From coastal-inspired fashion to cakes that break all the rules, Pinterest’s annual 2025 Predicts Report is here to guide us through what’s next in beauty, fashion, food, and more. With Gen Z leading the charge—driving 65% of these bold new trends—2025 is shaping up to be all about individuality, maximalism, and playful expression.
We sat down with Sydney Stanback, Global Trends and Insights Lead at Pinterest, to dive deeper into the report’s highlights. From the cozy charm of the Fisherman Aesthetic to the electrifying colors of Aura Beauty and the rise of Chaos Cakes, discover how Pinterest’s insights are redefining what’s cool and creative in the year ahead. —Noa Nichol
What key cultural shifts or patterns stood out to you when analyzing the data for the 2025 Pinterest Predicts report?
This year is all about bold, unapologetic self expression. More than ever, we are seeing people embrace big styles, bold makeup and unique ways to celebrate. Another really interesting cultural shift we noticed with this year’s report is the Gen Z dominance. Over 65% of the 2025 trends are driven by Gen Z.
How do you see Gen Z’s preferences shaping broader cultural movements across fashion, beauty, and lifestyle in 2025?
Gen Z shaping culture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle so heavily this year and heading into next year. They also now make up over 40% of Pinterest’s 537 million monthly active users. They are using Pinterest to express themselves and help find their identity. They’re also a generation that embraces individuality and unique expression and we’re seeing that manifest itself in trends like “castlecore”, “sea witchery”, “fisherman aesthetic” and so many more.
Can you delve deeper into the Fisherman Aesthetic trend and why it resonates with both urban and coastal audiences?
We think this trend is an evolution of last year’s “Eclectic Grandpa” trend, which really exploded culturally after we called it in the report. The “Eclectic Grandpa” fashion trend leaned towards menswear fashion, however, we saw it resonate with all genders. This year’s “Fisherman Aesthetic” trend has similar vibes. Chunky knit, sardine tattoos, baggy pants and fisherman sandals. While on paper it seems like it could be a “menswear” trend, we believe it’s going to be embraced by people across all genders.
What makes Aura Beauty’s focus on mood-based makeup a standout trend, and how does it align with self-expression?
Gen Z is really into blush right now. They’ve coined so many different ways to apply it. “Aura Beauty” is the next evolution in blush. It’s taking it even further and applying bold colour and bold application. For example, “purple blush makeup” is now up +30% so we expect to see new colours enter makeup palettes next year.
What societal or generational factors are driving Gen X and Boomers to embrace the Mix & Maximalist trend?
Meet “Mix & Maximalist”, a cross category home and fashion trend that really illustrates that more is more in 2025. This trend has the clearest connection back to the maximalist themes we’re seeing throughout this entire report. Gen X and Boomers are mixing and matching bold patterns, eclectic prints and delightful textures in every color. And they’re layering lots of it. This maximalist trend is showing up in eclectic apartments, eclectic boho bedrooms, and fabric wall decor searches. Some interesting search terms include “fabric wall decor” is up +135%, “eclectic apartment” is up +630% and “vintage maximalism” is +260%.
How does Chaos Cakes reflect a shift in how people view food as a creative and self-expressive medium?
“Pinterest Perfect” cakes are out. “Chaos Cakes” are wacky, strange, authentic and truly just really fun. The stranger the better. Perfection can be hard to achieve and food is a great source of self-expression and creativity. This shift towards creating “celeb crush cakes” or “funny cakes for friends” is about hyper-personalization but also embracing chaos and imperfection.
Are there specific search terms or destinations fueling the Peak Travel trend, and what makes it appealing to Gen Z and Gen X?
“Peak Travel” is about luxury and high-altitude destinations across the globe. It’s meant for the traveler that’s focused on seeking out breathtaking scenery and unique cultural experiences that can only come from these elevated destinations. Some of the trending search terms include “atlas mountains morocco” which is up +30%, “dolomites” is up +45%, “portillo chile” is up +195%, “skiing fits” is up +255% and “mountain trip outfit” is up +35%.
Can you share an example of a previous Pinterest Predicts trend that became mainstream and its cultural impact?
For the past five years, 80% of the trends we’ve called have come true. We make sure we take a look back at the reports to analyze how accurate we are. Two standouts from last year are “Eclectic Grandpa” and “Western Gothic”. Over the past two years, global web mentions related to the ‘Eclectic Grandpa’ trend have grown by 127% year-over-year. You can see these take off in celeb culture. For example, Tyler the Creator, Harry Styles, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Emma Chamberlain, Zoë Kravitz and Alexa Chung have all embraced this style. In beauty, we saw the “Blue Beauty” trend everywhere this year!
How does Pinterest ensure it captures emerging trends early while staying relevant to such a diverse and global audience?
What differentiates the trendspotting process for Pinterest Predicts is two-fold: how our audience uses Pinterest, and our methodology. Each month over a half a billion action oriented people from around the world come to Pinterest to plan their next big thing, which provides us with the perfect source of data for trend forecasting. They come to Pinterest to search for the thing they want to try, do or buy next. We then apply a rigorous machine-learning backed methodology that allows us to identify and forecast how these trends will likely grow on Pinterest. Then, we distill the trends: After the initial data pull, our teams of creatives, strategists and researchers come together to identify patterns in the data. We distill our searches into distinct trends that sit in a variety of categories, and reach a wide array of global audiences. We then work with third-party experts to ensure inclusivity and representation.
Personally, the 2025 trend you’re most looking forward to pinning/embracing, and why?
I am so excited about “Castlecore” and “Goddess Complex”. I love “Castlecore” because it’s a trend that touches fashion, beauty, and home decor. It incorporates rich textures, dark color palettes, ornate details that were really prominent in medieval times. “Gothic” or “goth” trends have been evolving over the past few years. In Pinterest Predicts 2022, we featured a trend called “Oh my Goth” and I think Castlecore is just an evolution of that trend infused with the popularity of shows such as “House of the Dragon”.
“Goddess Complex” is a beauty and wellness trend that really celebrates a luxurious and empowered approach to beauty and self-care, because in 2025, self care will be fueled by female empowerment. Everything will be a muse moment, from gold facials to goddess braids and nail designs. What I love about this trend, is that it’s an unapologetic and empowered approach to self care and wellbeing.
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