Gen Z Discovers Apparel Shopping IRL Is Cool

MoneyInvestingGen Z Discovers Apparel Shopping IRL Is CoolByGreg Petro,Contributor.Follow AuthorMay 07, 2026, 01:53pm EDTMay 07, 2026, 01:55pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Gen Z Discovers Apparel Shopping IRL Is CoolgettyThe history of fashion is pendulum-like: each generation’s fresh new look emerges, peaks, and then ages out to become the butt of the next generation’s jokes (e.g., “mom jeans”). This time the swing goes beyond fashion to include how young consumers shop, and especially where. The fresh new look today belongs to Gen Z (roughly 15-30) — the first all-digital generation; the largest generation (about 70 million in the US); and the target of the booming “social commerce” market. Gen Zers came of age in a world of frictionless e-commerce, with a good chunk of their school and social lives interrupted and defined by the pandemic. Today the pendulum is swinging away from that digital life and toward experiences IRL — “in real life.” A Gen Zer who two years ago might have posted to TikTok bragging about their latest Shein “haul” (shopping spree), this year is more likely to skip the “Buy Now” button and instead make plans with friends to “vibe” at the mall, and then turn that visit into a TikTok video.According to a recent Financial Times report on Gen Z trends, apparel stores like Edikted and Uniqlo in some of the UK’s largest shopping districts have been packed lately with teens and young adults who want to socialize while being able to “feel the material,” try garments on, and get feedback from friends.The embrace of real life among young people is in line with some of the other shifts that researchers have been tracking, many of which are said to be expressions of “historical nostalgia.” MORE FOR YOUA survey by Human Flourishing Lab, a Washington, DC-based think tank, found that 60% of Gen Zers “wish they could return to a time before everyone was ‘plugged in.’...