After another financial results indicating lower than usual sales, troubled teen retailers Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister have ditched the sexy-sales approach of shirtless, buff guy models, and are moving towards a more laid-back, Americana tone. Like American Apparel moving in the direction of Gap, so too is Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister having to […]
Target lost its cheap chic cache a couple of years ago, especially among youth culture shoppers. As our data has shown, Target used to be an important location for shopping for inexpensive fashion. The masstige collaborations were impressive, and the mix of items for sale including personal electronics, music, and beauty, made Target a fairly […]
Nasty Gal, the increasingly popular ecommerce site for edgy new designers and vintage fashion, just announced another round of investment at $16 million and the addition of former Apple executive, Ron Johnson. This is a Series C round, which is less than the $40 Series B round, but still shows the brand is on a […]
There have been a number of smaller surf brands and retailers that see the gaps and opportunities available since the kingpins of surf, Billabong and Quiksilver, have moved over. From Kelly Slater’s Outerknown, which is a lifestyle brand with surf-inspired roots and sustainability, to the women’s surf-inspired brand Amuse Society, to retailers Saturday Surf in […]
The writing was on the wall for the teen retailer when on January 7 of this year, Wet Seal announced the closing of 338 stores and a lay-off of 3,695 employees. On January 16, 2015, Wet Seal announced that it had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Ed Thomas, Wet Seal’s CEO said, “After careful consideration, […]
The Billabong saga which seemed as though it would go down in surfing history as one of the great fails of our time has announced that they plan to rebuild more stores. According to CEO Neil Fiske, Billabong is ready “right now.” “Stores are key to a brand’s health over time,” Fiske said in an […]
Japanese fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo (Fast Retailing) has announced plans for expansion, particularly in the United States. Similar to H&M, preferences for Uniqlo clothing within our youth culture studies is on the rise, but the addition of more stores and greater awareness via its ecommerce platform will impact the teen retailer landscape even more in the […]
Cross Company, the big giant retailer out of Japan, has plans to challenge with likes of fast-fashion players such as Uniqlo and H&M. But the twist? Sourcing it all from ethical products and creating entirely eco-friendly fashion. According to a series of reports from Japan, as well as the Business of Fashion, the plan is […]
American Eagle Outfitters released its financial statement today, March 11, 2014, with undeniably one of its worst quarters ever. Consolidated comparable sales for the 13 weeks decreased 7% over the same 13 week period last year. Gross profit decreased 28% to $332 million. Jay Schottenstein, Interim CEO stated, “The Company’s results in 2013 were highly […]
The Swedish-based fast-fashion giant continues to take the U.S. by storm and capturing the attention of youth culture markets. As revealed in our Fall Youth Culture Study 2013, H&M is higher on the radar than ever before although not quite in the top upper echelons of favorite brands/retailers among 13-25-year-olds, but knowing what’s happening with […]