Europe: Lycra Research Focuses On Teens

Research shows that UK teens are more image conscious than their counterparts in France and Germany, research commissioned by DuPont Lycra showed. Wirthlin Worldwide conducted qualitative research into the attitudes and retail psychology of teenagers in UK, France and Germany. At the heart of fashion needs is the desire to 'look good and feel good'. While this theme was fundamentally important to all teens in all countries, younger girls (15-16 years) tended to focus more on looking good, while older girls (17-18 years) focus more on feeling good.Each country showed quite different and strong trends. UK teens value the confidence and attention that wearing good clothes brings. French teens, value style, the 'look' that compliments individual personality, while the German teens are less image-orientated, and look for functionality and practical comfort that will allow them to move freely in their clothes - with just a hint of elegance to acknowledge femininity. English and French teens are more willing than German teens to sacrifice comfort for fashion.The research was designed to give Lycra a deeper insight into teen values and attitudes towards apparel, shopping behaviour, purchasing patterns and what makes a brand 'cool'. Most importantly, the research was designed to show how Lycra could meet the ready to wear needs of today's opinion leading teenager. Michelle Fornhoff, youthwear manager for Lycra, said: "This research has proved invaluable for us. It has clearly defined the different dynamics in each market and will help us target our communications more effectively. The awareness of Lycra and its benefits is there, we just need to build on this."