London, December 06, 2025
WGSN research reveals dominant fashion and consumer trends shaping 2026, highlighting the resurgence of skirt suits, decorative prints, and transformative colours alongside evolving consumer sentiments marked by exhaustion and renewed joy. Brands are urged to leverage AI-driven insights to align with these shifts and optimize market relevance.
Dominance of Skirt Suits and Decorative Prints
Emerging as the defining fashion silhouette for Spring/Summer 2026, the skirt suit registers a significant year-on-year increase of 22.6 percentage points, signaling a pronounced revival of 1980s aesthetics. Its versatility—suitable for both celebratory and daily wear—positions it as a practical choice for the modern consumer.
Accompanying this shift is a move away from minimalism toward ornamental designs, with paisley patterns leading a subtle yet meaningful +1.9 percentage point increase. This trend underscores a consumer appetite for innovation in visual aesthetics, reflecting a broader desire for elevated and nuanced wardrobe statements rather than maximalism.
Colour selections for Autumn/Winter 2026 further articulate this direction. Transformative Teal, blending classic dark blue and aqua green, has been designated Colour of the Year, symbolizing the year’s overarching themes of redirection and challenging conventions. Complementary hues include Fresh Purple, associating with creativity and spirituality, and Green Glow, linked to energetic nocturnal trends and the Rave Renaissance movement.
Consumer Sentiment: Exhaustion and Glimmers of Joy
The 2026 consumer landscape is defined by a duality: a pervasive sense of exhaustion balanced by “glimmers,” or small moments of joy that provide personal redefinitions of happiness. This dichotomy shapes brand engagement strategies, emphasizing authentic connections rooted in humour and joy.
WGSN identifies four consumer profiles driving these dynamics, notably “The Gleamers,” who actively seek joy and celebrate minor achievements. This insight points to a strategic imperative for brands: to embed emotional resonance and levity in their messaging to enhance consumer loyalty.
Keywords encapsulating the year’s consumer and cultural context—redirection, opportunity, polarization, stability, and restoration—suggest brands must navigate complexity while fostering a sense of renewal and grounded optimism.
Strategic Implications for Brands
WGSN’s trend intelligence is underpinned by AI image recognition tools analyzing runway presentations across major fashion capitals including Paris, London, Milan, and New York. This data-driven approach enables brands to precisely forecast demand, optimize product development, and mitigate risks tied to overproduction.
The convergence of bold fashion choices, emotionally potent colours, and consumer values centered on joy and resilience offers a framework for strategic positioning. Brands capable of integrating these insights can anticipate not only market relevance but also consumer engagement in a competitive landscape.
Background: Leveraging AI and Data-Driven Analysis
WGSN’s methodology exemplifies the increasing role of technology in trend forecasting. By deploying AI-powered Fashion Vision tools, it distills extensive visual data into actionable intelligence, reflecting real-time shifts in aesthetic preferences and consumer moods.
The cultural and consumer keywords shaping 2026 further contextualize these shifts, offering brands a lexicon for aligning product narratives and marketing communications with evolving societal values.
Understanding these multi-dimensional trends provides a roadmap for industry stakeholders—from designers to policymakers—to anticipate and respond to emerging demands with agility and insight.
Positioning strategies grounded in this comprehensive intelligence will be critical as 2026 unfolds, enabling brands to resonate authentically with consumers while adapting to a landscape defined by both challenge and opportunity.