Carter’s targets Gen Z with company-wide rebranding
Carter’s Inc. is launching a rebrand — its first in more than 25 years — that includes a new visual identity and marketing campaign as it looks to make its brand more relevant to a new generation of parents.
In addition to a new logo, the 161-year-old company is also reimagining how it shows up for its customers across retail (including a new sleepwear-focused in-store shop concept), digital, product, packaging and social. The changes are rolling out now through 2027.
Carter’s, which also owns the OshKosh B’gosh and Skip Hop brands, said its evolution is anchored by a renewed promise to “Let every child’s light shine,” with the promise reflected in its updated brand identity. A shooting star has replaced the apostrophe in the Carter’s logo, creating a visual expression of the light the brand believes every child brings into the world.
Paired with a refreshed script inspired by earlier Carter’s logos, the company said the new mark is designed to connects the brand’s 161-year heritage with where it is headed next.
Carter’s rebrand comes as the company has been been challenged with sluggish sales amid increased competition from both emerging and private-label brands. In October, the company said it planned to close approximately 150 stores at lease expiration in North America during the next three years. It also announced plans to reduce its offices-based roles by approximately 15% by the end of 2025.
The company’s efforts to turn things around have been showing some green shoots. Comparable sales in the U.S. rose 5.1% in its most recent second quarter, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of growth. E-commerce comp sales rose by double digits for a fourth straight quarter. In June, Carter’s tapped longtime Build-A-Bear Workshop leader Sharon Price John as CEO.
The first major marketing expression of the evolved Carter’s brand debuts today with “Watch Them Glow,” a 60-second film that celebrates the individuality and natural brilliance children bring into the world. The film will debut across CTV now through December 2026 on Nexxen, Roku, Disney+, Hulu and several other platforms, as well as Carter’s digital and social channels.
“For generations, families have trusted Carter’s during some of the most important years of their children’s lives,” said Price John. “That heritage and market leadership give us both an opportunity and a responsibility to keep growing with those we serve. We’re preserving what has made Carter’s essential while expanding how we put that trust to work, from the products families rely on every day to the experiences, resources and partnerships that support children and the community raising them.”
Carter’s said it is evolving its social channels into a true expression of its new brand promise, with refreshed creative, tone of voice, content pillars, product storytelling and community narratives that celebrate childhood as curious, imaginative, messy, joyful and unapologetically individual. The brand is also introducing Light Makers, described as a first-of-its-kind creator program featuring voices from across North America who are dedicated to making childhood brighter through everyday moments and meaningful experiences.
The company is also expanding its investment in organizations and resources that help children explore their potential and thrive, including continued support for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and establishing a new partnership with Outward Bound.
Carter’s operates 1,042 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It also is the largest supplier of baby and young children’s apparel to North America’s biggest retailers.