<span style="color: #787878;">Athletic categories again delivered strong mindshare among teens with athletic footwear gaining share among females, according to Piper Sandler’s 44th Semi-Annual Generation Z Fall 2022 Survey. 

Nike and Lululemon were the most popular brands among teens in the active lifestyle space. Other popular brands included Converse, Crocs, Shein, On, and PacSun, while Vans, Adidas and Under Armour lost ground with teens.

Piper Sandler’s data come from a survey of 14,500 teens across the U.S. conducted from August 12 to September 23, 2022. The average age of the respondent was 15.8 years. 

In its report, Piper Sandler broke out trends among upper-income teens since the group often indicates future broader trends.

Athletic Apparel Mindshare Remains Strong, Led by Nike
In the athletic apparel category, 44 percent of upper-income teens preferred apparel brands that are “athletic,” consistent with Piper Sandler’s Spring 2022 survey.

The company said the athletic apparel trend “may be peaking,” with 44 percent of upper-income teens preferring athletic apparel brands flat to its Spring 2022 survey; however, athletic apparel gained mindshare in recent years with upper-income teens from 37 percent five years ago and 20 percent a decade ago.

Among those winning favor with teens, Nike has continued to rank as the favorite apparel brand for more than ten years, with a 31 percent share among all teens surveyed in its Fall 2022 survey, up 400 basis points year-over-year. Lululemon took the No. 2 brand spot from American Eagle, gaining 100 basis points year-over-year. Shein, the Chinese fast-fashion website, moved from No. 6 to No. 5, maintaining a 4 percent mindshare year-over-year. H&M gained 100 basis points in mindshare year-over-year.

Among those losing share among teens, Adidas fell from the No. 4 position last year to No. 7, decreasing mindshare by 200 basis points year-over-year. Vans fell out of the Top 10 ranking, with PacSun and Hollister also losing ground among teens.

Overall, the survey found that the Top 10 favorite brands among the teen surveyed were Nike, 31 percent; Lululemon and American Eagle, each at 6 percent; H&M, Shein, PacSun, each at 4 percent; Adidas, 3 percent; and Hollister, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, 2 percent, respectively.

Other findings for the overall apparel category include the following:

  • Favorite clothing brands (all teens male): Nike, 46 percent; Adidas, 6 percent; H&M, 3 percent; American Eagle, Under Armour, Lululemon, Hollister, PacSun, Champion, and Vans, all at 2 percent, respectively.
  • Favorite clothing brands (all teens, female): Nike, 15 percent; Lululemon, 11 percent; American Eagle, 9 percent; Shein, 7 percent; PacSun and H&M, 5 percent, respectively; Urban Outfitters, Hollister, and Forever 21, 3 percent, respectively; and Zara, 2 percent.

Lululemon Sees Gains In Favorite Athletic Clothing Brands
Among athletic apparel brands’ preference among all teens, Nike lost 400 basis points year-over-year, Adidas lost 100 basis points, while Lululemon gained 500 basis points. 

Lululemon gained 600 basis points year-over-year among all females surveyed and is up 400 basis points versus spring 2022.  Under Armour remained the No. 3 brand for all males but lost 100 basis points of share sequentially and is down 200 basis points year-over-year. Dick’s Sporting Goods took the No. 6 spot for all teens surveyed for the male and female segments. The North Face was the No. 7 brand for all teens and all teen males. Athleta was the No. 8 brand for all female teens, followed by The North Face.

Findings for the overall apparel category include:

  • Top 5 athletic clothing brands (all male and female teens): Nike, 61 percent; Lululemon, 12 percent; Adidas, 7 percent; Under Armour, 5 percent; GymShark, 3 percent.
  • Top 5 athletic clothing brands (all teens, male): Nike, 68 percent; Adidas, 9 percent; Under Armour, 7 percent; GymShark and Lululemon, 2 percent, respectively.
  • Top 5 athletic clothing brands (all teens, female): Nike, 55 percent; Lululemon, 22 percent; Adidas, 4 percent; Under Armour and GymShark, 3 percent, respectively.

Athletic Footwear Continues Gaining Share Among Females
Among female teens, 88 percent prefer an athletic footwear brand, up 200 basis points year-over-year, surpassing its previous survey high of 86 percent in Fall 2021. 

