The summer 2025 forecast: a 100% chance of folk revival rain
- Bella Omar
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Bella Omar
Asst. Arts & Features Editor
If it wasn’t made obvious enough already by the trendsetters in attendance at Coachella this year, folk- and bohemian-inspired fashion is back, and will be in full swing come summer. While it may be easy to type “boho chic” into the search bar of any quick-to-cater fast fashion brand website, I implore you to consider this trend more thoughtfully, and more true to its diverse history.
In 2025, you’ll find this style to be comfortable and seemingly effortless, a key feature being statement jewelry paired with muted, comfortable, flowing outfits. Tastemakers will be swapping fitted pieces for loose, ruffled, and even sheer tops and dresses - think Kate Moss’s infamous Glastonbury mini belted number.
Chloe’s fall 2025 runway completely embodied the ’70s signature materials and shapes which make it another perfect place to seek inspiration this summer. Ethereal lace and silk maxi dresses paired with casual fur accessories made each model appear like a certain member of the beloved British-American ensemble, Fleetwood Mac.
In recent memory, the last time we saw billowing cotton fabrics and suede boots consistently walking down any runway was probably sometime circa 2010 - so what has sparked this current resurgence? I would argue that this new-found appreciation for the authenticity and anti-establishment attitude of folk music and its coinciding culture stems from young people’s plight against their current government.
Despite popular understanding, bohemian chic was not invented by Coachella goers - the term “bohemian” originally referred to creatives and intellectuals in 19th-century France who rejected society’s rigid norms and whose style was made up of re-worked fabrics, loose-fitting silhouettes and layered looks all inspired by Romani and Eastern European cultures. This anti-capitalist fashion returned within the 1960s-1970s hippie counterculture, again rejecting materialism and embracing sustainability.
This era of history experienced mass social and political change, such as the Civil Rights movement, which had a huge influence on hippie fashion. This includes the iconic bell-bottom and flared jeans we associate with the period today, as seen on Kendrick Lamar during his extremely impactful Super Bowl halftime performance - a likely nod to the Black revolutionaries of the time who popularized the silhouette.
So when people participate in this trend by collecting mass-produced polyester pieces, the style loses its cultural significance and becomes tragically ironic as bohemian fashion, in my opinion, was never meant to express anything but breaking free from capitalist corporations such as Shein.
If you do decide that you want to add some Stevie Nicks inspired pieces to your closet this upcoming season, remember that it is important to do so in a responsible way that’s true to the style’s roots - support brands that actually produce their clothes ethically, prioritize second hand shopping and upcycle items you already own.