Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Teen Apparel Retailers Struggle as Consumers Get Stingier

Teen apparel brands have been losing their shirts, and it's not a fashion choice.

Against a backdrop of prolonged consumer stinginess, reinforced by reports of a scant monthly increase in August retail sales, an anemic back-to-school performance may herald more economic sluggishness to come.

"The economy, employment, wages and retail sales continue to stagger along," said Matthew Shay, chief executive of the National Retail Federation. "While positive retail sales growth continues month after month, it is just not strong enough to move the needle."

Although some market indicators seem to be improving — housing prices and sales are up, as are stocks — consumer confidence is tumbling, according to a measure Friday from the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters.

"This is not good news for retail buying this autumn, and there might be no change in these conditions right into the holiday season — a projection likely to dampen spirits in the retail sector," said Kathy Bostjancic, director of macroeconomic analysis at the Conference Board.

Teen brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch Co., American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Aeropostale Inc. are staggering out of the shaky back-to-school season shunned by jobless youth and their cash-strapped parents, pummeled by unseasonably cold weather and perplexed by hazy fashion trends.

Same-store sales for all three companies slid in their most recent quarters. Since the beginning of the year, the trio's stock prices have suffered double-digit slides. Many brands have issued dire financial warnings for the remainder of 2013.

Some on Wall Street say the drop-off is an indicator of general economic malaise compounded by the disproportionate effect on young people of the recession and its aftermath.

Source: Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-teen-retail-sales-20130914,0,2998607.story

Girls Training Bras Are Out - Girls Lingerie is In

Brands like Victoria's Secret, Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, and Justice are cashing in on the growing demand among middle school and high school girls for intimate apparel.

A decade ago girls had little choice in underwear; a training bra was often a plain garment bought at Target. No longer. “Sensuality and body image continues to be a message that young girls are seeing and are being exposed to in a much less controlled fashion perhaps than even 10, 12 years ago,” says Dan Stanek, executive vice president at consultancy Big Red Rooster. They’re aiming to imitate the lingerie styles worn by celebrities seen on the Web, he says.

Retailers are taking care to present the garments as cute vs. sexy, says Marcie Merriman, founder of consultancy PrimalGrowth. Still, the reality is that stores are “all going to say they’re targeting 18- to 22-year-olds, but the reality is you’re going to get the younger customer,” says Merriman.

Victoria’s Secret (part of Limited Brands) was among the first to tap the market, introducing Pink in 2004. The sub-brand is geared toward college girls, with logoed goods and brightly colored bras and panties. “When somebody’s 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be?” Stuart Burgdoerfer, Limited Brands’ chief financial officer asked at a conference last month. “They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and that’s part of the magic of what we do at Pink.” Sales of lingerie for younger women are a $1.5 billion-a-year business for Victoria Secret's Pink line.

Source: Businessweek
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-28/forget-training-bras-dot-girls-are-buying-lingerie

 

Moms Mimic Teen Daughter's Style

Bad news for teenage girls: While you're desperately trying to avoid looking like your mother, she's busy mimicking your fashion sense.

According to new research to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Behavior, teen daughters are much more likely to influence their moms' sense of style than the other way around. In fact, while teen daughters resist dressing like their mothers, moms tend to feel younger than their age and express that feeling by buying the same clothes and products as their daughters.

"Mimicking her daughter is like a shortcut to what is hip and cool," said study researcher Ayalla Ruvio, a professor of marketing at Temple University in Pennsylvania.

Marketing researchers have long known that kids influence their parents' purchasing decisions. Kids have a lot of input into items that get purchased for the whole family, such as cereal or soup. What's unusual about the new study is that it finds that daughters influence the purchase of items that mothers plan to use for themselves alone.

Ruvio and her colleagues surveyed 343 mothers, average age of about 44, and their daughters, who were about 16 years old on average. They asked the mothers and daughters about their interest in fashion and how old they felt (as opposed to how old they really were). Moms were asked how much their daughters influenced their clothes and make-up purchases, and daughters were asked the same question about their mothers.

The answers revealed that when mothers see their daughters as stylish, they're likely to mimic their child's look, especially if the moms think of themselves as young at heart. Daughters, on the other hand, were not keen on imitating their mothers, even when the teens perceived themselves as older than their years and saw their moms as stylish.

Ruvio said she was surprised at how eager mothers were to look like their daughters. "They really tend to copy the way they dress up, the things they wear," she told LiveScience. "We did some interviews in a study published elsewhere, and [moms] told us they borrow items from their teenage girls. The teenage girls didn't really like that."

Source: Today
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43884465/ns/today-parenting_and_family/

Clothing Firms 'Sexualize' Pre-Teen Girls

This isn't anything new... simply research confirming what we already know is happening.

