Question: so what are the big brands for middle-schoolers now?
UA? Adidas? North Face?
I'm probably off-base.
As someone who used to work in buying for a sporting goods retailer, yes to all 3, plus Nike. Adidas is a little lower on the scale but definitely resonates with kids who play soccer. It's presented as a full lifestyle, on field and off. They are all pushing hard to win these kids over and convert them through adulthood.
I was super preoccupied with my clothes in middle school. I vividly remember spending a lot of time making sure my jeans were pegged just right. I don't remember getting pressure from others to have certain clothes/brands but I put the pressure on myself. My DD is in 7th grade and she wears a uniform and spends very little time worried about what she's going to wear. She'll put something cute on for the weekends but generally she seems very content in her uniform. Even when she has free dress day she's very "meh" about it. She does seem very concerned about her hair though.. My DS (11 y/o) on the other hand, who also wears a uniform, is obsessed with having the best shoes and loves expensive Elite shorts and weirdly expensive socks.
I still remember the day I wore my stretch Calvin Klein jeans, camel-colored wool blazer with elbow patches and LEATHER wooden-heeled clogs in 7th grade. It was the only day I was noticed by the cool girls enough for them to say I looked nice.
So, yeah. Pretty important.
But I'm not projecting. Nope.
I had clogs exactly like that. I remember going and picking them out. I think it was the late 70's early 80's?
Oh man, I lost a lot of friends in middle school because people started to realize I was poor. I had one pair of cheap sneakers, 5 pairs of pants, 5 shirts.
Commiserating. I remember what a big struggle it was to have five pairs of pants that were not getting too short. Spring of 7th grade, I had to chose between total highwaters and these hideously ugly plaid pants that a relative gave me. I remember being so ashamed that I got caught wearing those stupid pants on the day yearbook club pictures were taken.
I'm over it now, lol. No need to write and article for ScaryMommy.
My son is 11 so on the younger end and while he doesn't follow trends I will say that he thinks if it costs more its better. so he will always gravitate to the most expensive shoes, cleats, etc..
Post by ladystardust on May 2, 2016 12:44:32 GMT -5
I guess I was lucky to not get teased or bullied but labels were never something I was interested in. More if the opposite really. I avoided Abercrombie and most things that had a "brand" on it. If other kids made fun of me for it, I would probably feel differently.
I think I lucked out in that being in a small class that wore uniforms. There weren't enough of us to really form cliques. When I moved to a larger public high school maybe they said things I didn't hear but I really think nobody cared what I wore.
I hope my daughters don't place too much importance on wearing the "right" things and opt for things they like, not just what they should like. But I won't refuse to buy them brand names or anything.
my son who will be in MS next year is into UA and Nike. He hates reebok or adidas sneakers BUT he wears Adidas sweatshirts and has a north face but says it makes him too hot.
I was SO SO SO SO SO jealous of the girls who had American Eagle and Abercrombie & Fitch clothes through high school. I think it's part of the reason I have SO MANY clothes now. I remember saving babysitting money around that age so I could buy an Adidas jacket.
Yep. I don't care much about name brand clothes as an adult, but I collect more than I need. My parents didn't care at all about clothes and I did, starting in late elementary school. I remember "saving" my favorite outfits for Fridays so I'd have cute things to wear if there were parties or something fun going on.
I remember being made fun of because my shoes came from a department store and not from a fancy boutique (back in the days where department stores didn't have good knockoffs). I went to a private girl school with a uniform. My mom also made my uniform. It was not good.
I think brand names/ cool clothes are really important for kids. It's a delicate balance between making sure they are cool and making sure they are not spoiled.
I still feel like I'm kind of in recovery from my childhood of having zero name brands or "cool" clothes/stuff.
It's funny, even though I don't really care about name brand clothing as an adult* I definitely think I have residual stuff around clothes stemming from when I was a kid/teen. These days I dislike logo clothing, but I'm totally fine with name brands if they're not super obvious. Teenage me would wonder if body snatchers got to me. lol
*denim matters, but it's more about fit and wear vs. brand and cost
Totally important. I will definitely sacrifice stuff for myself for my kids to have (as my mom did for me). It is harder now tbough imo. Back in my day it was Guess and umbro, but I know in schools today (here in south Florida anyway) it is Tory burch and Louis Vuitton. Thankfully I have boys, but I even felt bad with the whole $300 baseball bat discussion. Not in our budget and the kids now don't know the difference but how long until they do.
I have two boys, 13 and 16. It is very important. I hit consignment stores and second hand stores and find a lot for them there, and I agree with curtains, they would rather have second hand than new, non-name brand clothes.
At Christmas, AE, Hollister and Aero have awesome sales.
I remember wanting a pair of lavender Nikes in the worst way...they were the best Christmas present I think I ever got.
