Z世代和Alpha世代重塑时尚产业

HOWGENZXGENALPHAAREREWIRING

THEFASHIONINDUSTRY

OCTOBER2025WWDxBCG

GenZoperatesbyanewsetof

rules—distinctfromprior

generations—redefiningdiscoveryandproductengagement.

2

Brandheritagenolongerguaranteesvalue;youthculturedecideswhichbrandsearnconsideration.

3

Socialmediaisthenewbattleground,shiftingfromfunneltoaflywheel.

4

Shoppinghabitsareundergoinga

seismicshift,with40percentofGenZusingAItoolstoshop.Brandsmustadapttostaycompetitive.

5

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EXECUTIVESUMMARY

ashion’snextgen—GenZandGen

Alpha—projectedtobe40percentofthefashionspendingoverthenextdecade.

Brandswhoadjusttheirgo-to-marketstrategiesstandtowin

F

disproportionateshareandgrowfaster.

TheinauguralWWDxBCGFutureofFashionReporttakesadeeperlookattheconsumer

insightsacrosstheFashionNextGenintheU.S.

Thestudywasbasedonareviewconducted

across~9KU.S.consumers,socialmedialistening,andinterviewswithCEOsofbrandswinning

withyoungergenerations.

FivekeyinsightsonFashion’sNextGen,projectedtodrive

>40percentofUSspenD:

1

BCGandWWDexploredhow

leadingbrandsareadapting,

surfacingfivestrategies

towinwithFashion’sNextGen.

1

Determinetargetconsumersthebrandwantstoacquire:

createclarity,targetsandKPIs.

2

Focusonyouthculture.Buildauthenticitythroughcreators,collaborationsandproducts.

3

Shiftfrombrandcontroltocreatorenergyandactivatethesocialcommerceengine.

4

Prepareforagentengine

optimizationandprioritizeAIsearchtoprotecttraffic.

5

Focusonthefundamentalsof

pricing,discountsandquality—

investincriticalconversionfactors.

Thisgenerationprioritizes

productsoverbrands,accentuatingfundamentalslikepriceandquality.

2

FUTUREOFU.S.FASHIONSTUDYMETHODOLOGY

9K+

U.S.responsestoBCGConsumerSurveys1

exploringcross-generationalpreferencesandexpectationsacrossfashion&luxury.

50K+

postsonsocialmediachannels.

10

in-depth1:1interviewswith

industryleaderswinningwithyoungergenerations.

EngagementofglobalBCG

FashionandLuxuryexpertsandWWDjournalists.

1.U.S.RESULTSCAPTUREDJUNE2025(N=4,377)&AUGUST2025(N=5,838)

3

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WHATWEPREDICTED

ABOUTFASHION’S

NEXTGEN10YEARSAGOANDWHAT

ACTUALLYHAPPENED.

10YEARSAGO

PredictionsonWhatFashion’sNextGenWanted

•LOYAL

•BRANDHERITAGE

•CAMPAIGNS

•LINEARJOURNEYS

•BUYLESS,BUYBETTER

TODAY

WhatFashion’sNextGenWants

•EXPERIMENTAL

•CULTURALRELEVANCE

•SOCIAL-FIRSTSTORYTELLING

•FRAGMENTED,AI-LEDJOURNEYS

•TREND-DRIVEN

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WINNINGWITHFASHION’SNEXTGEN

5TRENDSDEFININGU.S.

FASHION

1

Fashion’sNextGenmoves

byadiferentsetofrulestopriorgenerations,strategiesforthosegenerationswon’tworkforthisaudience.

2

Foryoungerconsumers,heritagenolongerdeterminesbrandvalue,youthculturedecideswhowinsconsideration.

3

Socialmediaisthenew

battlegroundasplatformsevolvetofullcommerceengines,

shiftingfromfunneltoflywheel.

4

AIhaspenetratedfashionshoppinginaseismicwaywith40percentofyoungerconsumersusingAItoshop,requiringbrandstocrackthenew

codetowin.

5

?

Whatmattersto

Fashion’sNextGen

intheU.S.?

Thisgenerationisproduct-drivenoverbrand-driven,accentuatingthefundamentalsofpriceandquality.

40%

GenZandGenAlpha

projectedfashionspend

inyearstocome.

