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Reuters USA posted an interesting article last week about the slow in sales at traditional teenwear brands American Eagle Outfitters and Abercrombie & Fitch. These two brands in particular have been dominant in the teen apparel market of the States for a number of years, with their results usually giving a good indication of how the market is performing.
But things seem to be a-changing! As always, I think music can say it best…in 1999, LFO liked girls who wore Abercrombie & Fitch…while in 2008, Scouting For Girls like a girl who looks like them girls in Vogue. I think this conveniently highlights my point.
The increased focus on fashion for teenagers, driven through TV (The Hills), film (Bratz: The Movie) and magazines (Teen Vogue) is causing a shift in the tastes of young shoppers from the casual jeans and t-shirt styles of Abercrombie to the leopard print and leather loving fashion seen at, say, H&M.
As always, what happens in America is echoed over here in Blighty (what is it they say, America sneezes and Britain gets a cold?). The once popular Bay Trading has posted continuously poor results over the last few years; former value favourite C&A has disappeared from the UK (although they maintain a strong presence overseas) and New Look have severely ramped up their catwalk rip-offs over the last ten years. The ultra-hip Topshop and aforementioned H&M, however, got them some famous designers and celebrity endorsements to push their fashion credentials and have reaped the benefits with record results becoming a norm.
Personally, it worries me. I used to be quite happy roaming the streets (not literally) in my raggedy jeans, and I now get the distinct impression that the girls I see in town on a Saturday wouldn’t be seen dead in stonewash denim (not until next season, anyway – hot tip for you there ladies!), let alone an elasticated waist (my first pair of jeans – green denim, no less – were elasticated)!
It does make me sad, because being a young teenager should be all worrying about GCSC grades and how much you hate your parents, not chastising yourself for forgetting skinny is out and bootcut is in...
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