Gen Alpha are hit with many social debates regarding gender and how industries are targeting them effectively. We know from our Coolest Brands research that any brand needs to allow kids and teens to express themselves. Gen Alpha are the most individualistic generation yet. They have a strong desire to control their own labels but at the same time are growing up in a world with established “norms” - not all of which fit their outlook.
Nothing speaks to this more than fashion where gender-associated colours and labelling at retail speak strongly to one gender or another. But is this what Gen A want?
We asked kids in the UK and US aged 7 – 14 via our unique Beano Brain omnibus what colours they like to wear and here’s what we found:
Girls are as likely to wear blue (59%) and black (58%) as boys (58% and 58% respectively)
Boys aren’t buying into "Kenergy" as pink is still strongly associated with girls (44% of girls vs 16% of boys)
Perhaps thanks to a decade of greige in home décor and recent trends on Instagram, both genders embrace grey (33% of girls vs 34% of boys)
Pink aside, the colour preferences of Gen A are not used by them as signifiers of gender which is a challenge for retailers both on and offline. More than a quarter of kids (27%) of kids want to be able to select clothes from any section, rising to a third (33%) amongst girls.
Of course, as they reach certain stages boys and girls bodies differ and there is good reason to design specifically for a gender but some sports categories can take a while to catch up with the changing gender profile. It’s not so long ago that female football/soccer international players were playing in kit designed for men.
Currently 50% of girls play football/soccer and half are playing in kit that’s not designed for their bodies. Whereas more than two thirds of boys who play football/soccer are playing in kit designed specifically for them.
So how do fashion retailers handle these contradictions? Here at Beano Brain we believe categorising by gender for usability (particularly in the sports category) speaks to Gen A. But doing the same in the wider fashion category simply doesn’t allow for their desired self-expression and is not serving an audience programmed to push against labels.
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