REWIRINGFASHION

THISGENERATIONHAS

AGROWINGLISTOF

EXPECTATIONSFORTHEFASHIONTHEYBUY

Appareltakesupalargershareof

theirexpensesthanthoseoverage28,withalongerlistofneedsand

1

wantsfromtheirstyle.Withtighterbudgetsbutastrongdesirefor

self-expression,they’rechoosing

looksthathelpthemfeelfun,

authentic[deletecomma]and

successful,andthatmakethemfeellikeaninfluenceramongtheirpeers.Theywanttoimpressthosearoundthem,butwithoutpayingapremium.

THEIRPURCHASEJOURNEYSAREBASEDINTHEIR

ONLINECOMMUNITY

Thekeypurchasetouchpointsforthisgenerationareresearching

online,scrollinginfluencercontent,andturningtotheirfriends

andfamily.Evenastheirdigitalinfluencehasgrown,in-store

YOUNGFASHION’SNEXTGENMOVESBYADIFFERENT

SETOFRULES

browsinghasremainedthemostpopularmodeofdiscovery.

IDENTITYISTHECORE

FORTHEYOUNGERGENALPHAPORTIONOF

THISNEXTGENERATION

Styleisn’tjustaboutaesthetics—it’saboutwhotheyare.Traditionalleverslikebrandstoryorheritagematterlessthanauthenticityandself-definition.

HOWTO

RESPOND?

Brandsshouldinvitetheyoung

generationtoco-createandshapetheiridentity,notjustconsume

it—fromproductdesignto

FOR

PRIOR

STRATEGIES

WON’T

GENERATIONS

WORK

storytelling.Thosethatbuildwiththeirculture,humorandcreativitywillforgeauthenticrelevanceandlong-termconnection.

THIS

FOR

AUDIENCE.

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DEFININGTHEGENERATIONS;GENZANDGENALPHAAREFASHION’SNEXTGEN

SOURCE:PEWRESEARCHCENTER

FASHION’SNEXTGENSPENDSONCLOTHING,SHOESANDOTHERGOODSWHILETHOSE29+SPENDONDININGANDTRAVEL

10SOURCE:BCGSTATEOFFASHIONANDLUXURYSURVEY202511

Thisyounggenerationspends

atotal.7percentmoreoftheir

spendingmoneyonclothingand

shoesand10percentlessondiningoutandtravellingthanthe29+yearold,makingclothingandshoes

akeycategoryforthem.

FASHION’SNEXTGENSHOPPERSHASAGROWINGLISTOFEXPECTATIONSONWHATFASHIONCANDOFORTHEM

Fashion’sNextGenCaresAbout

•Feelinginspired

•Havingfun

•Expressingthemselves

•Projectingsuccess

•Beingfashionforward

•Feelingsporty

•Wantingtoinfluence

•Standingout

•Beingauthentic

•Feelingstylish

Whateveryoneelsecaresabout:

•Gettingtheirmoney’sworth

•Productsthataredurable

•Relaxingfits

•Comfort

•Quality

SOURCE:BCGSTATEOFFASHIONANDLUXURYSURVEY2025

12SOURCE:BCGSTATEOFFASHIONANDLUXURYSURVEY202513

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FASHION’SNEXTGENARETURNINGTOINFLUENCERSMORE&AMAZONLESS,BUTSTILLRELYHEAVILYONIN-STORE

BROWSINGTOINFLUENCETHEIRPURCHASES

SOURCE:BCGSTATEOFFASHIONANDLUXURYSURVEY2025

THEYOUNGERGENERATIONWANTSTOIMPRESSOTHERS,

BUTUNLIKETHOSE29+,THEYARELESSWILLINGTOPAYFORIT

TheFashionNextGenofshoppersaredressingtoimpresswithnearlyhalfoftheseshopperswantingto

impressandgetcomplimentsfromthosearoundthem.Whilethose29+generationscaretoo,itisnotas

popularofapriority.

Despitewantingtobenoticedandcomplimented,theyoung

generationisnotwillingtospendforitinthesamewaythatthe

29+setmight.

ThisnextGenfashionconsumeristhereforechoosingtospend

moretimedoingresearchand

pricecomparisontomakesuretheyarefindingtheybestpiecesattherightprices.

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WORDSOFWISDOM

Howleadingbrandsareredefiningloyaltybyconnectingwithyouththroughauthenticity,values,andculturalrelevance

WHILETHETWOGENERATIONSWITHINTHISNEXTFASHIONGENERATIONHAVEOVERLAP,THEREAREDIFFERENCES

JayL.Schottenstein

ChiefExecutiveOfficer/AmericanEagleOutfitters

leadingwithpurposeandconnection

“A

mericanEagleisoneofthelargestandmostenduringyouthbrands,servinggenerationupongenerationsince1977.By

understandingwhatouryouthcustomercaresabout-andalwaysputting

themfirst-wehavecementedourpositionasthe#1jeansbrandforGenZ.

