Is Superdry the kiss of death to teen street cred

[IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads]

DS needs a new coat.
He is 16, but is a complete country mouse, and has no real concern for fashion.

He does like orange, and so do I, as he's more visible in the dark walking back from school.
He also likes parkas, as he's tall and anything waist length is more rib length on him (he's 6'3" with a long torso).

I've found this - ticks lots of boxes, but isn't Superdry a bit middle aged? DS is so nerdy that I don't want him to alienate himself even more from the cool kids.

Orange Parka

There’s a difference surely between a counterfeit and a cheaper brand’s version of an expensive design? The high street fashion industry is based on the latter.

Funnily enough, my 13 yo DS, who has not been bothered about brands before and have happily been wearing unbranded Next stuff, has now suddenly requested a Carhartt bomber jacket.

Please don't buy him an orange coat. This will NOT be cool.

Lots of children make it through school without being cool. It's only a vocal minority who all this crap matters too.

Absolutely!

Because it's usually poor or 'aspiring' people who are willing to pay over the top prices for brand names. This can apply whether it's Nike, Northface, or Luis Vuitton.

Truly wealthy people rarely care about brand names or labels, they look for quality. However, poorer people often have an inferiority complex, and feel that they need to 'prove' their status by showing that can afford certain labels (whether it's trainers, clothing, or handbags).

It's also why a lot of the expensive handbag brands (channel etc), and particularly the ones covered in branding, are seen as 'chavy' these days. After a certain price point, you aren't paying for the quality. You are paying for a label to prove your 'status' and worth.

We're neither poor nor aspiring don't care about designers but understand the tribal nature of youth wanting to fit in sometimes.

However, I do believe in quality, which does cost more and lasts decades.

Amazed that Carhartt is considered cool. We picked up loads in the US years ago when we were there for work. We were working outdoors and needed very rugged warm clothing. My DH still wears his jacket 20 plus years on. We also had a ton of Northface which is still holding its own.

Why would be surprised. What is cool has always been random. NF for example. Why was a very generic black puffer from an outdoor company considered cool. Nikes. Why were they so cool a few years ago. Why is anything suddenly cool? It's always been this way. Nothing weirder about carhartt than anything else

Exactly. Random utilitarian clothing brands suddenly have a moment. There was even a phase when Barbours were cool and people wore them to festivals.

I've done research and locally North Face is the thing. Superdry is 'OK'.

My 17 and 19 year olds are quite happy with Superdry and I would not be seen dead in it. Used to wear it when it was still Cult clothing but then it was bought out and became the kinda boring the kids like these days.

Seen all Black without any reflectors little kid’s coats in a Supermarket school wear aisle the other day. Ridiculous really as short as they are they should never wear black.

Roadman is the new term for chav if anyone isn’t aware

Not here, roadman isn’t a class descriptor. It’s more like being a goth or emo (or whatever the equivalents are now), it’s a style you adopt and a group or subculture that some kids try to fit in with. Plenty of middle class boys have gone “roadman” at my DCs’ school. Considered a bit tragic by my DC who are more creative/nerdy types - but it’s normal to seek out a tribe and looking hard is going to appeal to some boys.

Chav isn’t to do with class though. It’s as you say, their tribe. My kids talk about the chav’s at school and they are a mixed bunch when it comes to social class but have a lot of similarities around clothing and likes etc. Never heard the term Roadman so it mustn’t have made its way to our area yet.

Oh I thought chav was defined as a derogatory term for working class/underclass.

It is. And roadman isn’t a chav here. It’s someone pretending to be a hard guy in a street gang (no kids round here are actually IN gangs in the roadman sense).

No, it's not the same.

All these replies advising North Face. Have you seen the price?. However, I would be tempted to go for it and look for Northface, very good condition, on Vinted.

My kids define chavs as the girls who wear Nike leggings for school instead of trousers (when leggings are actually banned but their parents don’t seem to care). They wear lots of make up and spend ages on their hair. Usually carry a handbag rather than a backpack. Or no bag at all and don’t even take books or pencils to school. Usually the ones wearing those Vivienne Westwood style pumps rather than sturdy shoes. And then the Canada zavetti coats. Often in groups at school fussing over who they fancy and changing boyfriends like the wind!! Oh and they wear lots of jewellery, large hoops or dangly ear rings. Some are really clever and some are bottom sets. Some are from well off families and others from the poorer. Klarna replaces the old catalogue payments!! lol. The boys tend to be the popular sporty boys with the Nike stuff and the Canada coats too. Quite bothered about their appearance as well.

That’s basically a description of my youngest child. She’s not allowed to refer to herself as a chav however as I don’t approve of the classist nature of the term.

My youngest might end up in this category is she follows the crowd she’s joined at high school.

God knows what they call my eldest child’s friendship group??! She’s the autistic one, hangs round with a group of neurodivergent LGBTQ+ friends who all mostly follow rules. Not all the brainy top achievers but not the lower strugglers either. All into one of the creative arts subjects - music, drama, art, media, photography.

Classic Barbour jacket or vintage fishtail parka.