ME TOO. I had the payless version of all of the cool shoes!
Remember these?
Everyone had Steve Madden. I had like Scott Gadden or some knock off. lol
Oh yeah, I had fake Vans (wilted)
And I wonder why I bought a $70 teal leather pair the last time I went into Vans. LOL.
Oh man. I had payless shoes for gym class in seventh grade and a boy noticed I was wearing cheap knockoffs and loudly made fun of me to everyone. I should've asked him how he recognized the brand, but eleven year old me just wanted to sink into the floor.
Post by clairedunphy on May 2, 2016 12:59:00 GMT -5
So so important. Now I look back and most of that stuff was ugly. I would have preferred an ugly labeled sweatshirt/shorts/jeans over something off-brand but cute. Makes no sense to me now, but then it was everything.
Post by mrsukyankee on May 2, 2016 12:59:28 GMT -5
I went to a private school on scholarship. I always wished they had a uniform because we just couldn't afford anything like the clothing that the other kids had (during the super preppy days). I searched everywhere for second hand Lacoste shirts and the like.
It was pretty important in my area growing up for both middle school and high school. We couldn't really afford for me to have all of the "cool" name brands, but when I did get a "designer piece" I wore it to death. Though I had a BUM Equipment sweatshirt when it was on its way out but I rocked it anyway. I almost* wish we had uniforms so everyone looked the same, because I probably would have felt a lot better about myself - I know that sounds shallow, but..ya know.
I have such a clear memory of being made fun of for not having the "cool" Nikes. You know, on the first day I ever wore name brand sneakers to school in my life... that I bought with my own money at age 12. (wilted) I think I must have stood out because I never wore anything brand name. So they had to take a jab at me when it was clear what I had on my feet were boring black and yellow boys Nikes from the sale rack, probably 8 seasons outdated.
(This experience probably explains why I just bought Tieks.)
It's becoming important to my 10-year-old DS. I do buy mostly Nike/Under Armour/Adidas/Spyder for him BUT 95% of it comes from TJ Maxx/6pm.com. He knows that we aren't strolling into the local sporting goods store and dropping $60 on a hoodie.
Shoes are important to him as well, but more the appearance than the brand. Those are getting harder to purchase at a reasonable price since he's in men's sizes already, but he knows the limit I'll spend on a pair of shoes for him. He enjoys looking at shoes and LOUDLY pointing out to me in the store, "MOM! These shoes are $299! WHO would pay that much for SHOES!" I think the salespeople are happy when we find our less-than-$75 shoes and leave.
Question: so what are the big brands for middle-schoolers now?
UA? Adidas? North Face?
I'm probably off-base.
As someone who used to work in buying for a sporting goods retailer, yes to all 3, plus Nike. Adidas is a little lower on the scale but definitely resonates with kids who play soccer. It's presented as a full lifestyle, on field and off. They are all pushing hard to win these kids over and convert them through adulthood.
I didn't know if this was just in my geographic area, but it definitely seems like kids are much more focused on Nike, UA and the athletic brands than when I was a kid. I do recall thinking Nike shoes were the epitome of cool and adidas sandals were a thing for awhile but now its just everywhere.
Post by Queen Mamadala on May 2, 2016 13:25:55 GMT -5
In middle school, I liked name brand things, but it wasn't a huge deal. Plus, I wore uniforms in middle school. I had a decent mix of name brand and non-name brand clothes and shoes (NY & Co., Delia's, Vans, Abercrombie, AE, Gap, Target, Bebe, JC Penny's, Old Navy, Hot Topic).
I guess I'll find out this coming summer what the dynamic is like in middle school these days. My oldest will start middle school in August, and I'm really dreading it. She has a mix of name brand and non-name brand clothes.
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown
I had no concept of dressing to fit in at that age. I honestly wish I did, though. Kids in my school were nice, actually. No one made fun of me for my clothes (that I noticed), but at the same time I wasn't really fitting in with any particular crowd. Probably because I made no attempt to be like them. I have sensitive skin and hated jeans - they rubbed my legs raw. So I wore sweatpants every day. I don't remember ever feeling embarrassed about that at the time; I was totally oblivious to the social consequences. But now I look back on that time and I was probably "that weird kid." My mom set my example and she always dressed and groomed exactly how she wanted to (very practically). So I didn't have any guidance or social-type suggestions from her.
Middle school is when peer acceptance is at it's highest. Most kids want to fit in and not be seen as different at all. Clothing is a HUGE deal at this age.
I know. And he has been a ballet dancer for years (he is quite good and dances with the city ballet company) and this was something that he did NOT want the kids knowing, but someone found out and told everyone.
I think there are probably a lot of things going on for him that are all coming together to make for a rough situation for him right now. He is depressed and feeling really down about himself.