Generation Alpha retail

Brands and retailers are eschewing traditional gender categories in favor of gender-neutral products and lines. PacSun launched a new gender-neutral children’s clothing brand, PacSun Kids, in June 2021, followed by its own gender-neutral label, Colour Range, in September and its first gender-free kids’ clothing store two months later. In October 2021, California became the first US state to enforce genderless retail, thanks to a new law requiring large stores to have gender-neutral sections for toys and childcare. “The segregation of toys by a social construct of what is appropriate for which gender is the antithesis of modern thinking,” says Democrat assemblymember and the law’s co-author Evan Low.

Brands and retailers are also widening their offerings to be more inclusive of a range of physical and mental abilities. Nike launched hands-free sneakers and adaptive clothing for kids in January 2022. JCPenney launched children’s clothing with adaptive features in July 2021, and partnered with adaptive fashion marketplace Patti & Ricky to expand its range of adaptive accessories for kids. In June 2021, Headspace, Sesame Street, and Penguin Random House joined forces to launch Monster Meditation, a six-book series to “help children learn the fundamentals of mindfulness, meditation, and social and emotional learning.”