Breathable summer trousers for kids: why we chose double gauze
This summer, for the first time, I've made trousers in double gauze. It's a fabric I'd been wanting to work with for a while, and once the weather turned warm, it felt like the right moment to try it.
If you're looking for breathable summer trousers for kids that actually cope with hot weather, this is the fabric I'd point you towards. Here's why.
What is double gauze fabric?
Double gauze is two layers of loosely woven cotton, lightly crinkled, stitched together in a way that traps almost no heat. Most fabrics have to choose between structure and breathability. Double gauze somehow does both. It holds its shape well enough to make a nice pair of trousers, but it's soft and open enough that air moves straight through it.
It's become a popular choice for children's summer clothing because of exactly this. Parents looking for breathable fabric for kids in hot weather often come across double gauze in baby swaddles and muslins first. Using it for trousers is a natural next step.
Why double gauze works for hot weather
Children don't stop moving because it's warm out. They still want to climb, run, sit in the paddling pool in their clothes – then get up again and do it all over. A fabric that traps heat makes all of that harder and less fun.
Double gauze copes with with the heat. There's none of that clammy feeling you get with tighter, heavier cotton, and it softens more with every wash rather than wearing thin. The weave allows air to pass through against the skin, which is the main thing to look for in any breathable summer trousers for kids.
Why organic cotton matters
Both prints in this first run, our strawberry print and our pear print, are made in organic cotton double gauze. Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, which is better for the soil and for the people growing it. It also tends to be softer against sensitive skin, since it isn't treated with the same chemical processes as conventional cotton.
For children's clothing especially, this feels like the right choice. Skin that's against a fabric all day, every day, in the heat, benefits from being as untreated and breathable as possible.
A more delicate trouser – and that’s OK
It's worth saying that this is a more delicate fabric than the denim or cotton elastane that I usually work with. That's not a downside – it’s just different. These trousers aren't built for scrambling through brambles or dragging along gravel. They're built for hot days, paddling pools, and long afternoons in the garden - the kind of slow, sunny time where comfort matters more than toughness.
I think its important that you know that because knowing what a fabric is for, and being honest about what it isn't for, feels like part of making things properly.
How they feel to wear
I chose double gauze for this first run because of how it feels against the skin on a warm day. They are a loose fit with and just something light enough that a child forgets they're wearing it, which is really the aim with anything I make for them.
Caring for double gauze trousers
Double gauze is easy to look after and gets better with wear:
Wash at 30°C where possible, to protect the fabric and the colour
Avoid tumble drying – they’re made of cotton and everything made of cotton will shrink if you tumble dry it to some extent.
Expect the fabric to soften more with every wash, rather than wear thin
Iron on a low heat only if needed; the slight crinkle is meant to stay
The prints: strawberry and pear
The prints came together naturally. I fell in love with the giant strawberry print first, and the pear print felt like a natural fit. Both a bit playful and both feeling right for summer.
Being a first run, I made smaller batches than usual, and so I am already down to the last few pairs of each. Once they're gone, that's it until next year.
Where to find them
If you're looking for breathable summer trousers for kids, made in organic cotton double gauze, and you don't mind trading a bit of toughness for a lot of comfort, this is where I'd start.
Shop Strawberry trousers here and the pear trousers here.
Written by Ali, founder and maker at Tutti Frutti Clothing, small-batch children's clothing made in Letchworth Garden City.