2024 Trends: Fast fashion is challenged by Gen Alpha

It excites me to see tweens and teens becoming more socially aware and inquisitive about the values of the brands that they engage with. From our interactions with tweens and teens, we’ve seen their efforts to hold brands to account and to engage with brands that they believe have strong values that align with their own. Kids tell us about their efforts of due diligence on brands that they buy from, for example researching which skincare brands test on animals and expecting brands to partner with influencers who reflect their brand values. Truly authentic brands that have a strong value system and that demonstrate that consistently are the ones that rank highly in kids' perceptions of “cool” (referenced in our coolest brands report for 2023). However, there is still some way to go before tweens and teens feel completely comfortable disassociating with brands that don’t align with their values. Whilst significant attempts are being made by this generation, as with anything there’s some push and pull.

With the help of TikTok, trends are more fast-paced than ever before. Peer pressure to engage with the hottest trends and pocket money cost consciousness means that value alignment can move to the bottom of their priority list. And those values are put under pressure by fast fashion brands like Primark, Shein and Temu, who are increasingly catching the eye of tweens and teens.

At first glance, they don’t appear to be subjected to the same level of scrutiny by kids. However, browsing through the comments section on TikTok of Shein and Temu back-to-school hauls, you can't help but notice the reels of comments (from tweens and teens themselves) that criticise these brands for their practices. However, they continue to be a favourite, particularly amongst tween girls. From homeware to stationery and clothes, we’ve seen these brands take up considerable space on birthday and Christmas wishlists. So, it begs the question, beyond pocket prices, adhering to trends and their endless supply of dupes, what makes these brands so attractive to Gen Alpha? And how might this affect their efforts to become more inquisitive and steadfast in their approach to brands?

This year, I’m excited to see whether any brands can successfully keep up with trends in a way that feels authentic to Gen Alpha and that feels in-keeping with their brand values. I’m particularly excited to see how this is reflected in our annual coolest brands white paper when these brands are put directly in front of kids in 2024.

Written by Asia Dyer, Beano Brain.