The utility trend is everywhere — how ‘It’ girls wear the look

Colder weather is (unfortunately) on the horizon, which means it’s time to introduce heavier, more functional fabrics into your wardrobe. If a teddy jacket or sweater dress come to mind, that is all well and good; however, may we instead interest you in the fall/winter trend that’s kept fashion week buzzing? Cargo and utility.

If you kept up with any fashion week coverage, it was hard to miss the parade of cargo and parachute pants, camouflage, and utility jackets dotting the crowds in New York, Milan, Paris, and London.

The trend has been widely adopted by influencers as one of the season’s Insta-worthy captures and was featured in the fall/winter 2022 collections of Max Mara, Proenza Schouler, Acne Studios, and Ulla Johnson.

While cargo pants are by-and-large the focal point of the trend, they are by no means the only player.

According to the shopping behaviour of Stylight users, searches for parachute pants top the list of trending products, seeing a whopping +977% increase in clicks compared to last year.

Parachute pants tend to have multiple pockets, similar to their better-known counterpart, cargo pants. However, unlike the fabric versatility of cargo pants, parachute pants are usually made from lighter nylon fabric, inspiring the airy name. Additionally, parachute pants are characterized by an elastic waistband and have a baggy fit but are tight or fitted around the ankle. This trend has been especially popular with Gen Z and has seen viral success on TikTok.

Next to parachute pants, the classic cargo style has seen a similar (albeit smaller) jump on Stylight, with a click increase hovering around +60%.

Now you see me, now you don’t. What we do see, for certain: a +58% increase in clicks on camouflage prints.

Last but certainly not least: utility jackets. The practical style has enjoyed a click increase of +29% on Stylight, cementing itself as a staple in the overall utility trend.