3 must-know festival fashion trends for 2023

Discover the emerging styles and aesthetics from Glastonbury, Seoul Jazz Festival and more for 2023 and beyond.

The festival season is upon us. Last year we covered 5 trends from Coachella 2022, where a hedonistic mood was prominent amid the post-lockdown frenzy. Are Gen Z consumers sticking to vibrant colours and Y2K? Or has festival fashion evolved alongside the ever-shifting youth culture?

In this episode, we share our observations from festivals across the US, UK and South Korea, as well as the influence of global stadium tours by the likes of Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Blackpink.

We also spotlight the rise of mass casualisation focusing on comfort and practicality, alongside a darker and grungier aesthetic that is coming to the fore via a new indie aesthetic. Plus, we examine how conscious festival-goers are approaching celebrations by styling outfits from what they already own in their wardrobe rather than buying new pieces.

Read on to discover three key festival fashion trends for 2023, as tipped by our experts Graham Krag, Senior Prints & Graphics Strategist on WGSN Fashion, and Youth Fashion Strategists Mia Jacobs and Jaeyeon Park.

1. #TheNewIndie

“The new indie aesthetic is coming in among attendees adding their own spin on outfits that they already own. We’ve been noting a shift into the Tumblr girl era, which is about putting unexpected outfit combinations together. It’s about those clashing textures, it’s the clashing prints. It’s wearing stuff that you already have, but in a different, unexpected way.”
– Mia Jacobs, Youth Fashion Strategist, WGSN

2. #Kidult accessories

“Personally my style is the kidult theme. So overalls and a pair of cute sneakers. It’s so practical in the festival setting because they’re not extremely utilitarian, but more fun and youthful, but also really comfortable. And you can play around with the colorways and accessorise with cute, chunky charms and they’ll be perfect for outdoor events.”
– Jaeyeon Park, Youth Fashion Strategist, WGSN

3. Extreme utility

“Comfort seems to be the key message across both of these festivals. Lots of people choosing styles with pockets that they can carry stuff around in. And we’ve been tracking this already, this is that utility trend elevated. Lightweight and packable were the two main messages from my friends when I asked what are you going to take to festivals this season.”
– Graham Krag, Senior Prints & Graphics Strategist and Commissioning Manager, WGSN

Head to Apple or Spotify to hear the full discussion on our Create Tomorrow podcast episode, Festival Style – What’s Headlining Now & Next. If you’re a subscriber, access our full suite of festival coverage on WGSN Fashion. Alternatively, request a demo with us here.