Teens and millennials are obsessed with Gucci – we find out why they love it
Creative director Alessandro Michele favours bright, eclectic colours and patterns that are engaging, eye-catching and look good on Instagram
This article was written for Business Insider by Jessica Tyler.
Teens and millennials love Gucci.
In the first three quarters of 2017, around 55 per cent of Gucci’s sales were made to consumers younger than 35, according to a report by consultancy firm Bain & Company last October. In April, research analysts at Piper Jaffray conducted a survey of 6,000 teens across the United States and found that Gucci was No 10 on the list of teens' favourite apparel brands. In the first quarter of 2018 alone, the brand’s comparable sales grew 48.7 per cent.
Gucci’s success comes in part from the creative direction of Alessandro Michele, who has led the brand since 2015. Michele seems to have a keen awareness of what young people want, including bright, eclectic colours and patterns that are engaging, eye-catching and look good on Instagram.
The brand is also benefiting from the revival of 1990s style. Logos are back in fashion with younger shoppers, and Gucci, Calvin Klein, Champion and Tommy Hilfiger are benefiting.
Another reason luxury brands are becoming more popular among teens – even though they may not be able to afford the products – is the star factor. Young people often see celebrities Lil Pump and Harry Styles wearing designer brands and want to emulate them.
Celebrity stylist Jayneoni Moore told Racked that when teens see entertainers in high fashion: “They may say: ‘Let me save up enough money for a Gucci belt, even if I’m putting on my Target jeans.”
To see what the hype is all about, we headed to a Gucci store at Brookfield Place in Manhattan.
