The Top 27 Fashion & Apparel Trends of 2025

Formal fashion declines, athleisure rises

Athleisure, the mix of sportswear into everyday fashion, owes itself to the decline of formality in American fashion and the desire to be seen as healthy amid growing fitness trends — yoga pants, tights, sneakers, leggings, gym shorts, and so on.

A century ago, there'd be separate clothing for the restaurant, clothing for the gallery, clothing for the street - all different categories of dress. Those barriers have come down in a big way and athleisure is the poster child of that movement.

Mini dresses defy modesty norms

As some demographics increasingly demand more modest fashion choices, others are going the other direction. The resurgence of the mini dress highlights a shift toward bold, expressive styles that challenge conventional modesty norms, making it a standout among recent women's fashion trends.

Access over ownership gains ground

Amidst rising environmental concerns, clothing rental platforms offer a rotating wardrobe without the waste associated with fast fashion. This model is especially popular among millennials and Gen Z, who prioritize access over ownership—aligning with both their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint and the latest fashion trends centered on flexibility and sustainability.

This trend is also similar to movements towards sustainable luxury as seen in refillable perfume bottles, a top fragrance trend, as well as the general increase in subscription businesses, a top trend in retail.

AI personalizes fashion choices

There’s a growing consumer expectation for personalized shopping solutions. Some brands are even starting to let consumers upload selfies and then see their clothing catalogue projected onto the shopper themselves. This trend is particularly potent as e-commerce increasingly dominates the retail landscape and AI continues to rapidly evolve as one of the most influential trends in technology.

Style on the rise: bows on clothing

Bamboo pajamas solve sleep wars

Bamboo sheets first became popular in the early 2000s, but bamboo clothing, like bamboo pajamas, has more recently started growing in popularity. They’re a cheaper solution: enough bamboo fabric to cover a person once instead of a bed twice.

45% of couples report arguing over sleeping temperature, with "sleep divorces" an increasingly popular sleep trend, so products that let individuals choose their own preferred temperature help resolve the issue. Given its unique property of wicking moisture, bamboo clothing can help keep body temperatures stable throughout the night. Bamboo pajama brands are leaning into this and running ads promising to help reduce sleep-related conflict, leading it to become one of the top apparel trends.

Bamboo fabric is also pitched as environmentally friendly compared to cotton. Bamboo requires little water, the plants grow back after getting cut down, and they don’t need pesticides. As more consumers start making environmentally conscious decisions, existing products can be rebuilt using more eco-friendly materials.

Scrubs shift from B2B to DTC

While it may seem like a niche business from the outside, medical apparel is a huge industry that underwent a fundamental shift from B2B to B2C, opening it up to the direct-to-consumer model for companies like FIGS and Mandala Scrubs, DTC scrubs brand.

Not only do a staggering one in seven U.S. workers wear scrubs, according to Bloomberg Business, but the outfit is a workplace requirement and once a worker is part of the medical industry, leaving is less common given the high initial barrier, in terms of both money and time. All in all, the medical apparel business represents a $60B opportunity globally.

Originally, the hospitals were the ones buying scrubs and supplying them freely to their staff. However, the incentives were not aligned between the customers (hospitals), who wanted to pay less, and the users (medical workers), who wanted higher quality clothing. As hospitals' budgets constricted, the burden of paying for scrubs shifted to doctors and nurses. This meant that the users and the customers were finally the same after decades of misaligned priorities.

Another interesting dynamic that works in Mandala’s favor is the desire for standardization across the medical industry, in contrast to most other fashion contexts where consumers want to be marginally unique.

Gen Z champions secondhand fashion

As a backlash to the growing fast-fashion movement, many consumers—especially Millennials and Gen Z—are turning to second-hand clothing. This shift not only reflects broader retail trends but also highlights a key aspect of Gen Z fashion trends, which increasingly prioritize sustainability, individuality, and conscious consumption.

Halter tops reclaim the spotlight