John Lewis has released its annual shopping trends report and said that the UK “saw a national obsession with feeling good” in 2025.
John Lewis
Trends that defined the year included chocolate browns, 1970s-inspired furniture, ‘West End Girl Winter’ and Claudia Winkleman’s wrist warmers.
Essentially “Britain shopped for joy in 2025”, swapping pared-back minimalism for expressive colour, comfort and ‘Nowstalgia’, while embracing wellness, repair culture and outdoor living more than ever,” we’re told.
‘Nowstalgia’ stands for “a revival of 90s music, fashion and culture”, with the Oasis reunion tour “sparking a boom in retro purchases across everything from tech, homes and wardrobes”.
Sales of bucket hats were up 40%, while parkas, baggy trousers and sheer dresses proved popular too. Interiors saw a retro revival, with chocolate brown and chrome taking centre stage.
The UK’s sunniest summer in years also reshaped outdoor living. Gardens became alfresco kitchens, handheld fan sales topped a record breaking 1 million — the most sold to date. With the seasons shifting, swimwear sales broke records with increases of 18% in September and 28% in October versus last year.
Repair culture saw a major revival too. Demand for pre-owned items and mending rose sharply with eight in 10 Gen Z John Lewis shoppers buying pre-owned fashion and 29% of those aged 18 to 28 saying they frequently wore something more than 30 years-old.
Key trends
Meanwhile, the trend for modern heritage – Scottish tweeds, oversized jumpers, long pleated skirts and waxed jackets – was given a boost by The Celebrity Traitors being the most watched TV series of 2025 (also helping the rise of Claudia Winkleman’s wrist warmers). But it was also driven by Barbour’s playful twist on its classic quilted jackets and its collaboration with Paul Smith; by Russell & Bromley’s “no nonsense Tough Line ankle boots”; and by customers “embracing layering and rejecting flimsy fast fashion”.
The retailer’s knitted bandana scarf sales increased year on year by 357% while sales of the Khaki Barn Jacket – lightweight but waterproof – shot up 62%. Barbour was John Lewis’s best selling womenswear and menswear brand during October, with menswear sales up 38% in comparison to last year. In fact, its Oxford Street store was taken over by the brand with tartan to celebrate an exclusive John Lewis collection.
Barrel leg jeans were the hit of 2024 and they remained “astonishingly popular” in 2025. They helped revive “all manner of looser denim cuts”. Of the 1,349 different women’s denim jeans available at John Lewis during 2025, the most popular cut has been the wide-legged, with 407 in this category, more than the 309 straight and 147 skinny.
But as well as the comfort of wide-legged and barrel-legged, “people want something more statement with their denim”, said Claire Miles, head of Womenswear Buying at John Lewis. This “encapsulated everything from Paige’s denim trench, Mango’s tie-neck denim shirt, Rejina Pyo’s brown wash jeans and And/Or’s ruffled denim top and its Clara Cape Denim Jacket”.
As for the West End Girl Winter trend, only set up during lockdown, Queens of Archive is an Irish-British brand that has made a splash with its 1960s and 1970s-inspired glamour: maxi dresses, silk-touch sleeves, plush velvet.
It has already become its most rented brand at John Lewis, closely followed by Charles Tyrwhitt. But in October, its Stella coat, with 1960s It-girl attitude, cracked vinyl A-frame and big cuffs, suddenly became its most wanted piece after Lily Allen wore it for the video of Tennis – one of the standout tracks on her West End Girl album and one of the most talked about cultural moments of 2025. Since the video was released, searches for ‘Queens of Archive’ on johnlewis.com jumped by 146% compared to a year ago.
Cashmere has become an all-year trend too. A generation ago, cashmere was a once-a-year luxury for most people. But people are now wearing cashmere all year as it’s no longer reserved for jumpers and super-cold days, short-sleeve cashmere, cashmere T-shirts and sleeveless cashmere vests have all proved very popular in 2025.
On johnlewis.com searches for ‘men’s cashmere jumper’ are up 145% so far in 2025 versus 2024. Searches for ‘cashmere’ saw notable peaks in April, July, September and November.
Beauty evolution
Moving on to beauty, cherry has been a hot colour on the catwalks over the last 18 months and beauty brands are also embracing it – both the colour and the scent.
Skin tints are also increasing in popularity, thanks to the shift in focus from heavy cover-up make-up to skincare-first. This year, John Lewis has started stocking more skin tints than ever before due to high customer demand and brand innovations.
And the 90s revival didn’t only affect fashion. A lot of the best selling beauty products have been glossy, cheerful and unashamedly late 1990s. Lancome this year has brought back the Juicy Tube, originally launched in 2000. The Clinique chubby stick, which first launched in 1997 but relaunched in 2011, has also had a refresh.