Fornearly50years,wehavebuilttrustandloyaltythroughan

unwaveringcommitmenttoproductquality,pricing,compellingmarketingandacustomer-firstapproach.AmericanEagle(AE)hasstoodfor

inclusion,belongingandself-expressionsinceitsearliestdays.We

areoptimisticandwelcomingtoall.Thesefundamentalvaluesarekeydiferentiatorsthatconsistentlyresonatewitheachnewgeneration.

Today’syouthconsumerexpectsbrandstomeetthemwheretheyareandtoshowupinplaceswheretheycareaboutmost.Leaningintonewplatforms,culturalmomentsandexperienceshaspositionedAEatthe

centerofconversationandrelevance.OurdominanceinjeansandiconicpartnershipswithsomeofthemostinluentialtalentinentertainmentandsportsdefineAEastheAmericanyouthbrand.

JenniferM.Foyle

President&ExecutiveCreativeDirector/AmericanEagleOutfitters

buildingloyaltythroughconfidence,comfortandcommunity

“T

hemagicofAerieistheauthenticrelationshipwehavebuiltwithourcustomers.Everythingwedoisdesignedtocelebratethe

realbeautyofthispassionatecommunity.Aeriewasoneofthefirstto

celebratetheunretouchedbeautyofwomeninitscampaignsmorethan10yearsago,launchingthe#AerieREALbrandplatformthatcontinuestoinspireconfidenceandempowerment.

Drivenbyapowerfulblendofcomfort,styleandafordableprice

points,thesuccessofAerieandOFFL/NEbyAerieisunderpinnedbythedeepemotionalconnectionbetweencustomerandbrand.Ourcustomerswanttofeelamazingeverywherelifetakesthem.Bylistening,we’ve

quicklygrowntheleggingsbusinesstoholdthe#2positionwithinourcoredemoand#3insportsbras.Thefutureisbrightaswecontinuetocapturemarketshareinintimates,apparelandactivewearthroughnewfabrics,seasonaldrops,andperformancestyles.

Aerieismorethanabrand–it’samovement.Morethanadecadeago,Aerieignitedwomenacrosstheglobetolovethemselves,insideandout.Now,weareinspiringanewgenerationtodothesameasweremain

unwaveringinourpromisetobealwaysandforeverreal.

1415

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YOUNGERGENERATIONS

DRIVEWHAT’SFASHIONABLE

Youth-endorsedbrandsoften

benefitfromacross-generationalhaloefectasbrandsthatcaptureGenZ/Aattentionearncredibilitywitholderconsumerswhoviewthemasfashionleaders.

RAPIDVIRALITY

Withtheriseofsocialmedia,

culturaltrendsscalerapidly,givingbrandslimitedtimetorespondandcapitalizeonmomentum.

TRENDSTARTERS

OVERTRENDSETTERS:

Brandsthatarewinningaretappingintotherightmomentsbefore

theycrestbyembeddinginyouthcultureandreactingbeforeothers.

HOWTORESPOND?

Recruityoungtalentandinfuse

youthcultureintotheproduct,

collaborationandcreatorstrategy,

witharealtimepulseonwhatisabouttotakeofwithFashion’sNextGen.

2

HERITAGENO

LONGERDETERMINESBRANDVALUE

YOUTHCULTUREDECIDES

WHOWINSCONSIDERATION

1617

1819

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WITHTHERISEOFSOCIAL,CULTURALTRENDSSCALERAPIDLY,GIVINGBRANDSLIMITEDTIMETORESPONDANDCAPITALIZEONMOMENTUM

CulturalcyclesamongGenZandGenAlphahaveaccelerated,breaking

intomicrotrendsthatspikeand

fadewithinshortwindows.Social

platformsamplifydiscoveryand

feedconstantnovelty,compressingthehalf-lifeofculturalrelevance.

Streamingpopularityhighlightsthis,withsearchinterestpeakingsharplythendropping50to75percent

withinonetotwoweeks.

Inthisenvironment,winners

anticipatetrends,actatpeakinterestanddosoauthentically.When

amicrotrendalignswithbrand

DNA,attentionconvertsquickly,

especiallyassocialchannelsfunctionincreasinglyasstorefrontswith

nativecheckout.

