How fashion brands cash in on Valentine’s Day

Americans spend 19.6 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day, according
to insights on last year’s spending gathered by Edited.
Unsurprisingly, men spend almost twice as much as women on the
romantic holiday.

With the average man spending around 196 dollars on gifts for
V-day, gone are the days when a simple card and heart-shaped box of
chocolates do the trick. Jewelry and lingerie aren’t the only
categories outside of that range, either. Retailers now market
everything from books to food items to skincare items as Valentine’s
gift suggestions – KFC even tried a gravy-scented candle this
year.

On a more realistic note, fashion brands, too, are realizing that
Valentine’s Day spending is an important retail trend to cash in on.
From heart-shaped sunglasses to love-themed slogans, brands are trying
to determine which Valentine’s trends fare best with consumers.

Pre-season

Heart-shaped sunglasses have been popping up since December,
typically in red and pink frames. Alongside this, retailers including
Asos and Express have presented pajama sets angled around themes of
love with text and heart prints.

Socks

Another simple apparel offering some brands have tried is socks –
especially in menswear. Boohooman, American Eagle and Topman have each
included patterned socks in their Valentine’s Day edits. Designs
include emoji patterns, slogans and simple hearts.

Childrenswear

Brands are looking into childrenswear to sell the love-themed holiday,
as well. In the U.S. market, 25 percent of Valentine’s apparel
offering is targeted to boys. Designs here bring a Valentine’s message
to pop culture trends like superheroes.

Womenswear has an opportunity

Edited noted that there has been a 58 percent year-over-year
increase in communication strategies promoting Galentine’s Day – a
made-up Valentine’s Day alternative from the television show Parks and
Recreation that focuses on celebrating female friends rather than
romantic love.

Retailers, especially in the UK, have been promoting Galentine’s
Day celebrations to make sales during this season. In the U.S., there
was a 13 percent increase of Galentine’s messaging from 2017 and 2018,
and this year retailers such as Lane Bryant, Journelle and Francesca’s
have been turning towards this theme.

Examples of apparel in this trend include T-shirts with printed
slogans like “Clothes Before Bros” and “Valentine’s Day for the BFF.”
The Galentine’s trend could bring the women’s spending up from the 99
dollar average Edited reported from 2018 results.

Photo: Pexels