Sardines are the freshest catch in 2025’s food-inspired trends.

What started as a quirky nod to Mediterranean culture in 2023 has turned into one of the biggest style trends of this summer. Searches for “sardine dress” have spiked on Google since April, and quests for sardine items have increased 75 percent in the last three months on Etsy compared to the same time last year. On TikTok, fashion influencers have declared it “sardine girl summer” season. But why are sardines suddenly so popular?

“Sardines aren’t trying to be perfect or precious, and that’s exactly the point,” Dayna Isom Johnson, trend expert at Etsy, told WWD. “Shoppers are gravitating toward visuals that feel lived-in and a little offbeat, pieces that tell a story with grit and personality, not just gloss, and feel a little less filtered, and sardine prints do exactly that.”

The small, oily fish that often comes packed in tins and swims in dense schools along coastal waters follows a sequence of food-inspired trends that have risen in popularity over the last few years. The list includes strawberries, cherries and tomatoes. For fashion psychologist Jennifer Heinen, “we’re entering an era of flavor-first fashion.”

“Food is the most emotionally charged design system we know,” Heinen told WWD. “When we wear sardines, or tomatoes, or lemons, we’re not just wearing symbols — we’re wearing memories. These are foods that ground us in heritage, identity and repetition. Humble foods are especially powerful because they reflect resilience.”

According to Heinen, sardines “speak to a longing for togetherness” due to their nostalgic, textural and imperfect appeal. “Sardines carry a fascinating visual language: they’re silver, slick, communal and preserved. There’s something both sensual and symbolic in that,” she said, adding that “we’re in an era where people are dressing less for status and more for sensation.”

Bottega Veneta is among the luxury brands that have drawn inspiration from the popular fish, debuting its Sardine bag as part of its fall 2022 collection. Staud followed suit with the release of its viral Staudine Tommy Bag. Zara, Farm Rio, Lisa Says Gah, J.Crew and Anthropologie have also joined the sardine craze within their own collections.

The sardines mania can also be explained by the rise of coastal-inspired trends in fashion, such as Marina-core and the fisherman aesthetic. In April, Etsy’s spring 2025 trend edit identified Maritime Living as one of six core styles for the season.

“This wave is saltier, bolder, and a little more playful,” Johnson said. “It’s part of a larger celebration of hyper-specific aesthetics, where people are dressing not just to impress but to express, and these motifs are all about cultural flavor and personal storytelling.”

For Johnson, there’s something “beautiful” about celebrating the everyday through food-inspired prints, “especially in a world that feels increasingly digital,” she said. “These humble ingredients ground us. They bring us back to grandma’s kitchen, seaside markets, or childhood lunches — and that nostalgia is powerful.”

The trend expert has already pointed out another sea-inspired trend on the horizon, following closely behind the sardines. “Don’t be surprised if anchovies get their moment,” she said. “There’s a wave of affection for tiny-but-mighty ingredients. I also wouldn’t count out motifs like peaches (juicy, flirty, and ripe for summer) or pickles (quirky and cult-favorite status already). And let’s not forget the sweet stuff — vintage bakery prints, pastel frosted cakes, or even whimsical spins on pantry staples could be next. If it’s joyful, nostalgic, and a little bit unexpected, it’s ripe for fashion.”