By
Kitty Guo,
a writer at the Strategist covering beauty, fashion, and gifts.
Two Hot Topic shoppers showing off their picks; a view of the modern (and less horror-coded) version of the store from the mall.
You don’t have to wear all black, drape yourself in chains, or sport multiple piercings to shop at Hot Topic anymore. Back in the ’90s and 2000s, the brand was synonymous with subculture, the go-to place for kids who were into the punk, goth, and alternative scenes to buy studded-leather belts and nü metal band shirts. In the last decade, however, the store has undergone a serious vibe shift, catering much more to mainstream tastes with a plethora of music and pop-culture merch. To get some boots-on-the-ground intel on what’s trending with the current-day Hot Topic customer, I visited the store at my local mall to chat with shoppers who were browsing Adventure Time enamel pins and KPop Demon Hunters hoodies. Here’s what I learned.
