Bows are everywhere in 2025, from the catwalk to the high street to the rugby pitch. The trend, which has been building over recent years, has reached a peak with oversized, statement bows appearing in fashion collections, on celebrities, and even in sport. The Welsh rugby player Georgia Evans faced online abuse for wearing pink hair bows during a game, but her supporters responded by wearing over 1,000 bows in solidarity at a subsequent match.
Fashion historian Valerie Steele notes that bows have become a signifier of femininity, but also of irony. Designers such as Sandy Liang, Chopova Lowena, and Simone Rocha have made bows their trademark, using them on handbags, dresses, and wedding gowns. The Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen incorporates bows as functional elements, replacing zips and buttons in her voluminous dresses.
On the UK high street, retailers are embracing the trend. Next is selling nine different bow-covered cardigans, while M&S offers two bow-festooned little black dresses for Christmas. Joseph has a white cotton tuxedo shirt with a detachable grosgrain bow, and Oliver Bonas and Damson Madder stock multiple bow-shaped earrings and hair accessories.
The trend extends to the big screen, with Emerald Fennell's forthcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights featuring bows prominently in its trailer. Cathy is seen wearing red, black, navy, and pink bows, and bows appear on garden pots and around characters' throats. The fashion curator Elisa De Wyngaert of Momu museum in Antwerp suggests that the bow revival reflects a shift in women's fashion away from dressing like men to embracing girlishness as a strength rather than a weakness.
