To be concerned my DD may be a target in secondary school.

Don't be ridiculous, I liked brands as a teen, I wanted all the latest trainers, coats etc. Believe it or not I'm now 35 and haven't got myself in to massive debt to keep up with what teenage girls are wearing. It's important to some kids and you don't have to be so condescending about it.

I am not into big brands myself and my dd likes low key clothes over large logos. But, I have little tolerance for sneery, snobby behaviour especially when grown women act like that about teen girls. I know some women who behave like this and they call themselves feminists too. They have a blind spot towards their own deep seated misogyny. Women sneering at young girls is immature and extremely unpleasant. It's like they haven't grown past the disappointments they experienced during their own teenage years and are projecting.

Mine is like this- never into brands etc happy in a charity shop.

I bought her some Amazon in ear headphones that were £20 she has long hair and everyone was talking about her apple ear phones and telling her how cool she was - she looked at them like meh 🫤.

My nephew is the same, he seems so young compared to others his age (although he is the youngest in his school year)…..not really into football or gaming, or the latest films etc, very happy still building Lego towns and riding his bike in the woods. I do worry for him starting high school next year but hope he finds his gang.

My DD is similar OP, she's in y11 now. She is extremely quiet at school and has no interest in fashion. She has some nice friends and has not had any particular trouble beyond the usual small number of teens being annoying.

At a big secondary school there will be such a mix of kids there, including other autistic children. Your DD is likely to meet others she has lots in common with.

Your daughter has the maturity and good sense to just roll her eyes at anyone who has a dig about her preferred brand of anything. I'd support her in that. Good for her.

The fact that anyone would waste £35 on a water bottle just shows their own insecurities. They are creating the fashion victims of the future.

My ds is the same. He couldn't care less about brands. I've no idea what make his trainers are, he chose them because they fit well. His rucksack was £15 from sports direct. Still in one piece after a year.

Enjoy your lovely intelligent daughter. She won't be the one getting herself in a credit card mess in a few years, chasing the latest must-have.

My son's not into brands. All his t shirts and jumpers reflect his particular hobby. And he lived in tracksuit bottoms until this year (year 9). He's got an awesome group of friends and I think is just oblivious to the pressure to have a particular cup or pair of shoes.

Exactly. People have been supportive of the OP and her daughter - as have I - but there's the usual snobbery towards mainstream kids who DO like the brands.
Each to their own.

Where we live it’s all about not showing the brand! Boys go for the plastic bag from JD sports as their PE bag!! Recent ski trip they all had stuff from decathlon.

Some areas it isn’t about the label - there may be a small group that care but majority don’t! The boys all wear plain T-shirts (usually black or white)

My daughter was chuffed with her £6 primary version of the Stanley cup!

Fascinating to see so many judgmental and snobby posts happily putting young girls down for their personal choices on a thread where OP is worried that her dd will be a target for sticking with her personal choices🤔😂So it's ok to be 'different' but it's not ok to be mainstream? Why can't girls just be accepted for who they are, whether they love branded items or don't notice them. Like.... look beyond what meets the eye?

My dc went to quite a posh grammar school.Anything branded was banned, but any 'labels' were regarded as chav!

I have identical twins. One had a white fox sweater (I’m pretty sure it’s a fake) and Nike everything. Nike bag was a big thing - it’s like they’ve just added to the uniform as they all have the same. The other twin is bohemian in her style and not interested in Nike. She loves colours and had a bright yellow superdry bag for years 7 and 8, plus yellow puffer type coat. The kids round school played yellow car with her (which actually she found hilarious and made her popular with older dc). She’s now gone for darker colours and has a dark navy bag with more subtle rainbow colour trim. Not Nike. She occasionally gets teased by “the dumb group of kids” but she’s not bothered and has a great group of friends.