The so-called lipstick effect has been visible this year too but John Lewis said the beauty product of choice as an affordable-but-still-luxury treat has been a premium fragrance.
The average selling price of perfumes at John Lewis jumped this year from £73 to £102. A lot of the premiumisation has been driven by the arrival of new luxe brands, including Jo Loves, Penhalligon’s, Byredo and Loewe. Seven of the total 58 brands available are new this year.
Peter Ruis, MD of John Lewis, said of all this: “This Shop Live Look report highlights the joy and the buzz we have seen in our stores over the past year. It’s clear that customers really embraced colour, comfort and fun again — from big garden parties, 90s tunes on repeat or butter dishes making a comeback. Our stores have never felt more alive with new premium collaborations, pop-up Topshops and cookery workshops, and a glass of fizz in the new John Lewis Lounge. It’s clear the era of Department stores as destinations is having its own ‘Nowstalgia’ moment – and we’re ready to bring more of that in 2026.”
John Galliano‘s former lawyer was given a two-year suspended prison sentence on appeal on Tuesday, identical to the term imposed at first instance, for misappropriating funds from the designer’s bank accounts and those of one of his companies.
John Galliano – DR
The Paris Court of Appeal upheld the June 2023 judgment of the criminal court, which had found Stéphane Zerbib guilty of breach of trust totalling 856,500 euros between 2008 and 2011, and of the use of forged documents.
John Galliano lodged a complaint in April 2011 against his former lawyer, accusing him of misappropriating around three million euros by withdrawing cash or making bank transfers without his knowledge.
The designer had just been dismissed by the House of Dior after hurling antisemitic insults at patrons in a Paris bar in February 2011, and was undergoing treatment for his “addictions” at a rehabilitation clinic in Arizona.
At the hearing, Stéphane Zerbib denied any fraudulent withdrawals from the accounts of his former client and from one of his companies, Cheyenne Freedom.
The Court of Appeal also upheld a one-year suspended prison sentence for Stéphane Zerbib’s wife, Danielle Nahon, a legal adviser who also advised John Galliano at the time, for breach of trust, use of forged documents and unlawfully holding herself out as a lawyer.
The lawyer and his wife were ordered to jointly pay John Galliano 145,000 euros in material damages and 5,000 euros in moral damages, as well as 606,605 euros to the company Cheyenne Freedom.
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The upcoming January edition of Pitti Uomo will mark Swaim Hutson’s debut as head of menswear design at rag & bone, unveiling his first collection for the New York-based brand for the autumn/ winter 2026–27 season.
Swaim Hutson
“rag & bone has always stood for authenticity and innovation,” Hutson commented. “I want to build on these values, creating menswear that is both enduring and immediate, capable of expressing the spirit of New York and engaging with a global audience.”
Hutson brings nearly two decades of experience in international menswear to the role. After founding Obedient Sons in New York- a CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund finalist- he held creative director roles at 3.1 Phillip Lim, Club Monaco, and Generra. He later launched The Academy New York, a label that has established itself within the fashion, art, and music communities.
“Swaim brings an innovative vision of creativity and craftsmanship, strengthening the essence of the brand: the elegance of British tailoring combined with the authenticity of American sportswear,” said Andrew Rosen, executive chairman of rag & bone.
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The newest ‘next-generation’ Frasers department store has opened at Queensgate Peterborough in the heart of the city.
Frasers Group
Spanning 60,000 sq ft across two floors, it brings together Frasers Group brands including Flannels, Sports Direct, USC, and Jack Wills under one roof.
The new destination “offers an elevated retail experience, providing access to the world’s most aspirational premium, lifestyle and sports brands”, across women’s, men’s, and kidswear, Frasers Group said.
It includes a dedicated 5,000 sq ft Flannels store, providing the Queensgate catchment “with the best in luxury and contemporary fashion, footwear, and accessories”.
This includes an extensive range of globally-recognised labels including Boss, Coach, Levi’s, Biba, Tommy Hilifger, Barbour, alongside sports brands under its Sports Direct banner, including Adidas, Nike, The North Face, Under Armour, New Balance, Everlast, Slazenger, Karrimor and USA Pro.
Ed Ginn, director of Investment Management for Queensgate operator Invesco Real Estate, said: “Frasers Group’s opening is the start of an exciting new chapter, and marks significant progress in our efforts to maintain Queensgate as a leading retail and leisure destination in the region and in the UK more widely.
“[The Frasers] addition… to the centre raises the bar for potential investment from brands to further enhance the shopping experience, as we continue to evolve Queensgate in a way that provides our catchment with everything they could need or want, in one place.”
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