The shift in name-brand items
By Sissy15
@sissy15 (13365)
United States
July 20, 2026 11:39pm CST
When I was growing up, Champion was considered an off-brand, and the kids who wore it typically didn't have money, and it was a dead giveaway to other kids that your family didn't have money. You often found Champion at Kmart or Payless. Growing up without money, I knew Champion well. I did get name-brand shoes because my sister bought them for us, but even if she didn't, my parents never bought us off-brand shoes as a primary shoe, because they didn't last long. We received one pair of shoes at the beginning of the school year, and we wore them until we either outgrew them or until the beginning of the next school year.
When I was a kid, the best places to buy your clothes were the shops in the mall. We only ever bought shoes from the mall, because that was where most of the shoe stores were. I didn't own very many name-brand clothing items; the ones I did own were either second-hand or my sisters bought them for me.
I remember the first time I saw kids wearing Champion again, and I was shocked, because not only was it back, it was now a name-brand. I was curious how something we were once made fun of for wearing was now considered a name-brand. I did a little research and was surprised to find that Champion used to be a name-brand, and in fact invented the hoodie in the 1930s, but somewhere along the way they became a budget brand, and throughout my entire childhood they were a budget brand, but they made a comeback, and now you see kids everywhere wearing their products.
Another thing that surprised me was when I started seeing name-brand items in Walmart. Justice used to be a super popular store for girls until they filed for bankruptcy, and their comeback happened through Walmart, but they aren't popular like they once were and are no longer seen as a status symbol, but as the way we saw Champion back when I was a kid.
I found it shocking to see Polo, Chaps, and Reebok at Walmart so once again I did some research. The Polo we see in Walmart is not the same Polo by Ralph Lauren, but a completely different brand. Chaps, however, is the same brand. Walmart made a deal with some name-brand companies to make budget-friendly items, so while you may see what are typically name-brand items, they aren't the same quality you would buy from a store that sells name brands, although personally, I don't mind most Walmart clothing items; for the most part, I've always found them durable, except for their shoes. I don't care for most of Walmart's shoes. My son always killed them with how rough he played, and I wear them out pretty quickly too.
I remember the first time I saw Garanimals in Walmart, and I remember thinking they were a Kmart brand. At that time, Kmart still had some stores in the US, so I was confused as to why they suddenly became a Walmart brand, but that had to do with money, as pretty much anything business-related has to do with. Walmart was rapidly growing while Kmart was slowly shutting its doors at that time.
5 people like this
5 responses

@AmbiePam (124764)
• United States
21 Jul
@sissy15 You know, we did our back to school shopping once at thrift stores, but I didn’t know it was because we were poor. My mom made it sound like we were on a mission to find the nicest things for the lowest prices. And we did find a Chanel coat. The key was to go to thrift stores in the upper class neighborhoods. Even in the average neighborhoods, you could find really nice things.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (13365)
• United States
21 Jul
I don't really either, but as a kid it was almost like a status symbol, so needless to say I was never popular lol. There was a year I actually got to get clothes from a store at the mall, and just like you, I thought I had made it. The only thing I make sure are name brand are my shoes for durability and comfort reasons. My son wears a lot of name brand, but I don't pay name brand prices; we shop at TJ Maxx and Gabes, which are actually usually cheaper than Walmart. I have to say, though, I bought him jeans from Walmart when he was in 6th grade; he was shorter then, but I bought them longer and a little bigger in the waist, and they still fit him now that he's going into 10th grade, and they are still in decent shape. He had about 5 or 6 pairs of name-brand jeans that all tore in the butt pocket, ruining the pants, and one of the pairs was Aeropostale (I bought them on clearance around Christmas time when they do their big sales). The ten-dollar jeans I bought my son were better quality than the normally 50-dollar pair of jeans.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (13365)
• United States
21 Jul
@AmbiePam We never did thrift stores because my sister usually helped buy us clothes, but my mom was big on garage sales, and that's where a lot of my clothes came from. We also didn't have a lot of thrift stores in my area. I remember the year my mom had my dad buy our winter coats, and it was an instant regret on her part. We went to Value City for coats. My dad made me buy this giant puffer coat. It was a boxing bear coat, and it was HUGE. I hated that coat with a passion, and I didn't want to wear it; it didn't even fit in my locker at school. My dad wanted it to last us years, and it did, but that's partially because I never wore it if I could help it. I got made fun of for that coat because of its size. My mom was so mad at my dad. She told him they looked ridiculous. My brother and I both got the same coat. My dad bought us those coats when I was in the 4th grade and to give you perspective of the size, I later on gave that coat to my husband who at the time was a 28-year-old 6'2" 180 lb man, when I gave him the coat, meanwhile, I got it at the age of 10 when I was barely 5 feet tall. That coat is the coat I talk about when I talk about why men shouldn't be the ones to buy their daughters clothing. My dad saw a good deal, and didn't care that the coats were atrocious or made me look like a walking marshmallow, because they were cheap. This is why it shouldn't always be about money; sometimes you have to save a kid's dignity. I'm sure we could have found a cheaper coat that didn't make it so that if I fell to the ground, I'd roll away.
1 person likes this

@celticeagle (192174)
• Boise, Idaho
21 Jul
Champion is mentioned alot on the content creators who buy storage units on YouTube. It's a good brand for them to resell.
2 people like this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (18716)
• Torrington, Connecticut
21 Jul
It's interesting how brands can completely change their image over time. I remember when Champion wasn't considered fashionable either, and now it's something people seek out and are willing to pay good money for. Fashion trends really do come full circle.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (13365)
• United States
21 Jul
They do; it's insane to think about. A lot of the millennial generation never knew Champion as anything but what your parents bought you off the rack at Kmart, and you had to wear to school while all of your friends were wearing name brands because you didn't have name-brand clothing money. I kind of wish I had held onto some of the old Champion clothes; I kind of wonder if someone would still be willing to pay something for it.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (45458)
• Denver, Colorado
21 Jul
Walmart did the same thing with bikes. All those name-brand bikes they sell aren't the same bikes as you can get in a bike shop. I remember Champion as being more of a uniform teams wore, but I'm old. 

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