Five Coachella trends that show us what Gen Z will wear this summer

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Fashion used to take centre stage at Coachella. But in recent years, festival dressing has toned down and become more diverse, as young people try to keep up with micro-trends or focus instead on flaunting their outfits for concert tours from stars like Beyoncé or Taylor Swift.

This year, as predicted, many celebrities (including Swift) favoured casual fashion over more directional Coachella looks. For those who did dress up, the Western trend dominated thanks to the ongoing boost from Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ album. Plus some new moods emerged, rooted in new trends that have been bubbling up on TikTok and the runways, like the throwback to 2014 and a modern take on boho chic.

Coachella may not be as influential as it once was, but it is still an important signifier of how Gen Z is shopping. “Retailers tap the biggest trends from Coachella to make edits for the summer,” says Katharine Carter, fashion and retail analyst at Edited. “It really sets the scene for us. We saw the shift away from the dopamine brights last year, as quiet luxury came through. This year, there’s been a revival of more out there styles like prints and jorts.”

As the first major festival of the year, some brands and retailers use the event as a barometer for spring/summer dressing, and to inspire marketing for the rest of the season. “Coachella kicks off our biggest selling period,” says Raissa Gerona, chief brand officer at Revolve and Fwrd. The retailer holds an annual Revolve festival alongside Coachella each year, to build brand awareness and show off its festival offering. “[The event] inspires our customers and defines the different trending styles they will wear all summer,” says Gerona.

Now weekend one of this year’s Coachella has wrapped, Vogue Business breaks down some of the key trends.

Off-duty eclecticism

Hyper-casualisation was on the cards for many at Coachella this year, largely driven by celebrities, who not only pared back their looks, but wore eclectic outfits more closely associated with laid-back truckers than A-listers trying to impress. As Dazed put it, Coachella fashion is having an “identity crisis”, as some festival goers reject the flower crown aesthetic it has been associated with for so long.