“It's not like there's a new trend that takes the place of an old trend, or that the trend is evolving every hour it's actually just more of a web or a network of ideas, aesthetics, identities, and subcultures,” trend forecaster Anu Lingala says. Sure, TikTok and other social media sites have given tweens the tangible tools to begin self-exploration, but because of this constant cycle and shop-by-trend mindset prevalent in the younger generation, brands are consistently playing catch up. Moreover, there are currently around 27.7 million teenagers living in the United States who spend an estimated $63 billion annually on fashion. According to Statista, the global e-commerce market (which includes apparel, accessories, and footwear) is valued at $775 billion.

That want and pressure to belong to a specific aesthetic also serves the needs of retailers, brands, and ads without them even realizing it.”Īdults tend to see tweens and teens alike as this enigmatic microcosm using cores, trends, and fashion as an end to a means of fitting in. What is your aesthetic? Who are you? I think a lot of teens are just a cog in a bigger wheel.

I think also now, with the rise of these ‘cores,’ they are not just pressured into choices, they're almost over-pressured into identity. “It's wanting to belong and be positioned as cool. But as she’s gotten a bit older, she’s decided that outsider opinions should never affect the clothes she wants to try out.įashion historian Shelby Ivey Christie pinpoints the shift to one thing. “If you were to wear Lululemon, people would say you’re whitewashed,” she notes. At the beginning of her style journey, because of school, she was hesitant to explore different types of clothes out of fear of being heckled by students. She previously disliked the latter store because she could only shop in the kids' section, but now that she’s able to explore the main women’s section, it’s become a favorite of hers. She, too, enjoys shopping at brands like Lululemon and, more recently, H&M. She first started exploring fashion at age 10 when her mom finally let her start dressing herself. Now, through the evolution of fashion trends and social media, the category has seen the commodification of its world blur into one large “young people” category.ĭemisharle Davis, 12, has over 234,300 followers on TikTok.

Pre-teen fashion, in its prime, existed as a definitive shopping option in the retail realm. In the years to come, Justice (FKA Limited Too.), Claire’s, Aeropostale, Pacific Sunwear (PacSun), American Apparel, and Wet Seal would all follow suit. Then in 2014, Delia’s became one of the first tween-focused retail brands to file for bankruptcy.

In 1998, the heyday of the company, Delia sent out 55 million copies of its catalog annually to girls across the country. In recent years, however, social media has revolutionized how nine to 15-year-olds shop, simultaneously altering that once nonpareil market. Even further back in time was the righteously successful mail-order catalog, Delia’s. Traditionally, when we think of pre-teen fashion, especially for those of us who are above the age of 17, we think of stores like Justice, Claire’s, and Abercrombie & Fitch, to name a few.

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