Millennials are so 2015. With the majority of Generation Y rounding 30, their priorities are shifting: They’re settling down,spending less, and probably still using Facebook. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s nothing new about it, either. And in today’s constant stream of change, if it’s not new, it’s boring.
Enter: Generation Z, the under-20 set that’s putting everything on display through Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and other apps so new, most millennials haven't heard of them. And, though many “olds" out there might reject the superficiality of this kind of communication, it has made today’s teenagers view the world as a blank canvas. Things that the rest of us always assumed were static — gender, jobs, community — are malleable for the Z-set.
Born between the late-‘90s and 2010, this crop of cool kids is the first generation to have grown up with the internet and social media since day one. They look up to Bella Hadid and Jayden Smith. The names Cameron Dallas and Bethany Mota make them freak out. They communicate via emoji and memes. They’re not only activists for individuality and inclusivity, but they assume all people have the freedom to define anything (and everything!) for themselves.
It makes sense, then, that fashion, an industry so rooted in newness, would move on from millennials to cater to the next generation. For retailers, they’re dream consumers; for luxury labels, they’re secret weapons. They differ from millennials in that they value things over experiences, typically thrift rather than shop fast fashion, and gravitate toward brands that promote a diverse, gender-neutral, edgy, and above all, authentic, vision. The old rules that the fashion industry has lived and died by (like status symbols and mass trends) ring hollow to them.
Before you scoff at their youth (and for many, the famous families that have helped leverage them to this point), let the designers, models, artists, actresses, and more below show you why they deserve to be taken seriously. Sure, they may be taking on conventional industry roles, but there’s nothing traditional about the way they’re approaching them: They’re tackling today’s “standards” of size, race, and gender; they’re starting trends, rather than following them; and they’re creating conversations around topics like sustainability and “plus-privilege.” And, despite their varying accomplishments, they all agree: The freedom of self-expression through clothing is not to be taken for granted. Here’s how 29 teen visionaries are changing the fashion industry, one selfie at a time.
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