diff --git a/src/frontend/item.rs b/src/frontend/item.rs
index 950c67b..0bb40c9 100644
--- a/src/frontend/item.rs
+++ b/src/frontend/item.rs
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ async fn list_items(pool: web::Data<PgPool>) -> actix_web::Result<impl Responder
 }
 
 #[get("/items/add")]
-async fn add_item() -> actix_web::Result<impl Responder> {
+async fn add_item(form: web::Query<NewItemForm>) -> actix_web::Result<impl Responder> {
     Ok(templates::base(
         TemplateConfig {
             path: "/items/add",
@@ -187,6 +187,7 @@ async fn add_item() -> actix_web::Result<impl Responder> {
                     r#type: forms::InputType::Text,
                     name: "name",
                     title: "Name",
+                    value: form.name.clone(),
                     ..Default::default()
                 })
                 (forms::InputGroup {
@@ -194,12 +195,14 @@ async fn add_item() -> actix_web::Result<impl Responder> {
                     name: "class",
                     title: "Class",
                     required: true,
+                    value: form.class.map(|id| id.to_string()),
                     ..Default::default()
                 })
                 (forms::InputGroup {
                     r#type: forms::InputType::Text,
                     name: "parent",
                     title: "Parent",
+                    value: form.parent.map(|id| id.to_string()),
                     ..Default::default()
                 })
 
diff --git a/src/frontend/item_class.rs b/src/frontend/item_class.rs
index d836a71..69cfbe9 100644
--- a/src/frontend/item_class.rs
+++ b/src/frontend/item_class.rs
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ async fn list_item_classes(pool: web::Data<PgPool>) -> actix_web::Result<impl Re
 }
 
 #[get("/item-classes/add")]
-async fn add_item_class() -> actix_web::Result<impl Responder> {
+async fn add_item_class(form: web::Query<NewItemClassForm>) -> actix_web::Result<impl Responder> {
     Ok(templates::base(
         TemplateConfig {
             path: "/items-classes/add",
@@ -162,13 +162,15 @@ async fn add_item_class() -> actix_web::Result<impl Responder> {
                     name: "name",
                     title: "Name",
                     required: true,
+                    value: form.name.clone(),
                     ..Default::default()
                 })
                 (forms::InputGroup {
                     r#type: forms::InputType::Text,
                     name: "parent",
                     title: "Parent",
-                    disabled: true,
+                    disabled: form.parent.is_none(),
+                    value: form.parent.map(|id| id.to_string()),
                     ..Default::default()
                 })
 
diff --git a/src/models.rs b/src/models.rs
index 018b4f9..80a9950 100644
--- a/src/models.rs
+++ b/src/models.rs
@@ -25,6 +25,19 @@ pub struct NewItem {
     pub class: Uuid,
 }
 
+// Its structure is not how it could ideally be
+// (doubly nested Options where the original struct already has an Option>)
+// because the intended usage (in a GET request parameter) does not allow such fine-grained types.
+// TODO: this can be automated from NewItem with derive macro
+#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
+pub struct NewItemForm {
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub name: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub parent: Option<Uuid>,
+    pub class: Option<Uuid>,
+}
+
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Serialize)]
 pub struct ItemClass {
     pub id: Uuid,
@@ -41,3 +54,11 @@ pub struct NewItemClass {
     #[serde(default)]
     pub parent: Option<Uuid>,
 }
+
+// see NewItemForm
+#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
+pub struct NewItemClassForm {
+    pub name: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub parent: Option<Uuid>,
+}