CNN
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For many of us, 2025 awaits as a huge year of unknowns. For trend forecasters, it’s already planned, or at least part of it.
Those in the business of predicting our next style choices have spent the fall collecting data that they think can predict the months ahead. Fashion forecasters at WGSN, Heuritech, and Pinterest Trends scour catwalk shows, read e-commerce data, and analyze social media posts to understand what wardrobes will look like in 2025. I am.
From the surprising resurgence of skinny jeans that negatively affected Gen Z to the rise of sophisticated sleepwear, here are five things experts believe will turn heads this year.
Sleeping in your pajamas is very much 2024. Consumer trend forecasting firm WGSN predicts that elegant matching pajamas will debut as travel wear, beach cover-ups, and more this year. Pajamas were one of the best-performing categories for holiday shopping, according to the company’s e-commerce data.
“It’s not because we all spent more time in bed during the holidays,” Sara Maggioni, head of women’s wear at WGSN, wrote in an email to CNN. “However, sleepwear is now seen as a very useful and multifunctional item for vacationers…and it is this versatility that makes it a winning item in a world where baggage fees are becoming increasingly expensive. This summer, Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner was spotted poolside on the Cote d’Azur in blue and white striped pajamas. Meanwhile, model Joan Smalls stepped out in Milan wearing a black and white pair.
In 2025, more people will be reading Jane Birkin’s books. According to Jane Collins, head of footwear and accessories at WGSN, the rise of bag charms speaks directly to our current interest in personal expression and exclusivity.
“The power of this small but mighty item lies in its potential for personalization and gifting, and its ability to cross so many demographics,” Collins wrote in an email to CNN. According to WGSN runway data, Spring/Summer 2025 bag charms increased by 5.6% year-over-year and were tinkling on the runways of Stella McCartney, Fendi, and Versace. For inspiration, look no further than Dua Lipa and Lily Allen’s carefully embellished Hermès Birkin bags.
AI forecasting company Heuritech uses machine learning to analyze more than 1 million social media posts every day to understand what consumers are wearing and sharing, and the fabrics to watch in 2025 Suede is at the top of the list.
“At the end of 2024, Suede had a total growth of 128%[on Instagram],” fashion analyst Frida Toldhag told CNN in a phone interview. “This is a sign that its influence will remain strong into 2025, especially into spring, when we will see a trend (increase) in bohemian chic with themes of romance and femininity.” Alongside soft-touch leather, Expect the pillars of bohemian chic to return. Lace, chiffon, and slouchy silhouettes reminiscent of the Olsen twins from the early ’10s.
If you haven’t ditched your trusty second-skin denim pants yet, it might be time to clean them up.
“We expect skinny jeans to make a very slow comeback in 2025,” said Susie Draffin, senior denim strategist at WGSN. “We’re definitely in early signal test territory here, but this season we’ve seen an increase in skinny jeans on the Spring/Summer 2025 catwalks for the first time in years.”
Drapin sees a broader cultural return to the 2010s zeitgeist, spearheaded by brands such as Coach, Diesel, Off-White and Maison Margiela, but also repackaged as “Indie Leeds.” I am listing it.
“Don’t get too excited,” she warned. “It’s important to understand that this data increase is from a smaller base; wide-leg jeans remain the dominant silhouette.”
Pantone, the color authority, announced mocha mousse brown as the color of the year for 2025, but Pinterest Trends expressed a contrary opinion. Cherry red has already taken over the mood boards of Zoomers and millennials, according to Pinterest Predicts, the platform’s upcoming trends report. This year, searches for “cherry vibes” have increased by 325%, and the phrase “dark cherry red” has increased by 235%. Lily Collins was spotted wearing a cherry red Nina Ricci skirt suit with mock crocodile while on the press tour for Emily in Paris in September. A month later, Tom Holland and Zendaya were spotted coordinating their shades while out in New York.
