By Jane Han
DALLAS — Remember the days when teenagers would die to show off their triangle Guess logo on the back pocket of their jeans? After all, that was the whole point of wearing brand-name clothes.
But times have changed and so have teens.
Today, at least in the United States, logos are quickly becoming old-fashioned as teenagers no longer consider themselves hip just by wearing prestigious labels. In fact, they think logos may even cramp their style.
"For American teens, expensive logos no longer get you in the cool club," says Shannon Lee, a Dallas-based fashion consultant who researches the latest trends, primarily for the teen and 20-something fashion market.
"Today's young men and women are an even tougher bunch to please than they were 10 years ago," she said. "Each person wants to play up their individual identity. They don't want to be like the kid next door."
Following this changing taste, heavily branded top clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch announced last month that it would drop its signature moose mascot and words "Abercrombie & Fitch" on its merchandise in the United States by next spring, a bold and surprising move that indicates a clear shift in the wider teen fashion market.
The company's decision is seen as a survival strategy as sales have been falling in its home market with fast fashion brands Zara, H&M and Forever 21 — all of which sell more trendy, one-of-a-kind pieces — becoming more popular among picky and trend-driven teenage shoppers.
A&F CEO Mike Jeffries told investors, "In the spring, we are looking to take the North American logo business to practically nothing."
Until recently, this all-American label that loudly exposed its logo and lettering used to be the prime status symbol for teens, and that was exactly what the company was going after.
Back in 2006, Jeffries made a controversial comment that went, "In every school there are cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. A lot of people don't belong in our clothes and they can't belong."
Ironically, the cool — and the not-so-cool — kids apparently don't want to have any kind of brand identification on their clothes nowadays.
"Logos were big in the 80s and 90s," says Park So-young, a graphic designer who works for a fashion company in New York City, "but we're seeing less and less customers wanting to plaster huge logos across the front of their garments.
"People are getting tired of seeing the same logos and letters over and over again. It's just a general shift in taste," she added.
Market experts say teen shoppers in other regions like Europe and Asia are still very much into displaying brand identities, but many say they will soon catch on to the latest trends in the United States.
"The U.S. always leads the way in major trends. We don't know how soon other countries will follow, but I'm sure teenagers elsewhere will adopt this trend sooner than later," says Gina Keller, a fashion buyer for private boutiques in Asia.
.jpg/dims/resize/740/optimize) |
But times have changed and so have teens.
Today, at least in the United States, logos are quickly becoming old-fashioned as teenagers no longer consider themselves hip just by wearing prestigious labels. In fact, they think logos may even cramp their style.
"For American teens, expensive logos no longer get you in the cool club," says Shannon Lee, a Dallas-based fashion consultant who researches the latest trends, primarily for the teen and 20-something fashion market.
"Today's young men and women are an even tougher bunch to please than they were 10 years ago," she said. "Each person wants to play up their individual identity. They don't want to be like the kid next door."
Following this changing taste, heavily branded top clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch announced last month that it would drop its signature moose mascot and words "Abercrombie & Fitch" on its merchandise in the United States by next spring, a bold and surprising move that indicates a clear shift in the wider teen fashion market.
The company's decision is seen as a survival strategy as sales have been falling in its home market with fast fashion brands Zara, H&M and Forever 21 — all of which sell more trendy, one-of-a-kind pieces — becoming more popular among picky and trend-driven teenage shoppers.
A&F CEO Mike Jeffries told investors, "In the spring, we are looking to take the North American logo business to practically nothing."
Until recently, this all-American label that loudly exposed its logo and lettering used to be the prime status symbol for teens, and that was exactly what the company was going after.
Back in 2006, Jeffries made a controversial comment that went, "In every school there are cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. A lot of people don't belong in our clothes and they can't belong."
Ironically, the cool — and the not-so-cool — kids apparently don't want to have any kind of brand identification on their clothes nowadays.
"Logos were big in the 80s and 90s," says Park So-young, a graphic designer who works for a fashion company in New York City, "but we're seeing less and less customers wanting to plaster huge logos across the front of their garments.
"People are getting tired of seeing the same logos and letters over and over again. It's just a general shift in taste," she added.
Market experts say teen shoppers in other regions like Europe and Asia are still very much into displaying brand identities, but many say they will soon catch on to the latest trends in the United States.
"The U.S. always leads the way in major trends. We don't know how soon other countries will follow, but I'm sure teenagers elsewhere will adopt this trend sooner than later," says Gina Keller, a fashion buyer for private boutiques in Asia.
![[INTERVIEW] Retired FSC chief finds inspiration exploring Koreans' ancestral roots](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/6642af4d9fed4cae8a8a951eedbbaa6f.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] 'The Flag': Kwon Jin-ah's love letter to people chasing their dreams](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/286500d853334c96ab51e56d74fe38f2.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
