In each of Label Networks’ Spring and Fall Youth Culture Studies, we ask 13-25-year-olds “Which country do you think is producing the freshest fashion trends today?” The results by country are quite interesting in that they reveal not only the perceptions of the marketplace about their own country, but also the countries that they believe are among the coolest in terms of inventing or leading new trends and why.

In our European Youth Culture Study, for example, results from the UK vs. Germany are incredibly different, whereas results from Spain and Italy tend to be similar. France completely stands apart. Overall, one of the most interesting traits is that young Germans rarely rank their country very high. In our China and Japan Youth Culture Studies, you can also see very interesting trends in directions over the years, with, for example, more young people from China saying their own country is leading fashion trends, particularly among males.

Which leads to our North American results and the changing dynamics of youth culture perceptions over the past few years. The results from the Spring Study 2008 indicate that specific demographics have changed their perceptions of the United States and other countries, particularly when looking at the results by gender. The results also reveal where young people today are turning to for inspiration and which countries they are most interested in for introducing new cultural styles. This in turn indicates where specific points of entry make the most sense for various cultural influences in fashion when entering the America market. Charts, graphs, and analysis by demographics including historical changes are provided along with comparisons with results from Label Networks’ European, Japan, and China Youth Culture Studies in this story: “Measuring the Popularity of Made in the USA: Responses to the Question “Which country do you think is producing the Freshest fashion trends today?”