• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 10, 2025

Teens fashion vibe: It's all about Ugg

If you want to know where youth culture is heading, look at their closets -- and their checkout carts. Piper Sandler’s new teen trend report shows Lululemon losing ground, Nike slipping with girls, and beauty spending hitting an all-time high.

The survey, which tracks brand preferences around the country, found the biggest shifts among across upper-income teens. For those girls, Ugg has overtaken Lululemon as the No. 1 fashion trend -- a spot Lulu has held since 2018. In overall apparel rankings, Lululemon is now No. 3, edged out by Hollister at No. 1 and Brandy Melville at No. 2.

Nike also appears to be on shakier footing. While the athletic giant remains the No. 1 brand in combined apparel and footwear, its dominance is waning. The brand scored 49% mindshare this spring, down from a 60% average in 2023. Among teen girls, Nike’s decline is sharper: The brand’s popularity fell below 40% for the first time since 2020.

The 25-year-old survey, fielded twice a year by the investment bank, includes responses from 6,400 teens with a median household income of $65,995. Their self-reported annual spending is $2,388, a slight increase from last year, with 37% saying they work part time.

Beauty is booming, with average spending hitting a record $370. E.L.F. continues to dominate the category, earning a 35% mindshare -- nearly quadruple that of No. 2 brand Rare Beauty, backed by Selena Gomez. Sephora remains the top beauty retailer, followed closely by Ulta.

Most of the top brands held steady. Chick-fil-A maintained its lead as teens’ favorite chain restaurant, ahead of McDonald’s and Chipotle. Dr. Pepper retained its title as No. 1 beverage, followed by Coca-Cola and Gatorade.

Among influencers, LeBron James, Alix Earle, and MrBeast top the list. Favorite celebrities include LeBron again, along with Adam Sandler and Taylor Swift.

The report also detected shifts in where families shop. The number of teens reporting their households shop exclusively at Walmart is up across income groups, while the number of Target-only shoppers declined.