dinosaurs, scientist, construction, bugs, and more.
I was a backer of the Annie the Brave kickstarter two years ago. At the time I bought my daughter the space play dress. That first 2T dress was a little short to wear without anything under it, but it was adorable with leggings.
They have since changed the pattern and sizing, and the two dresses I have been gifted since then (a size 3T travel play dress and 4T dinosaur play dress) fit true to size and have a perfect length (to the knees) to wear with or without leggings.
The Annie the Brave dresses are great everyday cotton play dresses, perfect for playdates at home, running around the park and playground, or a busy day at school. This dress washes well too. I throw this dress in with my daughter’s normal wash load, the colors have not faded and I haven’t noticed any major shrinkage.
Annie the Brave was founded by Chelsea, a mom of two girls. I love how she is creating the STEAM themed clothes her girls wanted because they couldn’t find it in the stores. To learn more about Annie the Brave and shop for their dresses you can go to their website here.
Dance on Mars
Dance on Mars makes beautiful handmade dresses in stunning, brightly colored, unique patterns. The patterns are vibrant and like nothing I’ve ever seen for girl’s clothing. We’ve had the shark dress for 1.5 years and it still fits and looks as great as the day we got it. I am not exaggerating when I say every time she wears it, we get stopped multiple times for people to compliment her dress and ask where we got it.
We also have the stunning outer space dress. This pattern is just as unique and beautiful as the shark dress and I love the outer space theme. My daughter really loves this dress, especially because she often says she wants to be an astronaut when she grows up. They also make a gorgeous dragon dress and math gene (both of which I would love to get for my daughter but they are currently sold out).
These dresses are 100% cotton, so they’re suitable and durable for everyday play or to wear to school. The lined box pleated skirt design is so flattering, and the patterns are so stunning that these are also a perfect fancy dress. My daughter has worn her dresses for special occasions such as school pictures and parties and it always looks great!
I wash these dresses in a gentle cycle with cold water and let them air dry. I know that is a lot of work for kid’s clothing, but when I’ve taken care of them this way they have remained vibrant and in great shape through weekly wearing and washings for over a year. These dresses are more expensive than typical play dresses, so it’s worth the time to wash them carefully.
Dance on Mars was founded by a mom who wanted to give her daughter a space dress in a bright realistic pattern, and when she couldn’t find it, she made it. To learn more about Dance on Mars and to shop for their dresses you can go to their website here.
Makoshey
Makoshey makes empowering girls t-shirts. Their motto is free to be you, and they are focused on making comfortable clothes for girls in themes like sports, STEM, and more.
We were gifted two t-shirts. When they arrived in the mail and I pulled them out of the box, both my kids said with excitement in unison, “Is that for me?!” These shirts are so cool, they will appeal to boys too. So while I originally intended them both for my daughter (I ordered size XS 4-5), it ended up fitting my 6 year old son too, so I let each kid have a shirt.
My son has the Dr. Mae Jemison Astronaut T-Shirt, which features a quote from Dr. Mae Jemison artfully designed with a profile of her head on a bold teal t-shirt. My daughter has the Curious! Wear Your Character T-Shirt, which features the word Curious in a fun design on a bright purple t-shirt.
These shirts are probably the softest shirts my kids own. I know my kids will be very comfortable in these lightweight t-shirts for their long school days ahead. The colors are vibrant and that’s one of the reasons why my kids love the shirts so much. I’ve washed and dried each shirt two times on normal cycles since we’ve had them, and we haven’t noticed any obvious shrinkage and the colors have stayed bright.
Makoshey is a family run business with a mom CEO. They designed clothes that matched their daughters’ interests (from sports to STEM) and in comfortable fits. To learn more about Makoshey and shop for shirts, you can visit their website here.
Svaha
Svaha makes STEAM themed clothing for the whole family. They have so many fun patterns and designs covering all the fields of STEAM. So no matter your passion or speciality from chemistry, to coding, to engineering, to painting, to math teacher, Svaha has a perfect dress for you.
Last year I bought my kids Chemical Reaction Reversible Sequin shirts. They love the reversible sequins and fun design, and I love that they are unisex so I can put my son and daughter in matching shirts!
My favorite item in my wardrobe right now is the Save Our Marsupial Friends dress that I was gifted from Svaha. Even better, they have a matching girl’s dress, so my daughter and I have matching dresses in this beautiful koala and kangaroo pattern.
This dress is meaningful to me because I lived in Australia for 3.5 years for work. My kids have always loved koalas and kangaroos, and one of our favorite books is Don’t Call Me Bear. I love how this dress displays our passion for Australia and the unique marsupials that live there. It is a great conversation starter whenever we wear it. They also make an awesome matching adult Animals with Pockets t-shirt.
We got my son the Recycle for Earth t-shirt because it came in similar colors to our matching dresses, so he can wear it to match us. He told me this shirt his favorite shirt in his closet right now. He said he loves it because of the illustrations on it are all things that he loves, recycling is important to him, and he likes the colors.
I haven’t had the dresses long enough to report on how well they wash and hold up over time. For our first wash I followed the recommendations on the label and washed in cold water. Both dresses held size, shape and color well after the first wash.
Svaha was started by a clothing designer mom who wanted to add more STEM themed kids clothing based on her daughter’s interests. As the company has grown it has evolved to include women’s dresses and accessories. To learn more about Svaha and shop their wide range of clothes and accessories, you can visit their website here.
Last year I shared a popular post, STEAM Clothes for Girls, that features most of these brands and several others. I recommend checking that post out for more pictures and information about the clothes and brands behind them.
I’m so happy with my kids updated STEAM wardrobes for back to school (even if school is in our living room at home right now). Now my kids’ clothes reflect their interests, personalities, and passion for all things STEAM. I can’t wait until my kids get to be back in the classroom again showing off their smart clothes to all their friends and teachers!
Have you bought any STEAM clothes for your kids? Which one of these brands caught your eye?
