Everywhere I Look, Fashion People Are Suddenly Wearing This "Divisive" Micro Trend for Summer

The swirl is all the rage in summer 2026, scroll to see how this noughties throwback staged a fashionable comeback.

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Spiral fashion trend summer 2026
(Image credit: Who What Wear UK)
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If you’re an avid reader of Who What Wear UK, you'll know that the wave of nostalgia sweeping fashion right now won’t exactly feel like 'breaking news'. We predicted the indie sleaze revival and watched the ‘2026 is the new 2016’ narrative unfold in real time. But, every now and then, a trend catches even us by surprise—especially when it's rooted in a heady mix of subcultures and micro-aesthetics from eras gone by. And now the return of the studded spiral trend does exactly that.

Gwen Staffani

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Drawing from the dark romanticism of the ‘80s punk and the ‘60s biker culture, with a little bit of 90's acid woo-woo thrown in, the rebellious spirit of the spiral trend has evolved from a niche motif to a full-blown movement. Its graphic, slightly mystical edge does't feel too far from the dark fantasy aesthetics you'd have seen Gwen Stefani in during the period, whilst studs keep it feeling a little tougher. But what makes the design so special in 2026? Well, the fusion of so many clashing aesthetics being brought together makes for a statement piece— one quickly drawing the attention of the Gen Z fashion set.

mkurtis

(Image credit: @lucywilliams02 @mkurtis)

The first indication that spirals were bubbling up in the fashion zeitgeist came from a rather unique source: Lithuanian-based brand Urte Kat. Gaining popularity for their contemporary Marc-Jacobs-at-Perry-Ellis-meets-Alexander-McQueen vibe, the brand has quickly found fans within a cohort of current It Girls. From Charli XCX to Doechii and PinkPantheress too, the most popular artists of 2026 are often shot wearing the brand's cool Euro vibe, but it was their Studded Spiral Trousers that skyrocketed their social clout after going viral on TikTok and Pinterest and number of times.

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elsiematilda

(Image credit: @elsiematilda)

Since then, spirals motifs have been coming in waves (pardon the pun). Gimaguas’s Claude Studs Dress was an instant hit (selling out within seconds), and jewellery brands like Ottoman Hands and YSSO have the championed the swirl throughout their newest collections. Unsure of how to style spirals? They're making their way into interior trends too, think Sophie Lou Jacobsen's wavey coaster's or L'Objet's gold-plated cutlery, it seems this season, spirals are about to become the IYKYK trend everyone will be wearing. Scroll down to shop the best spiral pieces on the market right now.

Shop the Spiral Trend Below:

Imani-Nia Francis-Tsolaki
Imani-Nia Francis-Tsolaki
Junior Fashion Editor

Imani-Nia Francis-Tsolaki is Junior Fashion Editor at Who What Wear UK, where she expertly navigates Gen-Z-aligned editorial content and brand try-ons to unearth the most worthwhile pieces, while valiantly resisting the urge to add every single one to her basket.

At Who What Wear, Imani is committed to uncovering cool new brands to share with the WWW UK readership, and finding gems that make shopping accessible (and fun) for everyone.