NEW YORK — Walmart has spent three years overhauling its adult clothing line to make it both fashionable and affordable for middle-class America.
Now the country’s largest retailer is using the back-to-school shopping season to make another attempt to gain recognition in the fashion industry.
The company plans to relaunch its 30-year-old brand for teens and young adults on Tuesday with a new 130-piece fall collection aimed at Generation Z. The rebranding of the “No Boundaries” label is part of a strategy aimed at getting customers to think of Walmart as a place to buy cool clothes in addition to groceries.
The new collection includes on-trend styles like baggy jeans, cropped tees, faux leather corsets and bomber jackets. Most items are priced at $15 or less. Some pieces are made from recycled fabrics to appeal to a generation that values sustainability. The size range has been expanded, now ranging from XXS to 5X, to be even more inclusive.
The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company is marketing the revamped No Boundaries on TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and the online gaming site Roblox. It plans to test new prototypes in stores in major college cities.
The target group notices it.
“It’s simple but cute,” said 16-year-old Za’Kryra Davis as she browsed the camouflage pants and denim playsuits at a Walmart store in Secaucus, New Jersey, where the new “No Boundaries” collection launched last week.
Davis, who shops at chains like Rue21 and Forever 21 and draws inspiration from trends emerging on social media, said she’s been more open to buying clothes at Walmart in recent months because they look more modern there.
Walmart has previously relied on a number of suppliers with their own design teams to develop the No Boundaries line, which has focused primarily on everyday basics like T-shirts and jeans. The company has now hired its own design team to create the new collection – a sign of the brand’s importance to Walmart’s broader fashion strategy.
Still, it will be difficult to attract customers born between 1997 and 2012, given stiff competition from Walmart. The digital native generation is known for being price-conscious and budget-conscious, frequenting everything from thrift stores and ultra-fast-fashion online retailer Shein to discount retailers like Target and mall-based stores like American Eagle Outfitters.
Olivia Meyer, 22, lives in Riverview, Florida. She gets inspiration from trends online and buys most of her fashion online, usually from Amazon, to ensure quick delivery. She really liked the cargo pants and tank tops she saw on Walmart’s website while browsing No Boundaries’ fall collection.
“I’m not loyal to any one place,” Meyer said. But she added, “I think Walmart has a chance to appeal to Generation Z and get our money.”
Although Generation Z spends the least money on fashion of any demographic except the so-called “Silent Generation,” retailers are desperate to attract young consumers because they represent the future, says Neil Saunders, managing director of research firm GlobalData.
“If you don’t reach them today, you risk them going to the competition,” he said. “Traditionally, Walmart hasn’t been attractive to this younger demographic, so the company is trying to change that.”
Walmart said No Boundaries generates $2 billion in annual sales, but Saunders believes the numbers have been stagnant for several years. He said the retailer needs to overcome the perception that its fashion ambitions end with floral prints, pull-on pants and other styles more likely to be worn by older adults.
Walmart signaled how serious it wanted to be taken as a fashion destination three years ago when it hired American designer Brandon Maxwell, who has dressed celebrities such as Lady Gaga, as creative director for its “upscale” fashion brands Free Assembly and Scoop.
In February, the company invited social media influencers who focus on trendy but affordable style to a fashion show showcasing Maxwell’s designer collection, which is sold at luxury chains Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.
“It’s always about the women in my life that dictate what I do, and Walmart is no different,” said Maxwell, who mingled with Walmart guests at a post-show lunch.
To bolster its legitimacy as a one-stop shop for fashionistas, Walmart has set up mannequins and colorfully displayed its clothes. Led by Denise Incandela, executive vice president of apparel and private label, the company carries more than 1,000 brands and works with celebrities like Sofia Vergara.
Incandela told a recent industry conference in New York that Walmart’s size – it operates more than 4,600 stores in the U.S. – can help drive quality and low prices, but the biggest growth opportunities in the apparel sector are with Gen Z customers who “care about style,” she said.
“We have created a brand that is more modern, has better quality and has silhouettes that are more relevant to Generation Z customers,” Incandela said. “We are improving the shopping experience, but we need to change that perception.”
At Walmart in Secaucus, Elizabeth Fernandez, 58, and her daughter Destiny Fernandez, 38, said they found the women’s clothing more appealing than before. They also liked the revamped No Boundaries line. Their shopping cart was filled to the brim with pants, shorts, tops and skirts from all over the store.
Pointing to the cropped puffer jackets and various denim washes on the shelves, Destiny Fernandez concluded that Walmart was spot on with the way the company recycled and refreshed past trends.
“These are all things that are coming back,” she said. “So I’ll take a look at them.”
A Walmart employee works on a display of the No Boundaries collection at a store in Secaucus, New Jersey, on July 11. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer has redesigned its 30-year-old flagship young adult brand, No Boundaries, which generates $2 billion in annual sales. AP PHOTO/EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ
