The Flux Generation

Understanding the cultural influences on tweens, teens and all that falls between.
Aug 1, 2008

Any adult raising an adolescent can tell you it's tough to get a good read sometimes. And with nearly 54 million U.S. children ages 8 to 19, marketers targeting these lucrative consumers have the same problem: How do they attract this tween and teen demographic?

Raging hormones are enough of a challenge to navigate, but today's youth also are immersed in an intense, constantly changing, integrating and upgrading technological society. They have to keep up with a sophisticated, in-your-face pop culture, so it's no wonder today's average kid has a short attention span and, often, a volatile personality.

Global brands and national retail chains spend a lot of money to research what drives the purchase impulse in teens and tweens. And even though custom apparel decorators don't sell directly to these kids via retail, you can bet your bottom dollar that style-focused kids influence what T-shirts and uniforms are ordered by coaches and parents.

So, Impressions has collected some teen and tween market research for you. In the following pages, we present the low-down on teen/tween trends in a visual style your young end-users would recognize.

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Green Shop Changes Things One Shirt at a Time
This married couple's steady success proves that any decorator can become green certified and survive.
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Green Cleaners Step Forward
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Growing Green
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October 01, 2008

Versatility Breeds Success in Wovens
Specialty detailing, functional features and washes give wholesale wovens advantages that rival those at retail.
The old saying, "You can't please everybody," doesn't apply to woven shirts in the wholesale apparel market. Today's wovens manufacturers offer an array of styles, fits and performance qualities to suit even the pickiest of customers. Specifically, in the corporate realm, these wholesale manufacturers have added specialty detailing that will allow custom decorators to give retail wovens a run for their money.
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Productivity Grows with Proper Art Department Gear
Follow these tips when shopping for equipment and software tools for your art department team.
If you're thinking about adding an art department to your business — or if you're just considering upgrading your existing one to make it current — you may be wondering where to begin. What kind of equipment do you really need? What kind of pens, pencils and brushes should you buy? What size computer and which software programs?
October 01, 2008