Fringing? Finished with it. Denim cut-offs? Done them. Sipping out of a plastic pint glass? Please. No matter what festivals you're heading to this summer, things are set to look a little different.
From the women we'll be watching to the beauty essentials we'll be packing, welcome to your ultimate guide to 2018's hugest festival trends.
There’s a new breed of festival fashion and it doesn’t involve crochet. "Boho is being replaced by streetwear, with searches for cropped hoodies up by 23% in the last six months and an increased appetite for pastel sweatshirts from Kenzo and Nike," according to Lyst.com.
"This year, Nike, Adidas and Puma all paid homage to festival season for the first time," writes Katie Smith, Retail Analysis and Insights Director at Edited, "featuring product edits, packing essentials and limited edition styles."
"We’ll see a massive return to psychedelia in 2019," adds Emily Gordon-Smith, director of consumer product at trends company Stylus, "which will emerge this year via personalised denim and fresh takes on '90s rave culture."
Nike reversible sweatshirt, £54.95; H&M cropped hoodie, £9.99; Rag & Bone leather belt bag, £290; Topshop cycling shorts, £19
No wonder Lyst.com saw searches for waist bags, unitards and cycle shorts as three of their top four festival fashion searches. Net-a-Porter also saw Rag & Bone’s leather belt bag among their bestselling products.
The easiest festival look is smudgy, edgy and extremely low maintenance – yep, rock chick beauty is timeless and going nowhere for 2018.
Requiring nothing more than a scrawl of black eyeliner, full-fat lashes, a slick of red lipstick (amp up the festival vibes with this glittery liquid lipstick from YSL) and a spritz of Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium Eau de Parfum. With notes of black coffee, white musk and orange blossom, Black Opium is the perfect perfume to scent your festival season.
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Prepping to pitch up this summer? Pack this season's new limited edition Black Opium Sound Illusion, inspired by long nights in festival crowds and the pulse of summer beats. The edgy, feminine bottle features glittery sound beats to upgrade your favourite festival scent for summer 2018.
"Festivals are all about letting go and having fun, which is why glitter, neon and stick-on jewels will still be key features in 2018. We can expect to see more elaborate uses of these," predicts Emily Gordon-Smith, who forecasts acid-tinged pastels, cosmic face stencilling and holographic finishes. The one difference this year? Glitter is going green.
"The death of plastic-based glitter is approaching. We’re more aware of the damaging environmental impact of sparkle, especially in light of over 60 UK festivals pledging to ban plastic glitter by 2021," notes Emma Grace Bailey, senior editor at WGSN. "We also need to consider the impact of the forthcoming 'wet wipe ban'," she adds.
As for the ubiquitous flower crown? It’s making a souped up comeback. "We’ll see the flower crown rebooted with feathers or even replaced by gilded headbands," predicts Emily. Unsurprisingly, Net-a-Porter are seeing sales of dry shampoo and texture spray increase by nearly a quarter in the run up to festival season.
Women might be racking up billions of streams with hit after hit, but they’re still struggling to find themselves in headline slots.
Festival organisers are making moves to address the glaring gender split on their line-ups, tapping Cardi B (Wireless), Solange (Latitude) and Anna Calvi (Green Man, Festival No. 6) to perform, but the pace is frustrating.
"Bestival has stood out this year with their line-up, which sees M.I.A, London Grammar and Jorja Smith taking headline slots, with IAMDDB, Kelela, Mabel and other great female artists confirmed to perform," observes Sulinna Ong, VP of Artist Marketing at Deezer.
"It’s good to see a greater awareness of gender inequality, but we’re not at a stage where we see balanced representation yet."
"Dua Lipa is having a big summer," adds Associate Editor City by City for WGSN, Quentin Humphrey. As well as playing Panorama, Leeds Fest and Lollapalooza, Dua has just announced that she’s organising a music festival in Kosovo with her father. If you need some new rules this festival season, you know where to head.
Limp burgers and lukewarm beer are a mainstay at music festivals, but in 2018 they’re definitely not the only options.
Festival Republic confirm that fast food is getting an upgrade, with London’s Street Feast setting up 80 vendors at Latitude. Look forward to Club Mexicana’s vegan tacos and Fundi’s 90-second wood-fired pizza.
"Vegan and plant-based meats are highly anticipated," adds Emily Gordon-Smith. Think vegan fried chick’n and buddha bowls at Citadel and Lovebox and vegetarian sushi wraps and gyoza at The Big Feastival.
As for what to drink, there’s no need to ditch your favourite tipple just because you’ve swapped tailoring for tassels. "Botanical flavours are growing in popularity, so expect to see an emphasis on flavoured and infused tonics," continues Emily.
"Instagrammable colours are a huge trend, especially pink gin," adds Sarah Housley, senior food and drink editor at WGSN. "Portable and casual are the key words, which means cans for everything."
Pinkster gin comes in a 100% recyclable box and can be paired with Fever Tree’s flavoured tonics (pick up the can versions). You’ll also be able to grab The Uncommon’s sparkling wine in a can from Festival No 6 and Port Eliot. No glass? No problem.
Whatever your festival style, no outfit is complete with Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium Eau de Parfum
Isabella is a freelance journalist who has written on young women's issues, entertainment, TV and film, South Asian representation, mental health, dating and so much more. She has bylines in ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Prima, Digital Spy, Women's Health, and Harper's Bazaar, and was named 30 Under 30 by MediaWeek, PPA and We Are The City. She was also shortlisted for Workplace Hero at the Investing In Ethnicity Awards and Hero of the Year at the European Diversity Awards. Follow Isabella on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
