We visited Ann Taylor's new store for the 'ageless generation' and discovered how H&M and Forever 21 are blowing a huge opportunity
In 2014, Ann Taylor announced it was launching a new active wear-centric brand called Lou and Grey.
"Age doesn't matter anymore. It's all about a mind set, how you feel and approach life, not how many years you've been on the Earth," Austyn Zung, creative director of Loft and Lou & Grey, told LA Times at the time. "But when we look at numbers, we are pulling in a younger clientele, while not alienating 40- and 50-year-olds."
While Zung's answer may seem like a marketing spin, there may be more to his words than some clever PR-speak. Women in their 40s and 50s are the new "ageless generation," The Telegraph reported. They feel they have a "younger attitude" than their mothers' generation at the same age, identifying more with their daughters' fashion trends and social media habits than dowdy stereotypes of middle aged women.
A significant portion of fast-fashion brands push to market exclusively to millennial shoppers, with more revealing garb and teen-dominated marketing. After all, there's a reason that Forever 21 is named after the legal age where one can drink in the US.
However, with Lou and Grey, Ann Taylor seems to be taking a different track - wining over younger customers while also selling items that a trendy middle-aged woman could see herself wearing. Eager to see if the brand could succeed, we decided to visit on of the brand's 12 retail locations.