Is Character Dressing Going To Be Our 2026 Obsession?
Fuelled by our desire for community and belonging, subcultures and communities are becoming our inspiration.
Fashion trends are inexplicably linked with feeling, and if this last year of Substacks and running clubs has taught us anything, it’s that we’re all still craving community and belonging. In fashion, nothing screams belonging more than a uniform, and as we head towards the start of 2026, it’s safe to say that character dressing is very much on the agenda.
Partly fuelled by the rise in method dressing (aka Jacob Elordi‘s Frankenstein tour, Jenna Ortega‘s Wednesday season two press run, and pretty much anything to do with Marty Supreme at the moment), this fixation with specific subcultures, characters and uniforms manifested through the return of sailor hats and military jackets, and has since started to creep into campaigns and collections.
Granted, sailorcore was once an intrinsic part of the JPG DNA, and so it makes perfect sense to feature in Lantink’s debut, but still, one we’ll take as a sign of the times.
Demna’s first collection as the new creative director of Gucci evolved this community mindset, presenting a slew of Gucci “characters” each defined by their specific aesthetics and interests. Dubbed “La Famiglia,” the collection acts as a “study of the ‘Gucciness’ of Gucci” and explores how the brand manifested as a mindset, resulting in its own unique customers and subcultures that one can belong to.
Our increased online identities add to this shift, with the divisive nature of apps like TikTok and X categorizing us in groups like “fashion people” or “non-fashion people,” almost belonging based on our actual belongings. As it becomes easier to find your “tribe” online based on where you shop, what brands you co-sign and what you search for, it also becomes easier to dress the same, whether you intended to or not.
Adding to this study of subculture was Matthieu Blazy’s most recent Chanel collection and runway show. Presented as part of the brand’s ongoing Metier d’Art collection, the recent show transported guests to the New York City subway, also showcasing a multitude of characters.
Perhaps it’s a subconscious tool to rebel against the political divisiveness and growing hatred that we’re seeing in the world right now. Or perhaps, it’s just a sign of our desire to belong, but either way, our affinity for character dressing is something we suspect we’ll see a lot more of next year.
