Why Aren't More Teens Thrifting?
With all of the talk around the economic crisis spurning teens and Gen Y’ers to spend their discretionary funds with a more value-driven mentality, you might assume that more would be seeking out thrift shops and vintage stores for hidden treasures… not so. According to research from the October Ypulse Report more than half of teens (56%) and college students (58%) hardly ever or never shop at thrift stores.
At first, this struck me as somewhat surprising — we tend to think of today’s teens as such individualists, it seems like self-expression on a budget would naturally lead to rummaging through the racks at a cool secondhand store chain like Buffalo Exchange. So what gives? After thinking it over, I have a few theories…
“Aspirational” style icons. Even if teens wouldn’t want to model their lives after the characters on “Gossip Girl” or “The Hills”, it doesn’t mean they can’t crave their look (or apparently their hairstyles). And that look doesn’t come cheap. By pulling a Carrie Bradshaw and taking fashion risks with luxury brands, costume designers and stylists on these rich teen shows make trendy look non-conformist and glamorous at the same time. And while Main Street teens may not be able to afford the real deal, with more name brand designers coming out with lines at retailers like Target (Anna Sui even branded hers as Gossip Girl-inspired) or JC Penney, young stylish types don’t have to search endlessly for a Marc Jacobs needle in a thrift store haystack.
Vintage shortcuts. Even for teens with a quirkier bend, looks that once had to come from $5 bins have also come to be mass-produced. Sure, you might not hear them bragging as much, but with chains like Urban Outfitters expertly spotting and reproducing alternative trends, whether that be the grunge look, faded band tees, or jeans with holes in them (I can just hear the “that’s the style, Mom!” argument playing out now), Urban, and smaller boutiques like it, make the search a whole lot easier (and probably less “icky” to some parents). Not to mention more convenient for those cities without a lot of thrift store options. Similarly, as “indie” or “alternative” styles become increasingly mainstream, we see variations on the these same styles trickling down to discount chains as well (check out Jezebel’s snarky commentary on Miley & Max Azria’s line at Walmart). For better or worse, the “Juno” look has become an easy D.I.Y.
Not for everyone. It seems like every few months or so, stories crop up in the media about teen or tween fashion bloggers and their avant garde ways. It’s not hard to see why they get the exposure — they’re industrious, hip and photograph well — but it might be misleading to assume that the average teen is cut from the same cloth. After all, we also keep hearing about the success of chains like Aeropostale and American Eagle that offer clothes with less original flair, but still trendy style, and the right price to match (a key component as Abercrombie & Fitch learned this last year). The reality is that the majority of teens could still be seeking out those qualities more than anything else.
Of course, there are still thrift-store-loving teens out there. Or teens that will mix it up with department stores, retailers and vintage. There’s also probably a good number of crafty types exploring sites like Etsy for homemade goods. But when it comes to the masses, a vintage look or a secondhand price might just be good enough.