Teens & Tweens - Impressions

SanMar Corp. presents
the District Juniors Textured
Cotton Girly Crew Tee. Made
of 4.4-ounce, 25% ring-spun
cotton/50% polyester/25% rayon,
this T-shirt is available in fi ve
colors — Charcoal, Denim Blue,
Purple, Pink Raspberry and New
Red — in sizes XS-4XL.
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this year’s teen and tween market
is no different than last year’s:
Certain looks are in and before
you know it, they’ll be out. Decorators
are striving to keep pace with what’s hot
— looking to TV shows, music and social
networks for a little help — in order to
supply the styles these young consumers
are looking for this season.
To hear more about the current
trends in the teen and tween market,
we sat down with industry experts Rhea
Aslin, senior brand manager for SanMar
Corp.’s District brand; Morey Mayeri,
president of Royal Apparel; Jessica Clifford,
marketing coordinator for Kavio!;
Celeste Vella, customer service manager
for Independent Trading Co.; and Crystal
Jones, production coordinator for Next
Independent Trading
Co.’s unisex hooded sweat shirt
jacket (style AFX90UNZ) features
a contrasting white zipper and
hoodie drawcord. It is made
of 7-ounce, 80% cotton/20%
polyester fl eece and is slim cut.
Twelve colors are available
in sizes S-3XL.
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Level Apparel. So, before this year’s
trends come and go, read on to see what
they had to say:
Aslin: Teens today seek unique T-shirt
fabrics and designs, such as Tri-blend, which
combines polyester, cotton and rayon for a soft,
lived-in look. Because teens are looking for the
next best thing, we recently introduced Textured
Cotton from District, which gives shirts a specialty
[T-shirt] look with a premium feel that can
be easily decorated.
Mayeri: As for the hottest styles among
teens right now, I’m defi nitely seeing a lot of
jersey tanks and dolman-sleeve shirts. Burnout
also is a big trend across the board, and also for
teens. In terms of licensed characters or properties,
teens seem to be really into political designs
Flexfi t’s Premium Fitted 210 Youth
cap (style 6210Y) is made of 83%
acrylic/15% wool/2% Lycra spandex.
It features 210 taping on the inside
seams, hard buckram, a 3.75-inch
crown and a moisture-absorbent
headband. It is bottom stitched for
durability and has a matching-color
undervisor.
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infoaction
Industry Experts Talk Teen and Tween Trends
with the upcoming election. The ’60s mod look is
in development — I think it’s where we’re going.
Clifford: Bright neon colors, bold graphics
and more fashion-forward bodies with dolman
sleeves and slouchy silhouettes are trending right
now in the teen and tween marketplace.
Vella: I would say the trend we are seeing
for teens and tweens would be large neck
openings or off-the-shoulder crews, looser-knit
fabrics and neon colors.
Jones: The younger generations are always
trying to be like their older siblings and family
members. A wide-cut top with the tank underneath
is a popular look right now. The dolman-cut top
also is in style; that sort of boxy, roomy look will be
very big this summer. — L.M.
30 Impressions | June/July 2012 impressionsmag.com