There is not a single store in Russia targeting teenagers, and this market is very specific, as it is located on a bridge between the children’s and adult markets. Teenagers have their own delicate characteristics, both physical and psychological. This period of life can be described as a «tangle of contradictions.» On the one hand, the anthropometry of adolescents is already different from that of children, but does not yet fully correspond to adults. On the other hand, they are experiencing a period of intense psychological transformation, striving for independence and recognition from peers, but at the same time remaining dependent on the family and its approval.
This dualism is reflected in the choice of clothing. Parents usually focus on safety, convenience and practicality and take their children to department stores, «family» stores, and children’s stores that have teen lines that provide safety and practicality. At the same time, teenagers are attracted to fashion trends, independence and self-expression, sharpness, hype and drive.
Fashion brands for tins are a separate, special and delicate niche in retail. They should be “driving”, as inexpensive as possible, and therefore structurally uncomplicated, but at the same time have relevant silhouettes. The collections are focused not so much on fashion trends, but on “viral”, hype models. Teen lines have a brighter, noisier palette, a lot of prints, a lot of slogans and sayings. Licensed products play a very important role — games, TV series, teen influencers. And based on how the network is planned to develop, the Gloria Jeans company has carried out serious preparatory work to study young buyers: special mannequins, futuristic AI fitting rooms, an emphasis on sound design, special playlists with a mix of hip-hop and club electronics, selfie zones with graffiti and other exciting and unconventional ideas in the context of modern teenage cultural codes.
- Teen lines are offered in mom-and-pop stores. Teen lines are available in all department stores with a wide offer “for the whole family.” For example, SELA has an excellent separate line for teenagers, with a wide offer, starting from a height of 122 cm. In GJ (Gloria Jeans), the line for teenagers starts from a height of 116 cm and ends at 170 cm.
- Teenage lines and sizes can be found in children’s stores, where some popular universal models are made in an extended “up” size range up to 14-16 years (up to 164-170 cm). For example, Gulliver, Acoola.
- Youth stores, aimed at the age of 25, have separate lines for teenagers, and have an expanded “small size” offer for teenagers aged 12-14 years. For example, YNG from Befree.
But there is no separate retail network for tins in the Russian Federation.