From Label Networks Global Youth + Street Culture Intelligence:
Label Networks’ Hispanic Youth Culture Study 07’ uncovered new results on how the growing demographic of 13-24-year-olds in the United States is impacting the future of fashion in the youth culture in terms of top brands, influences, spending patterns, lifestyle traits, and trends.
With Hispanics being the 2nd largest population group in the United States, and the fastest growing demographic of young people overall, it is important to note what is influencing their fashion trends. The study looks at the Hispanic youth culture as a profile compared with other demographics; top new brands are unexpectedly considered favorites. The source for finding out about these new styles is greatly influenced from the streets over other fashion mediums.
Stores have been seen as not being as influential because many young people do not think that they represent their lifestyle. The internet is also an important fashion source for 15-17 year olds. The brand name has interestingly been discovered to not be as influential in terms of buying a specific brand among Hispanic youth culture and instead aspects of style, comfort, and fit outweigh the brand name itself.
In global youth culture studies, the question, “Which country do you think is producing the freshest fashion trends today?” was asked:
· 40.3% overall in the Hispanic Youth Culture Study believe that the USA is producing the freshest fashion trends.
· Of these, 56.1% of males and 29.3% of females have a real sense of nationalistic pride for the USA producing the freshest fashion trends.
The spending patterns related to fashion in general as well as denim, T-shirts, and footwear, represent a market opportunity for new brands to make headway as well as a renovation of fresh ideas for older brands. Look out for Hispanic youth inspired fashion in the very near future!
Correction: the good looking couple of the photo are not Hispanics, they are Native people of the Americas. As most Mexicans, Central and South Americans we are brown people, not white Hispanics nor Latinos -which means southern European.
It’s also false to say that we are “2nd largest population group in the United States, and the fastest growing demographic of young people overall” simply because Latin Americans we are not ONE ethnic nor cultural group.
Most of us are either brown Native or Afro descendants. I can’t wait for the day when the media along with the US government stops imposing us a cultural identity.
Carlos,
Thank you very much for your comment. I have found no research as to the background ethnicity of the couple in the picture. Please clarify.
From my perspective, they are Latino (which can be a label that is somewhat general, but also pertinent to those living in the US). We recognize the sometimes ubiquitous use of Hispanic and Latino interchangeably and appreciate your comment. We also recognize that even the word Latino is non-inclusive of the pure indigenous peoples of Latin America. However, I would disagree with you and say that the majority of “Latinos” are inherently mestizo not just through ethnicity, but through culture and language from both Spain and the Americas.
Nevertheless, there is a need to make sense of the Hispanic/Latino market overall. Your comment that Latinos are not one ethnic nor cultural group is somewhat valid. There are distinct differences from Latin American countries, regions, states, and even cities. It is up to us, as marketers, to make sense of it all.
Saludos.