Some clothing firms in the United States are marketing sexy garments for pre-teen girls, reinforcing a destructive stereotype of female attractiveness, research released on Monday said.

Girls as young as six are being pitched clothing that highlights their breasts, buttocks or slimness or sends a message of sensuality, the study says.

Researchers led by Sarah Murnen, a professor of psychology at Kenyon College in Ohio, looked at 15 websites of popular clothing stores, ranging from bargain to high-end sectors of the junior U.S. market.

Clothing was rated according to whether it had only childlike characteristics; revealed or emphasized an intimate body part; or had characteristics that were associated with sexiness.

An example of a "childlike" characteristic would be a top with a butterfly print in pastel colors. In contrast, a bikini was coded as "revealing" because it exposed the waist and part of the chest. The bikini was considered "emphasizing" if, for instance, it outlined each breast with triangular pieces of fabric. Similarly, highly-decorated back pockets on trousers — adorned, for instance, with a bird or sequins — were deemed "emphasizing" because they drew attention to the buttocks. Material that was lingerie-like (such as in slinky red or black fabric) or in leopard or zebra prints was categorised as having characteristics associated with sexiness.

Researchers found sixty-nine per cent of the clothing assessed in the study had only child-like characteristics. Four per cent had only sexualizing characteristics, while 25 per cent had both sexualizing and childlike characteristics. One per cent had neither sexualized nor child-like characteristics.

The researchers said the biggest sexualisation was in clothing sold by "tween," or pre-teen stores, especially Abercrombie Kids, which came under fire in 2002 for selling thong underwear in children's sizes with "wink wink" and "eye candy" printed across the front.

Source: Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Clothing+firms+sexualise+teen+girls+Study/4750809/story.html

Teen Girls Not Fooled by Airbrushed Fashion Photos

A cosmetic surgery website, Good Surgeon Guide, conducted a poll of 1,078 teenage girls to discover how they feel about airbrushing and other digital manipulation of photos in fashion magazines.

Contrary to popular assumption, the poll reveals that nearly 90 percent of girls are aware that the majority of celebrity images are airbrushed, and not an accurate representation of the celebrities' appearances.

For example, 71 percent respondents said that images of Britney Spears were regularly airbrushed, and 69 percent believed that photos of Kim Kardashian were modified and unrealistic. Others asked about in the poll included singer Fergie (48 percent of teens thought her photo was airbrushed); Jessica Simpson (49 percent); and Sarah Jessica Parker (44 percent).

Since nine out of 10 girls polled already know that most celebrity photographs are neither realistic nor achievable, they certainly don't expect to look like them. The findings are in line with earlier research suggesting that teen girls reject fashion models as realistic role models.

This latest poll is good news for parents who worry about the self-esteem and mental health of their teen daughters. It seems that teen girls are much more savvy than adults give them credit for.

Source: LiveScience
http://www.livescience.com/culture/teen-girls-fashion-magazine-model-images-100812.html

Retailers Seeing Slow Start to Back-to-School Shopping

The crucial back-to-school season got off to a slow start, as retailers hoping for brisk sales of apparel, backpacks and school supplies instead saw tepid business and continued consumer frugality last month.

Major chain stores reported that sales rose a modest 2.9 percent in July compared with a year earlier, according to Thomson Reuters' tally of 28 retailers. That was lower than the 3.1 percent increase analysts had predicted and marked the fourth straight month that results either missed or came in at the low end of expectations, said Michael Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers.

In a poor sign for the back-to-school season, teen retailers were the biggest drag on the retail industry last month, with Hot Topic Inc. posting a 9 percent sales decline, Wet Seal Inc. reporting a 4.3 percent drop and American Eagle Outfitters Inc. seeing flat sales.

Even Aeropostale Inc., a relative bright spot in the weak teen sector in recent months thanks to lower prices than many of its competitors, struggled in July: The chain posted a 1 percent increase, worse than the 7.1 percent rise that analysts had expected.

All told, 61 percent of retailers missed expectations, according to Thomson Reuters.

Source: Chicago Tribune
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-05/business/sc-biz-0806-retail-sales-20100805_1_action-sports-retailer-zumiez-effect-of-store-openings-teen-retailers

Free-Spending Teens Return to Malls

An upswing in recent teen spending is being heralded as a sign of economic recovery.

By most accounts, teenagers are ideal consumers: Typically unhampered by debt, bills and mortgages, they spend freely and impulsively. Unlike their time-strapped parents, they hit the malls frequently and stay longer. And peer pressure at school makes it easy to justify dropping all of last week's allowance on the latest Lady Gaga album, Xbox 360 video game or premium jeans.

