Young Gen Alpha and Gen Z consumers are reshaping fashion retail through their digital-native behaviors, diverse identities, and desire for personalized, blended shopping experiences. Their teenage years are a pivotal time for self-discovery, where fashion becomes a tool for identity, expression and social currency. These young consumers are highly engaged with brands and trends, driven by social media and peer interactions. While they can demonstrate intense affinity to certain brands, they are also notoriously fickle, quickly shifting between styles and brands as they explore new identities and try to keep up with the latest trends.
Although young consumers are beginning to shape more fully-formed opinions and identities, much of the spending power and influence flows through their parents. Not only do parents finance most purchases in the category, they also play a significant role in guiding their children’s fashion choices based on considerations such as cost, comfort and age-appropriateness. This dual dynamic requires brands to balance the aspirations of young consumers with the pragmatic considerations of their parents, as both demographics influence spending in the segment.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Analysis of market drivers impacting the tween and teen fashion market
- Insights into spending priorities and purchase involvement of Gen Alpha and Gen Z teens and the role of their parents in the purchase journey
- Exploration of attitudes and influences that shape fashion, self-expression, and personal style among Gen Alpha and Gen Z teens and their parents.
- Examination of Gen Alpha, Gen Z and parental attitudes and behaviors towards clothing and fashion purchases, including purchase drivers and shopping habits
- Evaluation of brand strategies targeting young consumers, including interest in evolving shopping options and product concepts as well as brand innovations and marketing examples
This report explores consumer insights from both Gen Alpha and Gen Z teens aged 10-17 and parents with children aged 12-17
Gen Alpha and Gen Z teens are redefining fashion through self-expression, digital influence, and a demand for authenticity, shaping trends and amassing purchasing power via their parents. As the teenage years are a pivotal time for self-discovery, these younger generations will continue to use fashion as a tool for identity, expression, and social currency.
Brittany Steiger, Principal Analyst – Retail & eCommerce
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, clothing and fashion items include clothing, footwear and accessories. This report explores consumer insights from both Gen Alpha and Gen Z teens aged 10-17 and parents with children aged 12-17
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for Gen Alpha and Gen Z Fashion
- Opportunities
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THE MARKET
- Economic uncertainty persists
- Market drivers
- Most tweens and teens have their own spending money, but still rely on their parents
- Graph 1: spending money available, by age, 2025
- Graph 2: sources of spending money, by age, 2025
- Economic pressures among families will limit tween/teen spending power
- Graph 3: household financial situation, by parental status and age of children, 2025
- The tween/teen fashion market is shifting
- New trade policies weaken ultra-fast fashion brands
- Social media use is high among teens aged 13+
- Teens engage with brands on social media
- Graph 4: actions taken on social media among tweens and teens aged 13-17, 2025
- The tone of branded content should be entertaining and lighthearted
- Graph 5: types of social media content tweens/teens aged 13-17 want to see from brands, 2025
- Practical, interactive and relatable content is most popular with teens
- Graph 6: types of content teens aged 13-17 like to engage with on social media, 2025
- YouTube is the leading platform among teens
- Graph 7: social media platforms visited daily by tweens/teens aged 13-17, 2025
- Brands and marketers have a responsibility to keep young consumers safe
- Gen Alpha, Gen Z teens and their parents by the numbers
- Decoding Gen Alpha
- Decoding Gen Z
- Gen Alpha and Gen Z are smaller generations
- Graph 8: population, by generation, 2010-24
- Gen Alpha and Gen Z are defined by diversity and a blending of cultures
- Graph 9: generations, by race, 2025
- Parents of Gen Alpha and Gen Z teens are most likely to be Millennials
- Graph 10: generation of parents with Gen Alpha or Gen Z teen children, 2025
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS: GEN ALPHA TWEENS AND GEN Z TEENS
- Sources of influence on fashion choices and personal style
- Understanding Gen Alpha and Gen Z’s fashion influences
- Many factors influence tween/teen fashion choices
- Graph 11: sources of influence on fashion choices, 2025
- Many factors influence tween/teen fashion choices
- Early fashion choices are shaped by parental and social cues, but independence grows with time
- Graph 12: sources of influence on fashion choices, by age
- Teen boys are in need of style guidance
- Graph 13: sources of influence on fashion choices, by gender and age, 2025
- Brands must evolve their strategies as teens mature
- Digital and social media replace legacy publications
- Social media is where trends are discovered
- Graph 14: attitudes toward social media influence, by gender and age, 2025
- Social media engagement should be fun, interactive and authentic
- Tween/teen attitudes toward fashion
- Fashion boosts self-confidence and fosters a sense of identity
- Graph 15: attitudes toward fashion and self-identity, 2025
- Boys are still figuring out their relationship to fashion and style
- Graph 16: attitudes toward fashion and self-identity, by gender, 2025
