From Wet Seal to dELiA*s, 10 Totally '90s Fashion and Accessory Brands You May Have Forgotten About

These stores and brands were everything to teens

<p>Tim Boyle/Getty, Jerome Favre/Bloomberg via Getty, Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty</p> Claire

Tim Boyle/Getty, Jerome Favre/Bloomberg via Getty, Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty

Claire's Accessories, Esprit, Cache

If you're a millennial, you likely vividly recall what it felt like to spend a Saturday at the mall: the smell of food court pizza, the fun of rifling through CDs and the rush of anticipation before setting foot inside your favorite store.

Malls have changed dramatically in recent years and, with their evolution, many of the brands shoppers once knew and loved have gone by the wayside.

Below, we've rounded up some of the clothing and accessories labels you likely remember from your mall days (or, as is the case with some of these brands, from the catalogs you once received at home).

Claire's Accessories

<p>Tim Boyle/Getty</p> Claire's Accessories

Tim Boyle/Getty

Claire's Accessories

This tween- and teen-focused jewelry brand has reinvented itself in recent years, following a 2018 bankruptcy filing. In the 1990s, the brand's namesake stores were the place to go to get ear piercings or colorful jewelry — think mood rings, sunflower charms and slap bracelets.

Claire's was also known for its hair accessories, like scrunchies and headbands, and its highly popular five-for-$10 sales.

Related: Target Employee Takes a Chance on Fashion Design Dreams. Years Later, Her Collection Is Available in Stores (Exclusive)

Limited Too

<p>Michael Seamans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty</p> Limited Too

Michael Seamans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty

Limited Too

A teen-focused offshoot of the more adult brand, The Limited, Limited Too launched in the late 1980s, but reached its peak in the mid-90s. The store was geared toward preteen girls, with an aesthetic hallmarked by rhinestones, neon colors and cartoon flower illustrations.

In 2008, the brand name was briefly discontinued (though later revived, with the trademarks sold and new collections launching online) and the bulk of Limited Too stores were converted to locations for the lower-priced Justice brand of clothing.

Caché

<p>Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty</p> Caché

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty

Caché

This clothing label launched in the 1970s and, by the 1990s, became almost synonymous with American malls, where it had more than 200 locations at its height. Caché was most known for its gowns and dresses, which were geared toward adult women with a passion for satin, sequins and the like.

In 2015, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and announced it would be liquidating all of its stores.

Hot Topic

<p>Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty</p> Hot Topic

Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty

Hot Topic

A more alternative brand, Hot Topic was best known for its licensed band T-shirts (along with other music-related items, like posters). Throughout its evolution, the store has marketed to a number of subcultures, from emo and goth to manga and anime. The company went public in 1996 and, in 2013, sold to a private equity firm.

Related: Woman Emerges from Eyebrow Wax with Burns. Why Her Acne Medication Is to Blame (Exclusive)

Wet Seal

<p>James Leynse/Corbis via Getty</p> Wet Seal

James Leynse/Corbis via Getty

Wet Seal

A fast-fashion retailer with locations primarily based in malls, Wet Seal was geared toward trendy teen girls with a passion for fashion. The brand was known for a fun atmosphere in its stores, which played loud music and often hosted concert ticket giveaways for groups like No Doubt.

In its later years, the company struggled to compete alongside fast-fashion behemoths like H&M and Forever 21. It ultimately shuttered 60 percent of its stores before filing for bankruptcy in 2015 and closing all locations.

Bongo

<p>Jordan Strauss/WireImage</p> Bongo

Jordan Strauss/WireImage

Bongo

While Bongo the brand still exists, and has grown into categories including footwear, the company's jeans were the draw in the '90s — when low- and mid-rise denim reigned supreme. Bongo's founders, Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman, are iconic in the world of denim, having also created Lucky Brand Jeans. In 1998, they sold Bongo to the another millennial-loved label, Candie's.

No Fear

<p>Alamy</p> No Fear

Alamy

No Fear

Founded in 1989, No Fear popularized a line of T-shirts featuring quotes and slogans about team sports, but with a bit of an existential edge (think, "If it were jus about attitude, everyone would have it"). The company also branched into motocross gear and energy drinks before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011.

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Espirit

<p>Jerome Favre/Bloomberg via Getty</p> Espirit

Jerome Favre/Bloomberg via Getty

Espirit

Created in the late 1960s, Espirit experienced its most dramatic growth in the 1990s, when it became synonymous with funky, colorful, patterned clothing. While Espirit still exists, it experienced a lot of company shake-ups in the 2000s and closed several outlets in international markets. It's made a bit of a reemergence more recently, having focused on casual sportswear and capsule collections of clothing for both men and women.

Roxy

<p>Alamy</p> Roxy

Alamy

Roxy

This fashion brand was an offshoot of the menswear surf brand Quicksilver (its logo was actually just two Quicksilver logos placed together to resemble a heart), geared toward women who surfed — or just wanted to look like it.

Today, Roxy exists, though the brand offers general athleisure collections rather than strictly surf-focused clothing and accessories.

dELiA*s

<p>Delias</p> dELiA*s

Delias

dELiA*s

dELiA*s carved out a niche for its teen- and college-aged girls' apparel with catalogs. The direct-to-consumer catalog was almost a precursor to influencer culture, featuring models that shoppers came to recognize in each issue, and photos that looked more lifestyle magazine than mail-order catalog. The trendy typeface, fun clothing descriptions and giveaways that often accompanied the catalogs added to the fun.

The company was acquired by Alloy Inc. in 2003 for $50 million, per Fast Company.

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