Asthesecohortsgainspendingpower,thestakesrise:brandsmustdeliverproductsfasterthanever,

sinceopportunitiesnowlastweeks,notquarters.Successdependson

spottingsignalsearlyandmovingbeforetheyhitthemainstream.

SOURCE:GOOGLETRENDS(WEEKLYSEARCHINTERESTSCALED0–100,WITHEACHSHOWINDEXEDTOITSOWNPEAK=100)

BRANDSTHATAREWINNINGARETAPPINGINTOTHE

RIGHTMOMENTSBEFORETHEYCRESTBYEMBEDDINGINYOUTHCULTUREANDREACTINGBEFOREOTHERS

WinningwithGenZmeansbeingpartofculture,notchasingitafter

thefact.Thebrandsthatresonatemostdon’tjustfollowtrends—theyshapethem,earningcredibilityasculturaldrivers.

Becauseculturalwavesriseand

spreadfasterthanever,success

comesfromspottingwhat’snext

earlyandshowingupauthenticallybeforeitgoesmainstream.That

requirespairingtherightproducts

withtherightmomentsandweavingthemseamlesslyintoyoung

consumers’lifestyles.

Noteveryexperimentwillhit,

butbrandsthatstayagileand

opentotest-and-learnaretheonespositionedtolead.

SOURCE:BCGANALYSIS

2021

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ONEOFTHEFRONTIERSOFYOUTHCULTUREISIMMERSIVESPORTSENGAGEMENT

ForGenZandGenAlpha,sports

culturebeginswiththetraditional

coreofprofessionalathletes,major

leaguesandbroadcastviewing,butitdoesnotstopthere.Adjacentgrowthnowincludescollegeandamateur

play,nichesports,andlifestyleexpressionssuchassneakersorjerseysasfashion.

Atthefrontier,sportshavebecomeimmersive,interactiveandcreator-

driven.Youngergenerationsengagethroughesports,fitnessinluencers,fantasyleagues,gamingandbetting.Socialplatformsenableconstant

participation,whetherthrough

second-screenviewing,gamified

SOURCE:BCGANALYSIS

fitnessapps,orcreator-ledfandomthatspansmultiplechannels.

WORDSOFWISDOM

Howfashionleadersstayconnectedtoyouthcultureandcreativity

theirauthenticstories.This

connectionstrengthensourties

withlocalcommunitiesandkeepsusintunewiththeevolving

creativeenergyofyouthculture.

Atthesametime,we’re

continuingtostrengthenour

deepconnectionwiththeworld

ofsports—asourceofinspirationthathasalwaysbeenpartof

ourDNA.Wehavesignificantly

expandedourtieswiththeskatecommunity,auniversethathas

deeplyinluencedoursneakers

andcollections.Morerecently,

we’vetakenanotherstepintotheworldofracketsportswiththe

openingoftheGoldenGooseArena,ourfirstpadelcenterinMilanCityLife—aspacewherepassionmattersmorethan

performance,andwherethegamebecomesamomentofauthenticconnection.”

authenticallyconnectingthroughculture

“Alnct,edto

SilvioCamparaChiefExecutiveOfficer/GoldenGoose

youngerconsumersbybeinganactivepartoftheirworld

—pioneeringspaceswhere

authenticity,emotionandself-

expressionthrive.Wetailorour

collectionstolocaltastesand

celebratestorytellingthrough

personalizationandscarcity.Eachpieceismeanttofeelunique,

emotionallyvaluableandrelectiveoftheindividualwearingit.

Sincethebeginning,Golden

Goosehasalwaysbeentied

totheworldofart.From

partnershipswiththeVenice

Biennaleandlocalartists,our

storesalsoserveasartistichubs—spaceswhereyoungcreativescanexpressthemselves,

showcasetheirworkandshare

COURTESYOFGOLDENGOOSE

REWIRINGFASHION

SOCIALMEDIAISEVOLVING

FROMBRANDDISCOVERYTOAFULLCOMMERCEENGINE

Shoppersunder28aretwotimesmorelikelytociteinfluencer

contentasreasonforconversion.

CREATOR-LEDOVERTHANBRAND-LED

Brand-onlycontentistoostatic—

viralitynowcomesfromcreatorsanduser-drivenconversationsthatsparkengagementinrealtime.

NEWERAOFINFLUENCEPATHWAYS

Modernconsumerjourneys

revolvearoundfourkeybehaviors:streaming,scrolling,searching

andshopping.Unliketherigid,

sequentialapproachofthefunnel,influencemappinguncovers

overlappingandinfluencingtouchpointssimultaneously.

