‘Brats are an attitude’: How retailers are capitalising on the latest viral trend

Gen Z's favorite new trends: Indie sleaze. When asked to give the metaphorical definition of what it means to be a “brat,” the singer explained, “You're the girl who's a little messy, likes to party, and maybe says stupid things sometimes. She's honest, direct, and a little unpredictable. That's a brat.” Katy Lubin, vice president of brand and communications at Lyst, explained the difference between “brat” and the previous aesthetic that's taken over social media in more detail. “Brat is more of an attitude than an aesthetic. It's messy, brash, and fun; a welcome change from the beauty of 'flirtatious' and 'barbiecore,' the decorum of 'clean girls' and 'quiet luxury,'” Lubin said. The album and its cover, which features the word “brat” in bold, minimalist black font against a neon green background, have gone viral. According to marketing and analytics platform Launchmetrics, “Brat” generated $22.5 million in media value in its first month of release. Since its release in June, the album cover has become the mood board of summer, inspiring everything from Instagram filters to fashion drops and retail brand marketing campaigns. What does it mean to be a “brat” for a retailer? A big reason retailers are embracing “brat” as opposed to other social media trends like “rat girl summer” or even “tomato girl summer” is the term’s clearly defined color palette and broad definition. As Melissa Minkow, director of retail strategy at CI&T, explained, “brat” is an attitude. It's sophisticated, yet relatable and multi-sensory, so there's room for a lot of brands here, and shopping those brands is a fun way for consumers to feel like they're aligning their sense of identity with this movement.” The retail expert added that retailers can be “brat” in both the literal and figurative sense of the word. “When retailers go the literal route,” Minkow explained, “they're likely either organizing an existing assortment that fits the aesthetic into edits or actually creating 'brat green' products using the specific 'brat font.'” She pointed to examples like Rent the Runway's “Brat” edit, a collection of items that match the album's indie-sleaze vibe, and online luxury perfume retailer Twisted Lily's collection of “brat”-inspired scents, such as Bibliothèque by Byredo, a favorite of Charlie XCX. “Metaphorically,” Minkow mused, “brands can appeal to the essence of Brat scents by striking a chaotic, rebellious, wacky yet confident tone in marketing and messaging.” For retailers who target customers who overlap with the “Brats” audience, such as older Gen Z and younger Millennials, and who are already known for their unfiltered branding, it’s easy to capitalize on the momentum of this movement with themed activations. This can include opening pop-up shops, creating cheeky product descriptions or promotional campaigns, extending store hours late into the night on certain days, and offering limited-edition products that can be used in a “Brats” way. While not every retailer can fit the “Brats” aesthetic, “for those whose target audiences are Gen Z and younger Millennials, it’s been a brilliant bandwagon to jump on,” Minkow explained. Unlike other social media aesthetics that have gone viral, like “Tomato Girl Summer,” “Brats” seems likely to last beyond summer. As Lyst's Lubin noted, “While 'Brats' green is trending, you can't actually buy 'Brats'-specific products, making it a more exciting and elusive fashion mood. So I suspect we'll see brands and retailers capitalize on this trend throughout the summer, and I'm sure 'Brat' will influence September runway shows as well.” What can retailers learn from the “Brat” phenomenon? It remains to be seen how long the “Brat” movement lasts, but there are some takeaways for retailers. At a time when so many different and conflicting aesthetics are competing for consumer attention – “clean girl,” “quiet luxury,” “indie sleaze,” and “Y2K/Y3K,” to name a few – the rebellious but laid-back “brat” can be very appealing to those who don’t want to be pigeonholed. “We are collectively in [a state of] Lack of context and chaos are what young consumers enjoy, and that's the ethos of 'Brat,'” Minkow explained.