Walking into any well known children's clothing store, you'll find clothing for boys with themes of science, transportation, space, and more. The same options do not exist for girls. Girls get rainbows, unicorns, and flowers, but what about their dozens of other interests?
The girls we know love digging for bugs and climbing trees just as much as they adore dressing up and having tea parties. How can they believe it when they are told "you can be anything" if we continue to ask our girls to submit to typical gender stereotypes?
Two years ago my own daughter, Peighton, asked for a dress with scientist girls on it. We looked high and low and quickly realized we weren't going to find a dress with scientists because they didn't exist.
If dresses with scientists didn't exist, did that mean science wasn't "girly" enough? And who decides anyway? Soon, I discovered it wasn't just science. It was many other things. Where were the space dresses? The bug dresses? The construction dresses?
There was a clear problem and it wasn't just that a dress didn't exist. It was the messaging to girls:
We were telling little girls that they could either be interested in science or interested in wearing a dress. Society said they could not be both.
How does that stereotype affect our girls as they grow? Well, we know that at 6-years-old girls and boys are interested in STEM at the same rate. This changes significantly by high school.
I realized then, if we want our girls to continue to engage in the interests they have as 6-year-olds, when they are 18 and throughout their careers, we need more tools to encourage them.
It was time to change the way we think about the styles and designs of girls clothing.
Imagine a brand committed to validating girl's interest in STEM allowing them to stay engaged. A brand that created clothing for girls inspired by girls' actual interests. Annie the Brave believes in doing more to encourage girls. By making dresses with scientists, space, bugs, and other STEM inspired themes we're showing girls they really can be anything!
I'm Chelsea, a mom of two girls, Peighton and Millie. As a mom of little girls, I feel passionately about raising a generation of brave girls that know they can be ANYTHING. My Peighton wants to be a scientist that studies fashion and that sounds great to me. Annie the Brave is for them and all of our daughters.
Annie the Brave began when Peighton asked me for a dress with scientists on it. We couldn't find one and soon it became clear to me that girls didn't have the same availability to STEM-inspired clothes. As a mom, it was frustrating to not find these things for my daughters. Girls should know that science, space, or any other interest that is typically reserved for boys is for them too.
I knew other moms with girls felt the same way. We all want our daughters to know they can be anything. We are so proud that girls now have playful clothing that encourages their interests in science, space, and beyond. With our dresses now in the closets of hundreds of girls, we know that your daughter will love Annie the Brave too.
She LOVES this dress!
This is my 5 year old’s favorite dress! She begged to wear it three days straight- taking it out of the dryer herself in the morning to put it back on. She even requested to wear it for pajamas as it is so soft and comfortable. We will be ordering more!
Beautiful and empowering!
My girls love these dresses! Customer service was exceptional. Finally dresses with designs that fit their budding personalities ;) especially as we, the parents, are scientists ourselves. Thank you!
So cute!
My four-year-old daughter has the astronaut dress, and every time she wears it she gets compliments on it! It’s a great quality dress, and she feels proud and happy wearing it!
frequently asked questions
What sizes do you carry?
We carry sizes 2T, 3T, 4T, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12
I can buy a $18 dress in a store, why should I buy a dress from you?
Annie the Brave dresses aren't just another dress. They are absolutely little girls favorite dresses. With STEM encouraging, girl-inspired designs, they are one of a kind pieces that you won't find anywhere else. Not only are the designs unique, the dress is made to last with super thick, soft 100% cotton fabric made specifically for us.
The colors are so vibrant, do they fade with washing?
Our fabric is digitally printed so the colors stay vibrant, wash after wash.
Where do you ship?
We ship everywhere!
Where are you located?
As a military spouse business owner, our business has to be as adaptable as we are. We recently relocated from Jacksonville, Florida to Twentynine Palms, California
I love your designs, but my girls aren't interested in wearing dresses. Will you ever carry other pieces?
Our goal is to provide STEM encouraging, girl-inspired clothing that girls can PLAY in. We began with dresses because we found that to be the most unavailable in the current market. In the future, we hope to offer our designs on an array of pieces.
What is your return policy?
New and unworn dresses can be returned within 30 days of purchase for a refund. If you're unhappy with your purchase for any reason, let me know and we'll make it right.
