The mention of Y2K fashion may make you stifle a yawn—capri pants, heeled flip flops and slip dresses all featured heavily in last summer's most-wanted lists, after all. But with the Lyst Index just dropping for the first quarter of 2026 (the biggest fashion shopping platform, used by 160 million shoppers worldwide), it's clear we're still firmly in the era of borrowing styling ideas from the 90s and 00s.
Take the reignited love for Stone Island, which ranks as the 17th hottest brand of the year so far—with equally well-loved Y2K labels Versace, Burberry and Ralph Lauren all sitting in the top 20. Or consider the hottest product list, which features two track tops: an Adidas 'Chinese-style' track top and the Saint Laurent stand-collar jacket, this quarter's most popular product. Two retro-inspired trainers from Celine and Villase PM. A very 90s Kangol flat cap. And an oversized pair of Saint Laurent sunglasses that Y2K-era Victoria Beckham would most certainly have approved of.
Why the continued retro revival? As fashion and beauty psychologist and author Shakaila Forbes-Bell told me in regards to the 2016 social media trend that took off at the beginning of the year: “There are so many studies that preach psychologically we always look back on the past with coloured glasses, and we always find the past to be maybe better than our present.” The same logic applies here.
“There was even one study that found when people were encouraged to engage in nostalgic thinking and were actively reminded about the past and encouraged to reminisce, they felt happier, they felt more socially connected, even physically they felt calmer. So it's always going to be something that evokes joy, which I think under the current climate that we're in right now is needed. A lot of people are struggling with affordability and political situations and it seems like a very tough era to be in,” she continued.
Add to that the pop-culture push of 90s style from Disney's Love Story and the renewed fascination with Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's wardrobe—the key reason behind the Kangol 504's appearance on the hottest product list, according to Lyst. The countless celebrities reaching into their fashion archives, Gwyneth Paltrow and her red Gucci suit among them. And the fact that the tag #90sfashion has over 6.4 million posts on Instagram.
Plus, the continued influx of many a label still riding the wave of the Y2K revival, pushing out more product associated with the era—here's looking at you light-lens rectangular sunglasses. And it's little surprise the 90s are still trending.
Though, as Forbes-Bell predicts, it's the aesthetic, the moment and the community we're craving—not the labels or the price points. As the Lyst index proves this season, with the same hottest product list featuring a Chanel maxi flap at over £6,000 alongside a £2 Trader Joe's tote bag. Branding and attributed cost, it seems, has little to do with the emotion era-dressing can offer.
