Rising Costs

In 2021 to 2023, clothing prices rose rapidly. Although inflation has slowed in recent years, prices were still up by 23% following the pandemic. How does this affect Irvine or SoCal specifically? Due to the higher store operating costs in SoCal, stores in big malls such as the Irvine Spectrum and South Coast often price their items above the national average. 

What’s Causing Inflation to Occur?

Some of the largest causes of inflation are tariffs and imports due to the fact that about 97% of the clothes in the United States are imported. Because of the tariffs, the global cost of some items don’t even matter as a pair of sneakers could be manufactured for $20 but sold in the US for $120. However, some other root problems for inflation are social media trends. Teen or media-focused brands frequently raise prices to match the demand of a trendy style or piece of clothing. These trends mean faster turnover as well as more frequent buying.

How Does This Affect Teens?

When shopping for back-to-school clothes, about 30% of families report that the inflated clothing prices change the way they ship. They choose to buy fewer clothes or resort to ordering from fast fashion brands, a threat to our environment. What can we do about this? 

Our Solutions

• Shopping in clearance racks or during discount seasons such as Black Friday.

• Buying secondhand from thrift stores like Depop, Goodwill, etc. 

• Wait before buying sudden media trends and see if the prices drop or if they fade out.

• Take good care of your clothes so they last longer (wash carefully, avoid stains, etc).

Spreading Awareness

Spreading awareness about inflation among students can easily be done through social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or even Snapchat. On these platforms, teens can create short but meaningful videos explaining the causes and solutions to inflation. Even at schools, students can create presentations about the rising prices and compare past and present costs which can be relatable to others all around campus.

Additionally, creating posters, signs, or infographics and hanging them around school can help raise awareness about the change of prices over time as well as different ways to budget or shop smarter. By having these kinds of discussions, teens can become highly impacted by their friends and respectable teachers leading to a better understanding on learning to adapt to inflation.