A couple weeks ago, after spending the day writing about strawberry jelly nails, I attended an event in my beloved Melissa x Diesel jelly flip-flops, where I enjoyed (almost) too-beautiful-to-consume jello shots by Solid Wiggles. Even then, I didn't make what is, retrospectively, a very obvious connection. It was the following day when our social strategy lead, Kala Herh, introduced me to the viral Jelly Birkin. That's when it became clear: it's the summer of jelly.
We are, in real time, experiencing a Y2K revival in so many different forms: bootcut jeans, blue eyeshadow, and choker necklaces all pay homage to the early aughts. Of the early 2000s trends making the rounds, jelly is making a particularly big splash, which began on the Spring/Summer 2026 runways in the form of footwear. Designers like Chloé and Loewe featured jelly heels on their runways, and brands Gucci, The Row, and Jimmy Choo have incorporated similar styles in their recent releases. We're talking about pumps, wedges, ballet flats, boots, and sandals made out of that beloved jelly material we used to run around in. This, I believe, represents two things: we're all deeply nostalgic, and we all just want to have fun with fashion again.
Jelly On The Runway
Chloé Spring/Summer 2026 // Launchmetrics
Loewe Spring/Summer 2026 // LaunchmetricsWe're not only embracing jelly in the form of shoes, though. Then, the jelly "firkin" bag arrived, and the internet went wild. Inspired by a Birkin bag, but made out of jelly material, fashion brand Dear Nikola created the perfect summer bag—fun, brightly-colored, and under $100. While the brand is not the first to popularize the jelly bag—Tory Burch, Farm Rio, and Alaïa have jelly bags in their lineups—our interest, and those of many on social media, was certainly piqued by the Birkin silhouette of it all.
From nails to food to shoes to jewelry to bags, it's undeniably the summer of jelly—and we're having so much fun with it.
