For thousands of years, a trip to Claire’s was a rite of passage.
It was where ears got pierced, friendship necklaces were split in half, and every trip to the mall somehow ended up with an inventory full of shiny things you probably didn’t need but had to have. Long before “virginity” became an internet buzzword, Claire had built an empire around her.
But nostalgia alone isn’t enough to sustain a retailer in 2026.
After years of financial crisis, changing shopping habits, and the slow decline of the American mall, Claire has spent the last few years redefining herself to a generation that would rather spend time with friends on Roblox than in stores. Its new customer isn’t millennials looking for a nostalgia fix — it’s Gen Alpha, who’s discovering YouTube, social media, and online gaming platforms.
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That strategy was on full display at this year’s VidCon, where Claire unveiled her latest collaboration with Roblox YouTuber Lana’s Life, which recently hit stores nationwide. A collection, inspired by the most popular game Dress to Emphasizeit’s more than just another drop in creator merchandise. It’s part of a broader effort to position Claire as what Chief Product Officer Michelle Goad calls “the inspirational playground of modern girlhood.”
“Girls feel a huge rush to grow up,” Goad told Mashable at the conference. “Because they have access to everything in society. They see older women in their algorithm, and they feel this urgency to grow up faster. We took a counterculture position and said, ‘We’re actually going to take the beat and celebrate girlhood.’
For Claire, that starts with understanding how Gen Alpha differs from the generation before it. While Gen Z embraces bolder colors, edgier aesthetics, and larger heights, Goad says today’s average consumer is gravitating toward something noticeably softer.
“They are really women,” she said. “They like the pastel beauty a lot.”
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He believes part of that change comes from growing up with millennial parents. “If mom is in her beige period,” he joked, “your daughter is probably into something really girly.”
That understanding has shaped everything from Claire’s marketing to the creators she works with.
Rather than signing a traditional celebrity ambassador, the company looked to Lana’s Life, whose 9.5 million subscribers know her for her Roblox role-playing videos, beauty content, and Dress to Emphasize. Claire had realized the strong need for Dress to Emphasize-shop inspired products. Lana, Goad said, was the obvious person to help bring the audience to the world.
The decision reflects a broader shift in the way brands think about influence. “This consumer is looking for a two-person conversation and a true relationship with their community,” Goad said. “You’re going to want to engage and become a fan of someone who’s there, who shows up in the comments and does the work.”
Claire released her Lana’s Life collaboration at VidCon 2026.
Credit: Courtesy of Claire’s
For Gen Alpha, creatives often feel more accessible than celebrities. They are present in comment sections, live streams, and social posts in ways that movie stars and musicians rarely are. And that trust and connection carries more weight than traditional celebrity endorsements. With millions of followers, Lana offers both the measure of celebrity and the intimacy of a creator, which is exactly the combination Claire is betting on.
The interaction itself was designed to blur the line between digital and physical play. Fans who visit Claire’s booth at VidCon can check out the products before they hit the stores, meet Lana in person, and buy items that unlock digital rewards within Roblox.
That kind of feedback is important to how Claire says it works now. Instead of relying solely on general predictions months in advance, Goad says the company looks at what teenage girls are actually talking about online and moves quickly. Internally, he describes the strategy as “on the ground, on time.”
Whether it’s the rise of squishies, Dress to Emphasizehackey sacks making a comeback for a new generation, or another internet obsession waiting around the corner, Claire is increasingly treating Gen Alpha communities as her research department.
“I think our job is to listen,” Goad said. “What are they saying in the comments? What are they asking? What are they happy about?”
It’s a remarkable evolution for a retailer once synonymous with mall culture. Instead of asking new consumers to buy into Claire’s vision, the company says it’s rebuilding the brand around its own.
In a generation growing up almost entirely online, Goad hopes Claire’s can still offer something increasingly rare: a place – whether that’s inside a Roblox game, on social media, or in one of its stores – where girlhood isn’t something to chase, but something to be celebrated.