Heatwave uniform
How the climate crisis will affect our fashion choices
There was a heatwave across Northeastern US and Canada in September of last year. I was thankfully staying with family close to North Bay (Ontario) but the brutal heat and wildfire warnings made it nearly impossible to do anything except sit in the shade. My fashion choices were a bit bleak at the time — wearing the same track shorts and cami for days on end. Mind you, I was in a forest so fashion can’t be anything but functional. However: When I was watching a Mina Le video and she said that she was doing the exact same thing while surviving her summer in NYC (and this was before she announced she was a bit done with fashion and opting for a capsule wardrobe) — saying that she couldn’t bear to get on the subway in anything but Adidas track shorts because it was just too hot.
This made me think about how the most heatwave-friendly items became an our favorite (pinnable) trends last year. Items that I wouldn’t necessarily consider Capital-F fashion (you wouldn't catch the real fashion-y ladies of Paris or Milan in an Adidas track capri), but they continue to grace our Pinterest boards and Instagram feeds as a fashion moment nevertheless. Track shorts or capris, flip-flops, paired with a mismatched flowy white blouses or layered white camis tended to be the uniform of last summer.
With this, it made me think about:
How will fashion evolve in the US, Canada, and Europe as climate change intensifies?
As global temperatures rise, how will heatwave-friendly clothing be rebranded as trendy?
What role will fashion play in normalising climate-adaptive clothing as desirable?
This year, we’ve already seen a few items added to the 2025 heatwave uniform roster:
Vibram/Watershoes: Bit of a weird one, but I could totally see these breathable and waterproof shoes become more of a staple as the heat is turned up. Searches for Vibram (the maker of the fivefinger toes shoes and a slew of other watershed models) are up 36% in the past year on Google.
Crochet Microshorts: Interest on Pinterest for these barely-there bottoms is up >20% from last year across the US and UK, mainly driven by 18-24yo who make up 61% of searchers.
Nylon/Spandex capris and shorts: Interest in capri outfits is up >200% from last year, with many of the most reposted images being capris made from nylon, spandex, or other athletic (aka sweat wicking!) materials.
Of course, these are the pieces that are already accessible in our wardrobes and thrift stores, but there are a few more technical pieces to help us in the heat coming down the pipeline.
UPF clothing is already popular in Australia and Asia, but brands like Claudent are trying to bring sunsafe but still fashionable pieces to new markets. (I had never heard of UPF clothing until I heard an interview with the founder on Let’s Get Dressed — did you know that a white tee is still letting through about 10-20% of the sun’s rays, while UPF clothing will only let through ~2%??)
The brand Anrealage has been bringing aircon clothing to the international fashion stage, a trend that has already been popular in Japan for the past few years. Essentially pumping cold air through your garments.
Japanese brand Meanswhile released their first air conditioned jacket five years ago. While at the time it was seen more as a gimmick for PR purposes, Naohiro Fujisaki (the brand’s designer) said in an interview with Vogue that interest in the jacket for everyday wear has picked up in the past few years.
Trends tend to take off when they’re a bit vague, accessible, and easy to adopt (like our capris or flip-flops). These items aren’t tied to a specific aesthetic and are widely available, making them ideal vehicles for proliferation. If the past few summers have taught us anything, it’s that functional, comfortable pieces (especially those suited for rising temperatures) can be reframed as fashionable, even when they weren’t intended to be. With that in mind, I’m curious: what other comfort-driven items might be claimed as next year’s trend? What items do we see right now as purely functional could be taken up by the fashion community?
Some initial thoughts:
Water vests, originally designed for long runs or hikes, have already gained traction with the rise of city run clubs and the broader running boom. I wouldn’t be surprised if they crossed over into everyday wear — a practical way to stay hydrated while walking through the city in extreme heat. And with so many already in circulation, it’ll be an easy transition.
Balenciaga’s barefoot shoes might feel a little off-putting at first glance, but in a summer where “grounding” and ultra-breathable footwear are trending, going barefoot — or at least the appearance of it — suddenly feels like the logical next step. (What’s more breathable than nothing at all?)
As sun exposure increases, I wonder if we’ll see the return of accessories like gloves and parasols — early-century sun protection that skips the need for SPF altogether. The recent rise of UPF driving gloves in places like LA suggests this kind of pre-sunscreen protection might be due for a full resurgence.
Finally: I can’t talk about the climate crisis without bring attention to what we can do to help. According to the UN Environment Programme, current policy pathways suggest that we will experience between 2.6 and 2.8 °C warming by 2100; but without stronger action this could rise to 3.1 °C. What I recently learned about, thanks to the new David Attenborough Ocean documentary, was the role that the ocean and its plant life has on carbon capture.
Some stats on this:
Each year, the ocean absorbs about 25-30% of human CO₂ emissions.
Seagrass captures carbon up to 30 times faster than tropical rainforests, about 10-18% of total ocean carbon storage. Further, mangroves and salt marshes sequester carbon at rates 10× greater than mature tropical forests, and store 3–5× more carbon per acre.
Fishing practices like trawling (basically scraping the bottom of the ocean and destroying the entire habitat, when we are really only fishing for a few species) destroy these ecosystems that are so effective at carbon capture. Wealthier nations engage in trawling practices that not only destroy carbon-capturing ecosystems, but also wipe out the marine habitats that many coastal communities in other parts of the world depend on for traditional fishing and food security. The push to stop trawling is a community, ecosystem, and carbon capture cause wrapped up all into one.
Increasing the percent of protected ocean areas seems like one of the most effective routes to reducing climate change right now, while also improving the lives of people costal communities. Currently about 8% of the ocean is protected, but the UN has set a goal of increasing this to 30% by 2030.
I’m in the process of researching which organizations are leading the charge on increasing and lobbying for ocean protection — and considering a style analytics collaboration to raise awareness and support their work. So far, Oceana and the Blue Carbon Initiative are at the top of my list. But! If you (reader) have any knowledge or experience in this topic please please let me know. Currently on a learning journey and I need all the help I can get
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I think the obsession with natural fabrics (organic cotton/linen/silk etc) will continue to grow as living becomes increasingly uncomfortable
Parasols have already caught on in Australia for summers - I think we looked at Asian students here using them and thought, ooh great idea!