3

HOWTORESPOND?

Unlockingthesocialcommerce

enginerequirestailoredstrategiesbyaudiencetype,creatorcontentstrategiesandblendeddistributionformats.

SOCIALMEDIAISTHENEW

BATTLEGROUND

SHIFTINGFROMFUNNELTOFLYWHEEL

2223

REWIRINGFASHION

WORDSOFWISDOM

TODAY’SFASHIONCONSUMPTION

ENVIRONMENTLOOKSDRASTICALLYDIFFERENTWITHMOREOPTIONSATEVERYSTAGE

SOCIALMEDIAISEVOLVINGFROM

BRANDDISCOVERYTOAFULLCOMMERCEENGINEFORYOUNGERGENERATIONS

Howtopretailexecs

JoanneCrevoiserat

ChiefExecutiveOfficer/Tapestry

evolvingwithyouraudience

“Wht,iolllty

connections.Thatmeansaligningtowhat

theyvalueinawaythatisauthentictoour

brands.We’refocusedonunderstandingthemomentwhenyoungconsumersenterour

category,fosteringdeeperbrandloveand

providinghigherlifetimevaluethroughlastingrelationships.Todothiswell,itstartswith

knowingtheconsumerandunderstandingthemdeeplytoensurethatourbrandsarerelevantandfitintotheirevolvinglives.

Weplaceaheavyemphasisonconsumerinsights,pairingquantitativedata-poweredtoolswithqualitativeresearchwhichare

keytogainingadeeperunderstandingofconsumers’needs.

Withyoungerconsumers,loyaltyis

earnedthroughemotionalconnections.

Thatmeansaligningtowhattheyvalueinawaythatisauthentictoourbrands.

Coach’sexpressiveluxurypositioning

andKateSpadeNewYork’suplifting

luxurypositioningresonatewithwhat

ourtargetyoungconsumervalues.This

isthefoundationofdurablegrowthand

thereasonwhylastyear,weacquired6.8millionnewcustomersinNorthAmerica

alone,withstrongrepresentationfrom

GenZ.We’reconstantlylisteningtoour

consumers,testingandleveragingdata

toinformthechoiceswemakeacrossthevaluechain,fromdesignandassortmentplanningthroughstoreoperations,pricingandmarketing.

Thepathtodiscoveryisshifting.

Socialplatformsremainimportant,but

asAItoolsandagentsgaintraction,

thewayconsumersaskquestionsand

findbrandsisevolving.We’restudying

thesebehaviorscloselyandtestingnewapproachesandcontenttobettermeet

changingqueries.BydeployingtoolslikeAI,we’reabletooptimizesearchvisibility,andpersonalizebothourmarketingandtheshoppingexperience.”

Branddiscoveryamongyoungconsumersisledbyonlinechannels,withdigitaladvertisingandsocialmediathemostinluentialpathstofindingnewbrands.

Retailandin-storemomentsstillmatter,buttraditionalmediaisthesmallestcontributor.

ForGenZandGenAlpha,commerceisinherentlysocial,andbrandsmustleveragesocialmediaplatformsbeyondinspiration.Thewinningmodelisnotseparating

discoveryfromtransactionbutcollapsingthemintothesamemoment.Aconsumermightseeaproductinafriend’svideoorcreator’spost,tryitondigitallythrough

anARfilter,validatethechoicebysharingorcheckingpeerreactions,andthencompletethepurchaseinstantlywithouteverleavingtheplatform.

arestayingaheadofevolvingconsumerjourneys

Theconsumerjourneyisnolongerlinearasconsumersareexperiencing…

MORE

BRANDSTHAN

EVERBEFORE

MOREWAYS

TODISCOVERTHOSE

BRANDS

MOREWAYS

TOSHOPTHOSE

BRANDS

RecentadvancementsinAIarealsodrivingdisruptioninthewaybrandsinteractwithconsumers.

CONSUMERSTODAYAREEXPOSEDTOMORE

ADVERTISINGTHANANYGENERATIONBEFORE…

<10

BRANDS

SHOPPED

ANNUALLYON

AVERAGE

20051

…ANDENGAGEWITHMORE

BRANDS

ANNUALLY

THANOLDERCOHORTS.

15TO20

BRANDSSHOPPED

ANNUALLY

ONAVERAGE

20241

COURTESYOFTAPESTRY

1.DIRECTIONALESTIMATEBASEDONSURVEYSANDPUBLICATIONSSOURCE:HOWMANYADSDOWESEEADAYIN2025?(LUNIO)

24

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