"According to industry sources, there are approximately 25 million tweens -- kids between the ages of 7 and 14 -- in the United States who spend $50 billion a year. Other estimates report these kids influence another $200 billion in purchases. The phenomenon hasn't gone unnoticed by fashion companies and celebrities looking to tap into the buying power of the grammar- and middle-school set. "The tween market explosion coincides with an explosion of edgier celebrity-driven fashion," says David Wolfe, creative director of the Doneger Group, a New York-based trend forecasting agency. "Because of the amount of coverage given to celebrity style in the magazines and on the Internet, tweens are following the trends like never before."" [LINK]
