Three months ago, I asked tastemakers and our Gen Z community members to predict the biggest trends of the summer. They were spot on in predicting an IRL summer for the ages. Taking stock of the energy, I wrote about Gen Z’s breakout summer for Vox.
Beyond the lines and the Love Island watch parties…
What I’ve noticed over the past few months is that this finally felt like the first summer Gen Z didn’t just talk about *or post* about living. They actually lived. And it felt really good. Perhaps so good, they’ll never look back.
As part of the research for our fall trend report, we asked our community for their take on the biggest trends of the summer and where they think that energy will shift as we move into fall.
READ OUR FULL FALL TREND REPORT, THE COUNTERCULTURE IS HUMAN, HERE.
I often think about Gen Z and how and if our generation really is that different from others.
What stood out most to me this summer is that things that have just been status quo for every other generation of young people — going to parties, watching sports with strangers, hanging with friends, finding new hobbies, going to concerts, or going to the movies — are now seen as trends because this is the first time our generation has genuinely experienced them.
So as it turns out, 2026 wasn’t just an IRL summer. It was the summer Gen Z embraced being social. Not just for the bit or for the post. Not because they felt like they had to, or because someone told them to. But because they wanted to.
Beyond the appetite for real, tactile hobbies and hanging out in person, I’m hearing a conscious untethering from the algorithms that our generation was raised on. Young people are no longer interested in having trends dictated to them by their for-you-page. Instead, they want to come to decide what’s cool on their own, or with people they actually know or have something in common with — and they’re hyper-aware of that.
Looking back, here are our community members’ biggest trends of the summer, and looking forward → what they’re excited for this fall.