Nike, Adidas, Gucci, Thrasher, Louis Vuitton, Victoria’s Secret, Champion and Calvin Klein are all brands that grace the halls of PN. The brands themselves aren’t the problem, though: brand loyalty is.

Junior Sarah Headapohl explains that, “it just looks better when you wear the same brand clothing, but also you should wear what you’re comfortable in.” This is exactly the kind of logic these companies want consumers to believe. You start off with a Nike shirt, but then you have to complete the outfit with the pants and shoes.

Brand loyalty isn’t just in high school, it’s infiltrated the middle school as well. “Brands are cooler,” says twelve year-old North Middle School student Harrison Byers. “If I wear my $70 Adidas shoes that have Adidas written over them in huge letters, I’m getting more compliments, but if I’m wearing them with Nike pants, I’m having other kids telling me not to do that.” Byers touches on an important point: brand loyalty fuels peer pressure. If you spend the money on the over priced clothing in the first place, why can’t you just mix what you want?

Brand loyalty is feeding into the minds of children and trying to get them to spend more money and feel that they can’t wear what they want. First it was “name brand only,” now it’s “one name brand only.” What’s next?