Valentine’s Day may be over, but Lidewij Edelkoort is still interested in love.
While the days after Valentine’s Day are often marked by discounted sweets and wilted rose petals, Edelkoort’s latest trend forecast ‘Candy Culture’ brings the sugary treats and their various shades to the forefront of fashion. “Sweet Spring and Sweet Summer 2025”, as the trend researcher calls the season, is an appeal to the naive search for something colorful and fulfills the longings of children.
Fashion has undoubtedly always had a fascination with youth, but lately the industry seems to be aging backwards more than ever. Childlike wonder has already begun to infiltrate fashion. The “coquette” trend has taken social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram by storm, and British culture and fashion magazine Dazed dubbed 2023 “the year of the girl.”
A phenomenon that has not gone unnoticed by Edelkoort, because while observing current fashion and clothing trends, she noticed that there are more and more children’s fashion-inspired garments in the adult world. Whether ballet flats, puffy sleeves or school uniforms, “there are already a significant number of elements that point to a trend of celebrating childhood,” says Edelkoort.
Convinced that society needs healing in a time full of problems and uncertainties, Edelkoort began work on the season preview with the idea of childhood, allowing herself to “be a child and reach for candy” while creating color cards for SS25 and beyond designed. FashionUnited has selected some candy-colored highlights for a sweet season.
Childlike wonder, imagination and confectionery
Edelkoort went a step further than ballet flats and bows, connecting childhood with a desire for sugar, which she in turn transformed into candy-colored color charts for Spring/Summer 2025. Aptly derived from various candies, the colors vary from powdery neutrals that resemble foam kisses to bright, bold colors reminiscent of heart-shaped Valentine’s Day candies.
Although dark colors are not immediately associated with sweets, childhood or spring/summer, licorice tones opened Edelkoort’s trend report. Paired with lighter tones such as white and off-white, the darker color creates both contrast and harmony, which, according to the trend forecaster, is particularly suitable for accessories, bow details and even avant-garde men’s fashion when combined with shiny materials.
‘Black Candy’ was followed by neutral tones like nougat, before things took a colorful turn and Edelkoort began to feature more vibrant candy colors. Gummy bears, for example, have been highlighted as an emblem of Pop Art with their bright colors and whimsical shapes.
Beauty, romance and the constant presence of the girl
While the focus of Edelkoort’s Spring/Summer 2025 forecast was on colors, the candy craze was also translated into shapes and design elements. Perhaps most striking were what she called “Marshmallow Mood,” romantically beautiful dresses with exaggerated shapes, including a type of hip-enhancing style in very soft colors, sometimes with lots of ruffles and ribbons.
“We will see a period with a lot of panniers, historical skirts with a built-in system that widens the hips,” said the Dutch trend forecaster, explaining a trend that was already seen on the catwalks. – Designer Simona Rocha experimented with the new silhouette for her couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier.
Bigger, wider hips are traditionally associated with the idea of femininity, while another dominant trend for Spring/Summer 2025 takes a look back to childhood. Smocking, an embroidery technique that gathers fabric to allow it to stretch, has made its way from the girls’ world back into women’s fashion in the form of layered, feminine dresses and various accessories.