Fashion trends change, and so does human taste, specifically with Generation Z high school teenagers. This means that what might have been popular in the 2010s, might now seem dated. From brands changing their image to new microtrends popping up in the late 2010s and early 2020s, Gen Z could be seen as a shaper of the fashion industry.
Right now, brands like Urban Outfitters, Nike, and Brandy Melville have the spotlight on trendy teenage wear. In order for brands to succeed in keeping up with current trends, they need to avoid being considered too mainstream. Multiple examples of rebranding continue to hold relevance to teenagers today, including what happened to Champion.
Today, Champion holds the title of the brand that invented the iconic hoodie. Students at AFHS wearing their popular clothing may not know of the brand’s downfall and the subsequent rise to fashion fame, now a brand that celebrities and the global population wears. Fashion Magazine said it best with their article describing the brand as “The Brand That Invented the Hoodie is Finally Cool Again.” According to Better Marketing , Champion rose from the ashes by changing marketing tactics and rebranding themselves to appeal to teenagers, specifically partnering with brands like Supreme and Vetements in the 2010s, making athleisure and 90s wear, the new trend again.
The teen market today differs from the teen market in the early 2010s. Stores like Abercrombie may have once been incredibly popular. Retail Dive explains that Abercrombie's reputation suffered in the past because of lawsuits discriminating against hijab wearers and transgender employees. This means that Gen Z specifically continues to be much more racially and ethnically diverse than previous generations, and popular brands like Abercrombie fell out of favor for not changing with the times.
Unlike Gap and American Eagle, who, while taking very different approaches to fashion, managed to rise in popularity because of their willingness to adapt to Gen Z. Gap’s collection in 2020 featured sustainability, a topic that the generation continues to be interested in. Gap continued to hold an upward trajectory like that of Champion, hanging with the cool kids, and partnering with Kanye West’s Yeezy for a shared line. American Eagle took a newer approach, finding that they could achieve success through social media, using marketing campaigns on Snapchat and collaborating with famous Gen Z TikTokers like Addison Rae and Charli D’Amelio, who gained fame seemingly overnight.
Retail Dive describes it best when they write that times have changed, and that while, back in the day, brands often dictated trends…now the tables have turned.
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