Designer labels are wearing out for the young

By BRIAN LIBERATORE

Article appeared Oct. 11, 2002

DESIGNER labels are losing their appeal among young people, a survey found. Nearly 40 per cent said brand names should not be seen on clothes, trainers and accessories.

Trudy Croad, who heads the ROAR consortium of media companies that commissioned the research among 15 to 24-year-olds, said: “Logos have have always been a symbol of who you are, but young people don’t want to be labelled by their clothing. It’s not about what you wear or how you look, it’s about your passion for life.”

A total of 35 per cent said that designer logos were no longer important to them at all. Steve Watkins, of 2CV, the market research company that conducted the study, suggested that this was in part because they felt their individual identity might be threatened.
One survey participant said: “I won’t buy Reebok because everyone has them. I just look like one of the lemmings.”

Ethical concerns — such as the conditions of foreign workers making the items — affected the choice of brand for 15 per cent. “Business studies is one of the most important courses these days but ethics are not part of the equation,” Mr Watkins said.

The survey, based on interviews with 1,200 young people, found that clubbing, going to the pub and hanging out with friends were the favourite activities for young adults. Taking part in sport was far less popular and the generation brought up on computer games and the internet appeared to be lacking in creativity — 37 per cent said that they were actively involved in creating something new in an area they feel passionately about.

Many said that they felt overwhelmed by the need to succeed, and that the need to be self-reliant placed them under huge individual stress.