Fashion Targets Teens & Tweens

While many brands cater to younger Gen Zers (think Brandy Melville or Walmart’s recently relaunched No Boundaries; both US), many fail to capture the attention of the tricky in-between demographics: tweens (aged eight to 13) and young teens (14+).

Zara’s Z3d is changing that. Having long offered kidswear, the Spanish brand has now introduced its first dedicated teen range, including preppy, skate-adjacent pieces in line with current trends. See Sports & Active-Led from Youth Style Collectives 25 for more.

Other brands are also prioritising this group. Barcelona-headquartered Mango opened its first teen-specific store in the UK in July, following the successful expansion of Mango Teen in Spain since 2021. Elsewhere, John Lewis (UK) launched a tween range in 2023.

Maximalist American tween brands Limited Too and Justice have experienced a surge in popularity in recent years thanks to fashion’s Y2K revival, relaunching this year at Kohl’s and in 2021 at Walmart, respectively. However, they may be more in demand with Gen Zers and millennials, with many nostalgic former customers requesting adult sizes.

Meanwhile, The Cut reported that yoga pants and Lululemon fanny packs are favourites among New York City’s tweens, while Teen Vogue interviewed tweens who named minimalist #vanillagirl and #cleangirl as their preferred TikTok aesthetics. Merchandised Teen sections on sites like PrettyLittleThing (UK) follow this lead and primarily consist of adult loungewear and athleisure assortments without offering any products made specifically for this demographic.

There’s huge opportunity in (and a clear need for) more dedicated offerings for teens and tweens if brands carefully consider this group’s sartorial preferences, as although they’re now used to shopping in the adult section and follow the same viral trends as older demographics, this cohort is still very much experimenting with and discovering their personal style.