Fast Fashion Moves Trends from the Runway to the Fashionista

Teenagers and young adults are shying away from brands that used to be a wardrobe staple. Logo-based brands, such as Abercrombie, Aeropostale and American Eagle, are losing their popularity. Young consumers are looking for trendy, less expensive clothes. The twenty-somethings now prefer the fast fashion route.

Retailers such as Bebe, H&M, and Forever 21 are part of a growing number of fast fashion retailers. As the name explains, these retailers get trends from the catwalk to the sales floor quickly. It’s a practice traditional chain stores find challenging to adopt, as they have always placed their orders months before the season started.

With fast fashion, styles are not meant to last. Trends are designed and manufactured quickly and cheaply. This allows the mainstream consumer to take advantage of current clothing styles at a lower price. This also brings the customers back to the retailer to purchase new styles more often. The consumer in the fast fashion market thrives on constant change and the frequent availability of new products. Successful fast fashion retailers are making that happen.

Last year top retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ranked 8^th in Chain Store Guides Top Apparel Retailers ranked by sales. American Eagle ranked 11^th and Aeropostale held the 20^th spot.  H&M, a leading international fast fashion retailer, moved its way up from 32nd in the rankings the previous year to 25^th last year. Forever 21 ranked 15^th and Bebe Stores came in 65^th. It will be interesting to see the new rankings after annual figures are released in the coming months. For information on fast fashion retailers and logo-based brands, see Chain Store Guide’s database of Apparel Specialty Stores.