The Era of Charlotte Russe

You girls might remember Charlotte Russe catering to every teenager out there as it carried every accessory a girl could ever need and want for. Charlotte Russe resembled a girl’s dream in a store. They carried clothes, jewelry, footwear, bags, etc. However, over the years, their stores started closing and they filed for bankruptcy in 2019. It came as a shock to everyone because even if you had never shopped there, their logo was hard to miss in a shopping mall. People thought that that was the end of Charlotte Russe and she would never return to shopping malls ever again. Little did they know that this company was bought by a retailer who announced that they would open 100 retail outlets in Charlotte Russe.

But have you realized how people have moved on from this brand? Even teenagers nowadays have a different fashion style as compared to teenagers back in the day. Teenagers dress more maturely now; they dress similarly to what a 20-year-old dresses like. They would prefer shoulder bags from Zara rather than sparkling and glittery bags from Charlotte Russe. They have ditched teenage accessories and have adopted a minimalistic lifestyle now by wearing gold rings and subtle necklaces. Teenagers have stopped wearing flip-flops and sandals and have moved on with sneakers. It’s surprising how teenagers nowadays have huge sneaker collections. If they want to purchase flip-flops, they go to luxury stores like Tory Burch rather than stores like Charlotte Russe.

Getty Images / Getty Images News / Drew Angerer

A few years ago, Charlotte Russe declared bankruptcy because its collections could not keep up with the changing fashion trends. It seems like the problem still hasn’t changed. Competitor brands like Forever21 and H&M have started listening to their target audience and have been doing well in the fashion industry. We don’t think we can say the same for Charlotte Russe.

We still believe Charlotte Russe is one of the classics and their quality has stayed premium throughout the years but their target audience has vastly changed. They need to fix this problem before it’s too late again.