For 2026, It's Out With the Old & in With the New. Ish
With the end of every year comes speculation over what this new one might entail, on all fronts. Here, of course, we’re best versed in prognoses of 2026 in fashion in particular, and, more importantly, the remnants to bleed over into it from 2025.
From a mass-seizing to the color brown’s limitless potential, to an ongoing undoing of sneaker-isms in footwear and hotly debated zipper lengths, a decent few of the previous 365 days’ leading motifs are due a return, or extension rather, as we begin the countdown of the next.
SSENSE being the vast catalog of goods that it is, it offered itself as a most convent place to source from for this review of past menswear trends we see hanging around to appear in our future.
Situated somewhere in between “out with the old, in with the new” and “don’t mess with a good thing” sentiments, the menswear trend of 2025 and 2026 will have at least a handful of things in common, like it or not:
The 2025 Menswear Trends Sticking Around For 2026
Everything But Sneakers...
As per our own people, 2026 will be, among other things, the year we divorce ourselves even further from sneaker tropes in footwear, and’ll be leaning instead into shoes that borrow from a more formal, dressy, dandy playbook.
...Unless They're Super Low-Profile
… Except, of course, for when we’re donning our flattest of kicks. At this point something more akin to a megatrend (in sartorial terms, that is), sneakers have been slimming down, season upon season, more than a single trip ‘round the sun. How much longer until there’s no material even left to cut down on?
Regulars, Reimagined
To get to the actual clothes section of this article, chances are that the upper halves of bodies enjoyed being draped in what are classics with a twist, and’ll continue to. What sounds pretty cliché is actually a remainder of peak-quiet luxury from some time ago, or a subtle evolution, rather, of old money’s stealth-wealthy staples, now taking the occasional left-field turn for added spice.
Denim Goes Rogue
Denim has been going through heaps of experiments these past twelve months, and is showing no sign of stopping. Near-ridiculously stressed and/or flared jeans have proven popular with young folks especially, and by the looks of it, we’ll remain in their good graces for a bit longer, as an interesting counter-reaction to cleaner, straighter selvedge denim styles making the rounds elsewhere. Maybe, after 2025's fascination with boredom, 2026'll be about getting one's hands dirty.
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