Trend Expert Breaks Down Back To School Must Haves For Tweens & Teens

If you haven’t taken your kid back-to-school shopping yet, this handy guide might help you get some perspective on what your kid might be eyeing as you walk around the mall. From trendy dresses to camouflage-printed hoodies, teens and tweens are all about comfort and color this fall season.

Trend expert, Casey Lewis, scoured TikTok and watched thousands of Gen Z “back-to-school haul” videos. In these videos, kids go through all of the items they scored while shopping for clothes, accessories, and school supplies with their parents (or their parents’ credit card). After gaining all the info, she compiled a list of all the must-haves and clothing trends that Gen Z will be rocking this school year.

“Every year for the last three years, I watched literally thousands of back-to-school hauls. I laid out the most popular products and made a list,” Lewis says in her video.

“First, a couple of takeaways. Last year, twill cargo was very big, and leggings were also very big. This year, it seems to be all about denim. Jeans shorts, jean skirts, denim jackets are making a comeback, and of course jeans. Baggy low rise is the number one jean, and I’ll get into the most popular brand in a second.”

Lewis also notes that sweatpants are now the trendy comfy gear over leggings. Crop tops are also out since low-rise jeans are back.

Then, Lewis goes into the top 10 most popular products for back-to-school based on the thousands of hauls she watched. First up: Abercrombie camo.

Lewis also notes that comfy pants are in style for kids, including fleece cargo pants from Garage. “Some sweatpants are popular, none as much as these cargo fleece sweatpants in gray,” she explained.

Lewis moves onto some fashion for tween and teen girls, including a viral Free People dress called the Hot Shot Mini dress.

“It comes in a dozen colors. It’s sold out in most of those now, but there’s an Amazon dupe that people are also buying,” she notes.

All-white On Cloud running shoes rank in the top ten on Lewis’ list as well. “I cannot believe how much these came up! On Clouds are worn with leggings, sweats, hoodies…,” she said.

Lewis also notes that teen and tween girls will be rocking old-school tube tops in the hallways this year. Yes, the same kind of tube tops we were wearing 25 years ago have made a comeback!

“This Garage tube top came up a lot and is often worn with matching sweats. I will say that I called out this Garage tank top, but Forever 21 tank tops, H&M tank tops, Hollister tank tops, American Eagle tank tops. They’re all sort of the same … a stretchy cotton in a simple color. Super popular. I need to understand, how girls are able to wear tank tops to school now or have dress codes relaxed that much?” she asks.

Low-rise baggy jeans are also trending with teen and tween girls. This would have been my personal nightmare as a chubby child, but apparently, it’s all the rage for the kids!

“This is the number one jean I saw in back-to-school halls,” Lewis says while showing the Casey Low Rise Baggy Jean from PacSun. “They come in a ton of different washes.”

Slick-back bun hairstyles are still in style for girls which requires them to carry around Dae Styling Cream with a taming wand in their crossbody bags. If they’re not carrying around a crossbody they’re rocking a Lululemon backpack.

“Last year, North Face had the number one most mentioned backpack. This year, the Lululemon New Crew was the number one most mentioned. It was $99. Everyone got it in black,” she said.

If the kids aren’t sporting all-white sneakers, they’re swinging in the opposite direction and sporting some colorful, bright sneakers — specifically Adidas Gazelles.

“People are obsessed with colorful Gazelles. Whereas people are wearing the all-white Ons for athletic stuff. The Gazelles are the go-to for casual. Adidas campus shoes are also very popular, but not as popular as the Gazelles,” the OP explained.

She continued, “Finally, this one surprised me, but it was undeniable. Brandy Melville matching PJ sets. The ducks and the bears both came up again and again, but everyone got Brandy Melville pajamas for back to school … But they’re affordable. They’re cute. Like, I get it.”

In a few final thoughts, Lewis rattled off some other popular miscellaneous products that were buzzing these back-to-school hauls including Owala water bottles, Birkenstock Boston shoes, and leopard print.

After her video went viral, several TikTokers chimed in with their opinions on what Lewis believes will trend with some teachers affirming that she is spot on based on what their students are wearing.

“Middle school teacher. Sweats. Everyday. It was 112* in Vegas here. But still sweats. 🤷🏼‍♀️” one teacher said.

“So impressed with your round up. Great job! I’m seeing a lot of these both on the ground at the high school here (nor cal) and also with my senior portrait clients’ IG feeds,” another wrote.

If you’re wondering how the hell parents are supposed to afford these kinds of back-to-school hauls for their kids, you’re not alone. If one student snagged every item on this list, the total would add up to over $600 (not including water bottles, makeup, etc.). Guess we’ll stick to the dupes for now!