Limited Too is ramping up adult collections in an appeal to millennials
A staple of the early-aughts, Limited Too is growing up.
After releasing its first capsule collection in larger sizes for the holidays, Limited Too is rolling out more clothing for adults. In February, it debuted a women’s line that includes crewneck pullovers, fleece shorts and pleated skirts. Next up are three more drops — one in March, one in April and one in May — that will span from Zodiac-sign baby tees to terrycloth items to loungewear. Online and on social media, Limited Too is marketing the women’s line as LTD 2.0.
Limited Too, a favorite of millennials in the early 2000s, was discontinued in 2008 as it struggled to hold onto sales during the Great Recession. The brand came back in July via a partnership with Kohl’s. For its relaunch, Limited Too stuck to kids’ and teens’ sizes. However, after hearing from its original fans that they wanted to wear the brand, too, Limited Too moved into adult sizing. It announced this change via an Instagram post in October and called the adult sizing “a tribute to our cherished OGs that have supported us all along.”
Petra Kennedy, design manager for Limited Too, told Modern Retail that last year the brand “did a deep dive” into what adult sizing could look like. “We sat around as a team and said, ‘This was what we were wearing in the ’90s and the 2000s, and we’d love to bring back some of these nostalgic, emotional styles,'” said Kennedy, who joined the original Limited Too design team in 2001. The brand ultimately settled on a two-pronged strategy for adults. “We’re doing the special pieces that we’re really known for and then giving some fun takes on what’s happening now,” Kennedy said. “There’s a formula of heritage and new.”
While the holiday collection played up the nostalgia angle — with oversized sweatshirts, sweatpants and velour full-zip hoodies — February’s collection is more current. It includes a sweatshirt that says “Montauk Sailing Club,” as well as pickleball-themed apparel. The upcoming collection of Zodiac tees includes 12 shirts, one per astrological sign, in a personalization play. The brand is also planning swimwear for adults and eventually hopes to go into the home category.
Limited Too has had an up-and-down past few decades. Once known for its bubble skirts and glittery jeans, Limited Too was near-ubiquitous at schools and sleepovers throughout much of the 1990s and 2000s. At its peak, Limited Too had approximately 600 stores in 47 U.S. states, according to its then-owner Tween Brands. By 2008, Limited Too’s parent company had discontinued the brand to focus on its cheaper tween brand, Justice. Limited Too relaunched last year under Bluestar Alliance, which acquired the trademarks for the brand in 2015.
Limited Too’s new era is going well, the brand said. While the company declined to share revenue, it said that it’s had 800% follower growth across all its active social media channels since June 2024. The brand is also exploring bringing back its own stores. In June, Sammy Gabbay, vp of strategic alliances at Limited Too, told WWD Limited Too was “in contact with several mall operators” about opening stores in 2025.
While Limited Too normally designs for kids and teenagers, creating a new sizing system for adults wasn’t difficult, Kennedy said. “It was actually a pretty easy transition for all of us,” she explained. “While designing a tween brand, we’re always sort of looking up.”
As part of its comeback, Limited Too has weighed having matching outfits for adults and teens, but that’s not in the cards for now. “I don’t think we want to be a mommy-and-me brand, but we could do something cool where it’s related fashion for her and her daughter,” Kennedy said.
Jamie Arena, a freelance retail consultant, told Modern Retail that she appreciates that Limited Too took the time to create looks for its now-adult customers. At the same time, Arena wonders how the brand is going to navigate creating both updated looks and nostalgic pieces. “I think they need to pick a lane and stick with that,” she said.
Limited Too is one of several brands trying to take advantage of a resurgence in Y2K-era styles while also keeping up with the present day. Abercrombie and Hollister have both modernized their assortments and focused more on digital. Meanwhile, Ugg is seeing some of its best revenue in years after working with influencers and adjusting its marketing calendar. “I’m rooting for these brands to keep the momentum going,” Arena said.
Vic Drabicky, founder and CEO of the marketing agency January Digital, told Modern Retail that Limited Too can up its odds of succeeding with its adult collections if it “constantly and properly” reads trends. “Too often, brands see a trend and either can’t scale quickly enough to capitalize [on it] or hold on too long after the trend fades,” Drabicky said. Monitoring what customers want, he said, “will allow [Limited Too] to … make the collection a success.”
As for Limited Too, the brand wants “to see what the reaction will be” to its new adult drops before finalizing more collections, Kennedy said. “Hopefully our customer loves it as much as we do,” she said. “That would be the dream, for [the adult category] to keep going, for sure.”