So retail industry watchers were alarmed when teen spending plunged during the recession. "Bank of Mom and Dad -- on pretty much all income levels -- basically shut down in the back end of '08 and the beginning of '09," said Christine Chen, a retail analyst at Needham & Co.

But now teen shoppers are making a comeback. For two months in a row, teen retailers have soared past sales expectations. Notably, Abercrombie & Fitch Co., known for its sexy advertising and casual-but-pricey fashions, snapped its 20-month streak of negative sales with an 8% increase in January.

Teens are hanging out at the mall after school again, goofing around with friends in dressing rooms, snacking on junk food at the food court -- and giving retailers hope that they'll help kick-start a greater wave of spending industrywide.

"Whether it be sports equipment, whether it be athletic footwear, whether it be fashion, whether it be electronics, the teen market is showing signs of life and positive growth," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at market research firm NPD Group.

Teens today are spending about 6% to 8% more in general compared with a year ago, Cohen said. "Clearly the teen is leading the charge when it comes to the return."

Source: Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cover-teen-spending28-2010mar28,0,739399.story

In Tight Economy Teen Retailers Take Notice of Moms

The tight economy has meant fewer jobs for teens, leaving more of them with empty wallets and at the mercy of that heartless arbiter of teen fashion: mom. The Wall Street Journal reports that even stores that specialize in clothes for younger consumers are following the money to its source. Aeropostale's employee handbook states: "Because parents make the final decision, they want to feel valued, and they want to feel good about what they purchase."

Retailers have traditionally catered directly to their teen customers. But some are now going out of their way to be mom-friendly, and the matriarchs are noticing:

"We're cognizant of the mom and the impact that that mom has," says Tom Johnson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Aeropostale ... Mr. Johnson says meeting her needs "is critical to our success." ... Ana Greenfield, a mother of two teens from Paramus, N.J. finds the store "less snooty, less provocative" than other teen retailers.

Meanwhile, those "provocative" retailers may be ignoring mom at their own peril. Abercrombie & Fitch remains "committed to the nightclub-like atmosphere popular among teens" for both its flagship and Hollister brands. Turned off moms wait outside the store, seething over the "very aggravating, very loud" atmosphere on the other side of the door, and veto purchases that they deem too expensive.

Source: The Consumerist
http://consumerist.com/5366838/tight+fisted-moms-set-rules-on-teen-clothing-purchases#c

Teens Slash Clothing Spending

Piper Jaffray's new "Taking Stock With Teens" survey has confirmed what teen retailers have been reporting: Among the 8,100 teens surveyed, with a median age of 16.7 years, spending on clothes is down 19%.

A bigger surprise, however, is that they are actually spending more on shoes -- a 9% increase, according to the 17th semiannual survey, and 8% more on accessories. In fact, shoes are hot: "Footwear posted the strongest year-over-year and sequential results at a 4% and 21% gain respectively," the Minneapolis-based brokerage firms says in its report -- "an indication that the strong footwear cycle, particularly relative to the weakness in apparel, continues for the youth demographic."

Overall, teen spending fell 14%. "The decrease in spending leads us to believe that the economy is forcing parents and teens to cut back on spending across the board," the report adds. "Teens and their parents are still buying new clothes, footwear and accessories, but are more selective and increasingly price-conscious. This will force retailers to discount prices and offer unique promotions to keep a steady flow of spending until the economy improves."

Source: MarketingDaily
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=104876

Modest But Not Mousey

More information on the tween/teen fashion trend toward modesty... Apparently, the more modest fashion comeback appears in the Hanna Montana movie, and as such, can now be declared official.

Droves of tween girls went, with their BFFs (and often their brave parents), to the new Hannah Montana movie this past weekend. While the singing and dancing of course took center stage, both the tweens, decked out in their Miley Cyrus fan gear, and their parents were also paying close attention to the surprisingly modest outfits in the movie - which seems to be making modesty's comeback in the tween fashion category official. Lead by tweensetter franchises such as High School Musical, iCarly and tween queen Hannah Montana, girls are finally backing away from the belly-shirts and short-shorts of years past.

Why are tweens no longer aspiring to dress like Britney? One reason is that many tween entertainment properties are now featuring more innocent (and wacky) looks. As such, tweens are seeing their role models wearing cardigans instead of tube tops and they want to do the same. Additionally, tweens these days are much closer to their parents. As the generation gap closes, tweens are truly looking to their parents for second opinions and are seeking parental approval in their clothing choices. Also driven by the recession, women and girls of all ages are looking to spend money on conservative pieces that work for any occasion instead of flashier pieces that might not be in style next season.

Source: TrendCentral
http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7581