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Original poster

Anyone elses teen only wear nike and adidas?

185 replies

Tattooedmama · 06/12/2019 11:21

I hope im not alone

My 14 year old is now in mens clothes and a huge size 9 feet, he will refuse point blank to wear anything except nike and adidas (that includes socks) and his new obsession is only wearing CK boxers Confused
We havent got huge amounts of money and at just under £30 per pair of trousers i would never afford a full wardrobe of clothes.
He has 3 or 4 trousers and 5/5 tops as he chucked out all his clothes that werent brand named.
He had £110 the other day and all he managed to get was 2 tops, 2 trousers and 1 pair firetrap jeans.
He knows i cant afford these expensive clothes and £170 trainers, but he wont accept primark or cheaper sports brand.
And £20 for 2 pairs of boxers is ridiculous (he used his pocket money for them)
He gets his expensive trainers and football boots at christmas because i refuse to pay that amount of money when every month hes moaning his feet are growing and shoes getting small, he got new football boots a size bigger for his birthday last month and i could have exploded when he said last week they are getting tight and need new ones soon.

I feel cruel he dont have lots of clothes, but what can i do when he will refuse to wear anything without a brand, hes so materialistic its annoying.

OP posts:
SerenDippitty · 07/12/2019 09:07

What about you, mama, are you picky about the things you buy?😊

If she ‘s earning the money to pay for them she can be as picky as she likes.

Snuffkindle · 07/12/2019 09:55

My 13 year old is the same. His Christmas list is full of Tommy Hilfiger and Air Max. He has been worse since starting at the grammar school. There are a lot of rich kids to keep up with. We had parents evening the other night for his older brother (who thankfully isn't into labels) and I was looking at what coats the kids were wearing as he is getting ready for a new winter coat. There was one particular north face one I thought he'd like so looked it up when we got home - £335!!!! Luckily he isn't bothered about labels, and was easily persuaded that a Next own brand coat was fine. Dread to think about his little brother when he gets up to men's sizes though....

Vulpine · 07/12/2019 10:06

Serendipity - of course she can be as picky as she likes if she's earning the money but she can't be surprised if her kids follow suit. I'm not into labels and not surprisingly, nor are my kids

PenelopeFlintstone · 07/12/2019 10:06

He has been worse since starting at the grammar school. There are a lot of rich kids to keep up with.
That’s exactly what happened with my son. All of a sudden our house and car weren’t ‘good enough’ either. This makes him sound spoilt but he was genuinely distressed.
He’s 17 now and slowly starting to relax. We’re not what anyone would call poor but we’re not particularly materialistic.

ThanksForAllTheFish · 07/12/2019 10:11

£170 on trainers for someone with growing feet is madness. He can get branded Nike or addidas trainers for much less than that. CK boxers are sold in TK maxx for cheaper - I’m sure it’s about £15 for a 2 pack. If he’s happy to wear a patterned version then they are often on sale. You can also get other branded boxers in there that are cheaper still and still have a designer name on them.

You say he looks after his things well, in that case I would be encouraging him to eBay his trainers and clothes he’s outgrown (obviously you would have to do it as he’s too young but get him to do the whole taking photos and writing the description part). Tell him he can use the money from selling them to put towards new things. I would bet that once he starts selling and having a proper look through eBay to check prices of what items are selling for, he will be asking to buy stuff from there as he will get much more for his money. At 14 if you just say you will buy him things secondhand he will turn his nose up at it, but if he finds it on his own then it will probably be the best thing ever. That’s just what 14 year olds do.

Elodie2019 · 07/12/2019 10:17

He has been worse since starting at the grammar school. There are a lot of rich kids to keep up with.

Not just a Grammar school problem.
I worked for years at a school in a very deprived city area and brands were everywhere. Lots of bullying and keeping up with the latest expensive brand.
I now work in a very mixed area, very very rich and very poor. Hardly any of the children wear anything other than 'normal' clothes/coats.
It's good to see high school children just getting on with life.

