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BRANDWEEK September 20, 2004 - OUT OF THE BOX – Insights into what consumers are thinking, how they’re acting and why Predisposed to Dispose – edited by Becky Ebenkamp

 

It’s been said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. However, Label Network’s European Youth Culture Study indicates that the trait of disposability is becoming a more-prevalent wardrobe function.

 

Across the five countries – the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, and Italy – Label Networks observed a rise in the percentage of 13-to 24-year-olds who said they shop the most at “high street shops”, a Euro term for boutiques selling cool, cheap and trendy togs. The proportion who chose these retail establishments ranked second, and jumped from 12.2% last year to 19.7% in 2004. The share who chose vintage and discount stores rose, too.

 

Label Networks vp Kathleen Gasperini believes a few factors have led young people to be predisposed to buying disposable clothes. There are budgetary concerns, as younger consumers tend to be lower on funds. High street or second-hand shops allow them to create and switch looks without having to shell out big bucks. Also, she points to the sped-up nature of today’s youth culture.

 

“In the past, if you were a punk rocker, you were that forever, but now [a young person] might dress punk rock for a week and then change the look to something else,” Gasperini said.

 

The prevailing look is not head-to-toe disposable. Status brands still rank, and many young Europeans use the money they save to splurge on key wardrobe items-designer denim, sporty footwear or electronics accessories- to craft an electric, ritzy-meets-thrifty look.

 

Other popular ironic pair-ups in the Euroteen’s closet include punked-up prep and vintage mixed with ultramodern. “There’s a sense of wanting to express themselves and a back-lash to being pigeonholed as Generation Y,” Gasperini said.

 

U.S. retailer Gap reflects this fashion dichotomy in its fall ads, in which actress Sarah Jessica Parker is shown sprucing up store staples, such as jeans with her vintage broaches and other accoutrements. Target has also tapped this zeitgeist, Gasperini says.

 

Disposable fashion will likely become more prevalent among U.S. teens, too. Euro trends and store brands- such as H & M, Miss Sixty and French Connection- have spread West to compete with local lowbrow retailers like Forever 21 and Old Navy. However, topography could stop them from having an exaggerated impact. In the vast U.S. landscape, a large number of carless kids are cut off from the cheap-chic chains that their urban and suburban peers peruse.

 

Still, it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on the fashion horizon of the East. “Even the most localized brand needs to know what’s going on in the global culture,” Gasperini said.