Preference for athletic footwear among female teens increased at 22 percent in its Fall 2021 survey. Among male teens, 86 percent prefer an athletic footwear brand, down 100 basis points from 87 percent in its Fall 2021 survey.

On the upside, Nike continued as the number one overall preferred brand by teens across all footwear categories, gaining 300 basis points year-over-year to 60 percent, although flat sequentially. Converse gained 300 basis points year-over-year, moving into the No. 2 position.

Among those losing ground, Vans lost 400 basis points while Adidas gave back 200 basis points in footwear preference.  Under Armour did not remain in the Top 10 sequentially. Crocs moved into the No. 5 spot, gaining 100 basis points of share year-over-year. HeyDude moved up to No. 7 from No. 8 in 2021. Birkenstock outpaced Dr. Martens to claim the No. 9 position.

The mindshare findings on favorite footwear brands include:

  • Favorite footwear brands (all teens, both genders): Nike, 60 percent; Converse, 10 percent; Adidas and Vans, 7 percent, respectively; Crocs, 2 percent; New Balance, Hey Dude, Foot Locker, Birkenstock, and Dr. Martens, 1 percent respectively.
  • Favorite footwear brands (all teens, male): Nike, 64 percent; Adidas, 11 percent; Vans, 6 percent; Converse, 3 percent; New Balance and Crocs, 2 percent, respectively; Hey Dude, Foot Locker, Under Armour and Puma, 1 percent, respectively.
  • Favorite footwear brands (all teens, female): Nike, 56 percent; Converse, 18 percent; Vans, 7 percent; Adidas, 3 percent; Crocs, 2 percent; New Balance, Hey Dude, Birkenstock, Dr. Martens and Foot Locker, 1 percent, respectively.

Hoka And On Running Gain Traction In Athletic Footwear
For all upper-income teens, Hoka and On took the No. 4 and No. 5 spots for the first time in the survey. It is also the first time that neither Brooks nor Asics were in the Top 5 since 2010. Under Armour took the No. 6 spot, followed by Brooks, then Asics. 

For upper-income males, Hoka and Asics tied for No. 6, followed by On, Puma, and Vans at No. 8 through No. 10. Among upper-income females, Brooks and Asics took the No. 6 and No. 7 positions, followed by Under Armour at No. 8, Converse and Lululemon tied for No. 9.

Findings in athletic footwear mindshare include:

  • Favorite athletic footwear brands (upper-income teens, both male and female): Nike, 75 percent; Adidas, 11 percent; New Balance, Hoka, On Running, 2 percent, respectively.
  • Favorite athletic footwear brands (upper-income teens, male): Nike, 72 percent; Adidas, 15 percent; New Balance, 3 percent; Under Armour, 2 percent; Brooks, 1 percent.
  • Favorite athletic footwear brands (upper-income teens, female): Nike, 78 percent; Adidas, 6 percent; Hoka and On Running, 3 percent, respectively, and New Balance, 2 percent.

Other findings from Piper Sandler’s Fall 2022 Survey include:

  • Top fashion trends (upper-income teens, female): Leggings/Lululemon, 36 percent; crop tops, 13 percent; jeans, 7 percent; baggy/saggy pants, 6 percent; Nike/Jordans, 5 percent; hair trends, Converse, athletic wear, mom jeans all at 2 percent; respectively; hoodies, 1 percent.
  • Top fashion trends (upper-income teens, male): Nike/Jordans, 24 percent; athletic wear, 10 percent; hoodies, 6 percent; 5-inch inseam shorts, 5 percent; short shorts, 4 percent; baggy/saggy pants, shorts and Crocs, 4 percent, respectively; hair trends, 3 percent; leggings/Lululemon, 2 percent.
  • Top brands starting to be worn (upper-income teens, males): Nike, 13 percent; Adidas, 10 percent; Champion, 6 percent; Lululemon, 5 percent; New Balance and Under Armour, 4 percent, respectively; Hollister, H&M, American Eagle, and Vans, 3 percent, respectively.
  • Top brands starting to be worn (upper-income teens, females): Lululemon, 11 percent; American Eagle, 8 percent; Zara, 6 percent; Nike and PacSun, 5 percent, respectively; Brandy Melville, Urban Outfitters, H&M, and Garage, 4 percent, respectively; Free People, 3 percent.

Photo courtesy Lululemon