Matching Family Outfits Designed by Your Kid

Matching family outfits have a reputation: cheesy, a little embarrassing, mandatory at a certain kind of holiday card. But done well, they're a lot of fun, and they're at their best when the design means something.

Here's a better idea than a generic slogan: let one of the kids design them. A single child's drawing, on everyone's shirt or hoodie, turns a matching outfit into a family story. Here's how to plan it.

Why a kid's drawing makes the best matching design

• It's one of a kind. Nobody else at the reunion will have it.
• Everyone's in it. Kids love drawing the whole family, pets included.
• It's a conversation starter. "Who drew this?" "Which one is you?"
• It records a moment: the family as one child saw it, at one age.

Our film The Christmas Photo is about a six-year-old who drew the family Christmas photo with everyone in matching hoodies, the dog in the middle, and how that drawing became the family's real matching hoodies.

Step 1: Choose the occasion

Different occasions suggest different drawings and garments:

• Christmas morning or the holiday card: a drawing of the family by the tree
• A family reunion: the whole extended family, or the family tree as a child imagines it
• A vacation: a drawing of where you're going
• A birthday: the birthday person, drawn by a sibling
• A blended family's first holiday: a drawing that includes everyone. Our film Room on the Sled is about a boy who drew a sled long enough for his new stepbrother.

Step 2: Choose the drawing

Ask for it specifically

"Draw our family" works. "Draw all of us doing something together" often works better. Give the child time, and don't hover.

Look for the right qualities

• Bold lines and clear colors come through best on clothing
• A manageable number of people, so each face is readable at shirt size
• Some white space around the figures

If the family is huge, consider asking for a simpler drawing: a symbol for the family, like a house, a tree or a long sled.

One drawing or several?

One drawing on every garment creates the strongest matching look. Alternatively, each child can draw their own, and everyone wears a different drawing in the same color garment, coordinated rather than identical.

Step 3: Choose garments and colors

Hoodie or T-shirt?

Hoodies for winter holidays and cold-weather photos; T-shirts for summer reunions and vacations. Mixed is fine too. See our guide to choosing between a hoodie and a T-shirt.

Color

• Everyone in the same color for a classic matching look
• A coordinated palette (say, sand, clay and sage) for a softer, more modern feel
• Parents in one color, kids in another

Our hoodies and T-shirts come in Ivory, Sand, Clay, Sage and Black.

Step 4: Sort out sizes

This is where matching plans often go wrong. Measure, check size guides, and order with time to spare.

An honest note: ANORA's hoodies and T-shirts come in adult unisex sizes, S to 2XL. That makes them great for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teens and grown-up siblings. For younger kids, families often coordinate with a plain piece in the same color, so the grown-ups wear the drawing and the little artist wears the matching color. That way, the artist gets to see their drawing on everyone they love.

Step 5: Plan the photo

If the outfits are for a photo, a few tips:

• Place the artist in the middle, with the drawing visible
• Natural light shows embroidery texture beautifully
• Take a candid shot too, with everyone looking at the child
• Include the original drawing in one photo, held by the artist

Our film One Mitten Each is about two cousins who only meet at Christmas, and the drawing of them sharing one pair of mittens.

Matching outfit ideas by occasion

Occasion	Drawing idea	Garment
Christmas card	Family by the tree	Hoodies
Thanksgiving	Everyone at the table	Hoodies or T-shirts
Summer reunion	The whole family tree	T-shirts
Vacation	Where you're going	T-shirts
Grandparents' anniversary	Grandma and grandpa	Hoodies for them, matching colors for everyone

Avoiding the cheese

Matching outfits feel less cheesy when:

• The design means something (a child's drawing does)
• Not everyone is forced into it
• The garments are things people will wear again
• The colors are wearable on their own

Timing

Personalized orders take time, so plan backward from your event date. For our embroidered pieces, production and U.S. delivery take approximately 12 business days from the start of production. Order earlier for big holidays.

When you're ready, upload the drawing here, preview it on each garment and color, and order for the family. During our grand opening, code BESTGIFT takes 15% off.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make matching family outfits unique?

Use a design that only your family has, like a child's drawing of the family, instead of a generic slogan.

What colors work best for matching family photos?

Neutral or soft colors like ivory, sand, sage and clay photograph well and look good on most people. One shared color gives the strongest matching look.

Should everyone wear the exact same outfit?

Not necessarily. A coordinated palette, or the same drawing in different colors, can look more natural than identical outfits.

How far ahead should I order matching family shirts?

Allow time for production and delivery plus a buffer for sizing questions. For our pieces, production and U.S. delivery take approximately 12 business days from the start of production.