Addsverisimilitude · 07/12/2019 10:23

TK Maxx is great. Also outlet stores can be brilliant in the sales; I have two friends' children who only like branded goods and I've bought them Nike hoodies for £10 in the sale for their birthdays.
I feel really lucky with my children's school. They all happily wear anything - supermarket/Primark etc all fine.

SerenDippitty · 07/12/2019 10:28

Serendipity - of course she can be as picky as she likes if she's earning the money but she can't be surprised if her kids follow suit. I'm not into labels and not surprisingly, nor are my kids

Neither am I. But my point was that being picky is not a right, it’s a privilege of earning your own money. The OP has to prioritise between essential and non essential stuff. Her son doesn’t.

19lottie82 · 07/12/2019 13:24

he may feel a bit differently about his beloved brands if he understands their connections with child labour and sweated labour.

Despite the fact that Primark are even worse in this department? You can pick up a Nike sweatshirt in TK Max / outlets for under £25, you’d be hard pushed to find on that was produced sustainably for less than that.

ManiacalLapwing · 07/12/2019 13:37

I don't see anything wrong with his clothing preferences. As long as he can get the minimum he needs within budget, enough so he always has spare clean clothing, isn't running the washing machine half full and can go on holiday for a week without needing to do a wash then I think it's fine.

I would expect him to pay the difference on shoes because he would likely only have one pair of each type he needs, so no option to buy less unlike clothing.

woodhill · 07/12/2019 19:53

Absolutely @SerenDippitty but it wouldn't be something I would be encouraging with my own dc

However OP said she wasn't bothered about labels herself

Everydayishistorytomorrow · 07/12/2019 20:05

I taught my son from a very early age, clothes are there to cover the body and keep you warm. Labels just try to show other people (who don't really give a damn) what you have or don't. He has never cared about labels as he doesn't want to waste money that he could spend on something more useful or save in the bank. He likes his bank account growing rather than wasting it on toys/clothes he would grow out of or get bored of in months. As such he has a very healthy bank account and not many clothes. At 12 he has a size 9 adult shoe size. It would be a total waste of money to service such superficial needs. You could suggest he gets a paper round if he wants to buy his own clothes, otherwise wear what you buy or go naked.... end of!

blubberyboo · 07/12/2019 20:44

Boys don’t need a huge wardrobe. My son was the same and it was fine but he understands If he wants these brand names then he’ll just have to make do with only having a few pieces to wear at weekends and weekdays is uniform followed by pjs.

Don’t waste money buying other stuff from primark etc as he won’t ever wear it and you’ll end up giving it to charity

CurlsandCurves · 07/12/2019 21:15

I have an almost 15 year old who would love to be decked out in a wardrobe of designer gear. But he understands the value of money and that some people have more than others to spend. It’s not a difficult thing to explain, why does your son not get that while you obviously do your best for him, you can’t give him everything?

As a parent I do my best, trawl the sales for stuff he’d like ( he’s often better than me at this!)

I will never hide from my kids the reality of how finances work and if I can’t afford something, they know. No shame in them understanding that some things are completely out of reach for us, or that we have to wait a bit longer and save a bit more.

Original poster
Tattooedmama · 07/12/2019 21:36

Of course i do tell him no, which is why the quantity in his wardrobe is limited as i cant afford it.
I hit the JD sales and he likes the odd thing from sports direct.
He knows the jist of the finances, he still tries his luck though.
I will try other places tho and look on Ebay aswell see if i can find any pre owned items he may like.

Im definitely not picky with brands, i love most ladies clothing shops and love a carboot sale on a Sunday morning where i tend to pick up bits for myself

OP posts:
PenelopeFlintstone · 07/12/2019 21:54

Everydayishistorynow They were all like that at 12.
CurlsandCurves - he probably does get that she’s doing her best and can’t give him everything but is struggling with peer pressure. I’m sure she’s explained it multiple times. He’ll probably get better as he gets a little bit older, like mine did.
Can he get a job, OP? Is he old enough for a fast food shop?

