Hispanic Millennials and Fashion.

By Insight Tr3s

It’s Fashion Week in New York: the tents are up at Lincoln Center and the style-obsessed are taking note of what will be in and out this fall. As part of its newly released 2012 study “Hispanic Adult Millennials Living the ‘Next Normal’: Age of Uncertainty,” Tr3s took a close look at the fashion preferences and habits of Latino young adults. Here are the key trends that their analysis revealed:

Bilingual, bicultural Hispanic women 18 to 29 are more likely to be Fashionistas than their non-Hispanic counterparts.

o 61% of bilingual, bicultural Hispanic women ages 18 to 29 are Fashionistas who want to make a unique, current style statement – compared with 49% of non-Hispanics 18 to 29
o 47% like to experiment with new clothing styles (vs. 34% of non-Hispanics 18 to 29)
o 42% keep up with the latest fashions (vs. 30% of non-Hispanics 18 to 29)
o 36% like to make a unique fashion statement (vs. 24% of non-Hispanics 18 to 29)

Price, quality, and style are what they look for when shopping for clothes.

o Not only are they Fashionistas … they’re also Recessionistas who want long-lasting, well-priced fashion
o They’re using high-tech resources like fatwallet.com and shopkick.com, as well as old-school means like store flyers and traditional media to find bargains

Bilingual, bicultural Hispanic women 18 to 29 who live with their parents are most interested in the “girl next door” look.

o Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift are the “girl next door” icons that resonate the most among the 59% of bilingual, bicultural Hispanics 18 to 29 who still live with mom and dad

A more womanly, sensual style is the preference among bilingual, bicultural Hispanic 18-to-29 moms living in their own households.

o This group is embracing their curves and choosing a more mature look
o In terms of style, they are more aligned with Hispanic women in their 30s with children and their own home – it seems age matters less than stage of life
o J.Lo is the #1 style icon among Hispanic women 18 to 39 – while Kim Kardashian was #2 among the 18-to-29 segment and Sofia Vergara was #2 among 30-to-39s

Non-Hispanic women 18 to 29 style preferences are divided between “girl next door” and “edgy and tough,” regardless of whether they are parents.

o Taylor Swift was #1 among non-Hispanic women 18 to 29, while Kristen Stewart’s devil-may-care style came in second
o Within this group, becoming a parent and living outside their parents’ home did not correlate with a shift toward more mature style as it did for Latinas

Hispanic men model their personal style on non-Hispanics — indicating an opportunity for Hispanic male style role models.

o Drake, Justin Timberlake, and David Beckham are the key influences for Hispanic males

Popular styles among Hispanic men range from “urban casual” and “classic” to “preppy casual.”

o Drake embodies the “urban casual” style that Hispanic men 18 to 29 who live at home prefer
o Hispanic men 18 to 39 also like Justin Timberlake’s classic look and David Beckham’s “preppy casual”

Non-Hispanic men prefer an “eclectic casual” style above all – but similar to Hispanic men, they also like “urban casual” and classic looks.

o Johnny Depp’s eclectic look was #1 among non-Hispanic men 18 to 29 (at 49, he has ageless appeal)
o Non-Hispanic men prefer the “urban casual” style of Jay Z more than Drake
o They also like a classic style – non-Hispanic men living on their own like Justin Timberlake’s look, while those living with their parents prefer Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s style

Source: Tr3s Ipsos-OTX 2012 + Tr3s Cooltura qualitative 2012; Experian Simmons Summer 2012 NHCS Adult Survey 12-month