Shopping for children’s clothing is a thankless task. My 6-year-old son refuses to don anything “scratchy,’’ stiff, dressy, or with tags. Put the poor kid in jeans, and it’s like he’s being strapped into a straitjacket. I’m certain he’ll wear sweatpants to his wedding. Friends with girls, meanwhile, lament the profusion of cloying, princess-y dresses, and T-shirts with embarrassing slogans that set the feminist movement back about 50 years.

Help is on the way. Intimately acquainted with this issue as the mom of two young sons, Jasmine Punzalan will open Kodomo children’s shop at 579 Tremont St. in the South End on Aug. 4. Kodomo means “child’’ in Japanese, and Punzalan was taken with the minimalist Japanese aesthetic while working there after college.

“I was having constant, disappointing experiences shopping for my boys, and overall, I felt that kids’ retail was dull — too many logos or holograms, too many characters, or too stiff,’’ she says. “I dress comfortably. Why would I put my kids in a stiff outfit?’’

Punzalan has cultivated exclusive relationships with designers in the United States and abroad with a focus on small-produced, ethically sourced clothing that’s soft, subtle, and natural. Much of it is uni-sex.

“I’m all about finding the beauty in simplicity and old-world craftsmanship,’’ she says. “You won’t see lots of princess or train stuff.’’

The store, which has plenty of stroller space, caters to babies through tweens. Look for designers like Israel’s nununu, Spain’s Motoreta, Portugal’s Wolf & Rita, and the Los Angeles-based boy+girl.

It’s a labor of love for Punzalan, who was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer shortly before launching the business.

“Being a mom and an entrepreneur has given me the energy and the motivation to make this work,’’ she says.

Kara Baskin can be reached at kcbaskin@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @kcbaskin.