- Responsible brand messaging is a must across age groups
- Graph 17: select attitudes toward fashion and self-identity, by age, 2025
- Aerie puts “realness” at the center of its brand
- Shopping the category
- Spending on apparel increases at age 12
- Graph 18: categories purchased with spending money, by age, 2025
- Apparel is a top spend category among teen girls
- Graph 19: categories purchased with spending money – apparel, by gender and age, 2025
- Apart from apparel, tweens and teens spend their money on toys, games and experiences
- Graph 20: categories purchased with spending money – apparel, by gender and age, 2025
- Shoes and accessories make the outfit and offer opportunities for customization
- Graph 21: attitudes toward footwear and accessories, by gender and age, 2025
- Priorities and purchase drivers
- Aesthetics, function and brand are core purchase drivers in fashion categories
- Graph 22: key purchase drivers, ranked, 2025
- Brands must connect the dots between aesthetics, function and value
- Brand affinity deepens over time as teens gain autonomy
- Graph 23: select key purchase drivers – NET, any rank, by age, 2025
- Teen boys rely on external inspiration to guide their choices
- Graph 24: select key purchase drivers – NET, any rank, gender, 2025
- Trending aesthetics and subcultures inform product choices
- Graph 25: important factors of product appearance among Gen Alpha and Gen Z teens, (select up to three, not specific to clothing), 2025
- Embrace visual cues and trending aesthetics
- Retailers and brands shopped
- Mass and Amazon dominate apparel purchases, but specialty brands steal brand affinity and pop-culture status
- Graph 26: retailers shopped for clothing/fashion items, by generational group, 2025
- Walmart links style, affordability with cultural relevance
- Boys gravitate toward basics and athletic brands, while girls seek variety from specialty retailers
- Graph 27: retailers shopped for clothing/fashion items, by gender, 2025
- American Eagle x Tru Kolors by Travis Kelce
- Shopping behaviors
- Tweens and teens look to their parents to lead the shopping process
- Graph 28: shopping behaviors, by generational group, 2025
- Tweens and teens are largely channel agnostic
- Graph 29: typical shopping methods, by generation, 2025
- Create inviting spaces for teens to hang out
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THE CONSUMER: PARENTS OF GEN ALPHA AND GEN Z TEENS
- Parents are a vital segment of the market
- Parents’ role in decision-making and fashion choices
- Parents are gatekeepers who set the tone of fashion choices
- Graph 30: parental involvement in fashion choices, by generation of parent, 2025
- Parents want their children to feel good about how they dress…
- …and build confidence in making choices
- Graph 31: select parental attitudes toward tween/teen fashion, 2025
- Moms are more emotionally engaged, dads have more worries
- Graph 32: select attitudes toward tween/teen fashion, by gender of parent, 2025
- Graph 33: select attitudes toward tween/teen fashion, by gender of parent, 2025
- Parents worry about societal pressure and its impact on self-esteem
- Graph 34: attitudes toward social influence, by ages of children, 2025
- Parents and teens don’t always agree about fashion
- Graph 35: parental shopping behaviors and involvement, by age of children, 2025
- Parents’ purchase responsibility and shopping behaviors
- Parents foot the bill for most apparel purchases
- Graph 36: parental role in clothing/fashion purchases, by age of children, 2024
- In-person shopping facilitates try-on and family bonding
- Graph 37: parental attitudes toward shopping for clothing with their tween/teen children, 2025
- Practical attributes take priority over aesthetics
- Graph 38: factors most important for parents, 2025
- Parents of girls take a more discerning eye toward fashion choices
- Graph 39: factors most important for parents, by gender of child, 2025
- Moms and dads take varying approaches
- Graph 40: factors most important for parents, by gender of parent, 2025
- Parents’ sources of influence
- Modern parents are highly engaged with brands via social media
- Graph 41: parental sources of influence, 2025
- Become a trusted brand among parents
- Help ease parental pressures to understand trends and peer influence
- Graph 42: attitudes toward shopping influences, by gender of parent, 2025
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Interest in shopping options and concepts
- Leverage fashion collaborations to capture the zeitgeist
- Graph 43: tween/teen interest in shopping options and concepts, 2025
- Pop culture integrations build excitement with young consumers
- Engage Gen Alpha with fun, collaborative experiences
- Graph 44: interests in shopping concepts, by age, 2025
- Young girls are excited by creativity and personalization
- Graph 45: interest in select shopping concepts, by gender and age, 2025
- Bauble Bar personalizes the experience
- Parents are largely on board with what kids want, but interests are more practical
- Graph 46: parental interest in shopping concepts, 2025
- Demand for teen-specific brand remains high
- Graph 47: parental interest in shopping options – teen-specific brands, by age of children, 2025
- Zara caters its offerings to tweens and teens
- Offer teen-safe online shopping options to facilitate independence
- Marketing and advertising
- Pink Palm Puff hosts first pop-up event
- Gap rides a wave with viral “Milkshake” dance
- Crocs engages young consumers via Roblox
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- Consumer research questions: consumers aged 10-17
- Consumer research questions: parents with children aged 12-17
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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