This! Ignore competitive mums, don't give them the headspace. 😁 Not worth the anxiety.

she will not grow out of it any time soon
she doesn’t care about Nike trainers / Stanley cups or white fox hoodies actually she doesn’t care about names at all
I suggested a Stanley last Xmas and she was like why you going to spent 35.00 on a cup

She sounds ace, like she's got her head screwed on!
If she gets there and everyone actually is being competitive and it's not just mums, encourage her to enjoy being herself and not go with what everyone else is just because she thinks she should.
Embrace being you and individuality

I think your daughter sounds wonderful. Happy and confident in her own skin. Continue to encourage her to be herself.

Most secondary schools have limited opportunities for branded stuff. School shoes at all 3 secondary schools my dc have gone to have had to have no obvious label (so no DMs or Kickers) and couldn’t be trainer style either. No handbag type school bags, just black rucksacks (I drove past a couple of times before they started, noticed Nike/ underarmour/ adidas bags so bought a cheap one of those brands in plain black- none of my dc cared which). Trainers- cheap Nike so as not to attract attention for PE once a week. Coats- I avoided bright colours and bought outdoor brands- cheap, practical and surprisingly socially acceptable.
Outside of school, the people she will see will be the ones who like her for her, so brands won’t matter. My (popular) DD and her friends were always quite cynical about the “popular girls” who were into brands and makeup and little else!

She honestly could not care less what others wear haha she pays no attention to shoes someone is wearing
I mean not to judge girls for actually liking and being interested in fashion, brands, trends. Live and let live, liking mainstream fashion is fine as is not liking it. Neither is culturally or morally superior or inferior, people like different things that's ok..

Does your dd have a diagnosis and support in place? Is her senior school supportive of SEN? Does she understand that it's ok to be different and that this goes for everyone, which means the girls who like the things your dd is currently not into are also ok as they are and not try hard, from poorer areas, less cultured or classy, or less interesting as has been indicated on this thread. Live and let live is a good motto, don't be too judgemental.

she had a very specific like and everything is based on that.
she will not grow out of it any time soon
I think this is kind of cool, as long as she understand that others can be more varied and less into just one type of thing. She should totally own her 'thing' whatever it is but understand that others may not relate to this or may not gel. Yet others will totally get it and seek her out as a good friend they have something in common with.

she doesn’t care about Nike trainers / Stanley cups or white fox hoodies actually she doesn’t care about names at all.
That's ok white fox are out anyway 😂they are not really for 10/11 year olds, older teens have moved on to cooler brands. Nike trainers are just trainer, right? My dm wears them.

You'll find that Ince they are actually in senior school, they change so much so fast. Girls especially like to fit in with their peers, if not with the more mainstream ones than the subcultures. She'll find her people, but do try and teach her that tolerance goes both ways and judging girls who do like certain items of clothing or ridiculing them for being into certain brands is not cool. Practice what you preach. HTH.

She'll be fine. She will find her own group of likeminded people. It's not like primary, where they're all just lumped together!
Don't buy into the other parents' own anxieties and insecurities.

I know it's not the same age range, but the other day I got this bag, it was just a brand new Land Rover bag for kids with animals on them (size wise are appropriate for 5 to 7-year-olds) and that's what I've got.
And I do like to dress my children nicely, but I don't see the need to get out of my way to sleepy brands and what really got me was my partner's comment - that his bag doesn't look cool enough and the other children going comment on him. He is 5 and year 1 !
So , it is the parents who set up the kids for judgemental attitude towards what other swear from very young age. That is sad !

Delete the FB group!!!

Good for her she knows her own mind.

DS is dyslexic and never wanted the brands either.

I remember saying to my DD that the things that make you different from the crowd at school are the things that will make you special as you get older.

That's what has happened. She was a little "odd" at school but now at college and uni she's the fun and quirky one.

She sounds like a nice, grounded young woman. Encourage her to continue being herself. Sheep mentality often trickles down from parents to children

Adult with CP here if there's anything else you want to ask.