CurlsandCurves · 07/12/2019 22:02

OP A job would be great for him if he can get one. My DS has a paper round that earns him a grand total of £5 a week but it’s better than nothing and it’s about all he can get at his age.

We did teach him to use the lawnmower towards the end of the summer so hopefully he can do that for us and the neighbours next year for a bit of money too.

DH would go up to his dads work after school on a Friday and wash cars at this age.

I’m just sharing all I’ve got as our kids sound similar. Want all the things so let’s encourage them to go out and do what they can.

AuntyElle · 07/12/2019 22:06

“He has a polo shirt exchange with his grandad who is a similar size, they swap when they get bored of their respective tops.“

This is just lovely, Wiener

TheTruthAboutLove · 07/12/2019 22:37

Whoever mentioned Schuh Imperfects - thank you so much! I just got myself a pair of Timberland boots for £45 instead of £140, I’m over the moon. Especially as it has pictures of the shoes and one had slight discolouration from being the boot being on display in store.

I’m obviously not a teenager but love brands. I’m about to start a new job in high end fashion so labels are a huge thing. Think of a store that sells Moncler, Canada Goose, Stone Island blah blah and even the lower level staff are dressed head to toe in those brands! Anyway, I mix brand new stuff with places like Depop. I got a brand new Fred Perry shirt for £15 on there the other day which was awesome and some other Timberland boots for £35 that were sold because they were the wrong size.

Nike and Adidas aren’t too pricey! Think yourself lucky OP. We have a Nike and Adidas outlet locally which are great but tops and trousers aren’t that expensive in Sports Direct. JD Sports is always the more expensive of the two, or try the Foot Asylum sale rails, they are brilliant for £15 a time branded t-shirts.

AuntyElle · 07/12/2019 22:40

“Nike and Adidas aren’t too pricey!“

How insensitive and unhelpful, TheTruthAboutLove. It very much depends on your income.

Newmumma83 · 07/12/2019 22:46

@Tattooedmama my brother went through a similar phase my dad gave him the equivalent of what they would spend on clothes / trainers he had to earn the rest

Time to look for a job And realise how hard the money is to come by ...if he chooses to throw away his wardrobe that’s down to him good job he has ck underwear to go out in Grin

Skyejuly · 07/12/2019 22:48

I think they are expensive compared to other stuff!

TheTruthAboutLove · 07/12/2019 22:54

@AuntyElle

In the OP it states the boy had £110 to go out and buy new clothes. If he was sticking to Nike and Adidas and sticking to shops like TK Maxx, Sports Direct, outlets and the sale rails in Foot Asylum and JD Sports, you can quite easily come out with 5/6 items of clothing with that money.

You’d be spending the same money on Nike/Adidas in those sort of places as if a random woman would in New Look or even the lower end of Next. If you’re looking at the £50 Nike hoodies you’ll get hardly anything, but if you’re smart and shop sensibly for those brands it’s doable on that kind of money.

It’s when the North Face and Hugo Boss, EA7 and Lacoste types of clothing start. That’s when it gets harder.

Starlight456 · 07/12/2019 23:06

My Ds goes to a none uniform school. He likes Nike , Adidas etc .

I told him I wasn’t buying branded joggers as he kept going through the knees. But I ended up getting joggers in sale at Jd cheaper than his primark.

He does have a mix of some unbranded , some off M&M.

If he has a uniform he has enough except maybe boxers. He is just in growth spurt age

PineappleDanish · 07/12/2019 23:07

I have a 16 years old boy and 14 year old girl. Neither are brand obsessed. Dd likes primark, DS not interested in clothes.

You need to say no. A child does not dictate to the adults.

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