Since German kids watch many of the same music videos as kids do in the United States, a lot of the US brands sell well, especially shoes. Almost everyone wears jeans, even at school, but they cost more in Germany. There are no school uniforms. Most kids are very fashion conscious and depending on how upscale their neighborhood is, there is competition to wear the coolest brands. There is a strong focus on the brand of shoe that someone wears. Most kids shop at H&M since it is not so expensive, and Zero and Zara are two other popular clothing stores. In the south, due to its proximity to Italy, fashion is more influenced by Italian trends.

Many young people like colored tennis shoes, especially made of suede. Puma is the most popular brand right now in Europe. The shoes are usually more for looks than for sport. They are worn with jeans.

Weather in Germany is mostly mild in the central part of the country and gets more extreme in the south. Except for the two summer months, there is not much sun in the north so the winter is dreary, with rains starting early in the fall and dragging on into the spring. This means kids wear darker colors than in some southern countries. The south gets plenty of snow in the mountainous areas and especially in the Alps so many kids have very fashionable ski attire like special boots. Summers can be very hot and recently there have been some unusual heat waves when people wished that they had air conditioning. Did you know that only a few cars and just about no houses have air conditioning in Germany? People stay cool by opening the windows early in the morning and then letting the blinds down to keep the heat of the sun out during the day. But no matter how warm, few people really wear shorts in the cities.