It is usually confined on the high street to bralettes and bikinis, while its presence among the luxury labels has been dominated by Missoni’s trademark zig-zag creations. But this summer, crochet is breaking out, as the high street and celebrities embrace the handicraft trend.



The summer collections featured high-end iterations of the look, such as Dolce and Gabbana’s black knitted dress with oversized, orange-shaped buttons, while the autumn shows provided a gothic approach in the form of berry-hued belted creations from Dior, and raw, hessian sack-like crochet dresses from Balmain’s recent Resort collection.

A model in a Valentino dress. Photograph: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

It’s not just a luxury trend, however. TV’s Love Island boasts a number of fans, among them Dani Dyer, whose white and pastel crochet Missguided dress sold out out after she wore it on the show. On the high street, a multitude of items are springing up. This season Topshop is offering everything from crochet-trimmed pyjamas to a rainbow crochet T-shirt.

“As we moved closer towards summer we saw a huge rise in searches for crochet,” a spokesperson for Arcadia said. “[They] were up 296% in April compared to March, signalling that this was going to be a popular trend for the season.”

The dress Dani Dyer wore on Love Island, which sold out. Photograph: Missguided.com

Elsewhere, Zara has branched out into bucket hats and colour-pop cable-knit jumpers, with a multicoloured crochet dress and a crochet-collar shirt among the store’s “trending now” this past week. At the midpoint between designer and high street, the Australian label She Made Me, whose crochet bikinis have been worn by social media mainstays including Kourtney Kardashian and Gigi Hadid, launched its debut ready to wear collection back in December, featuring crochet dresses and two-pieces.

Searches for crochet items on the Lyst.com fashion platform have increased 31% in the second and third quarters compared with the same period last year, with tops recording the biggest increase, followed by dresses and sweaters.

As well as endorsement from social media stars and influencers, and visibility across both luxury and accessible brands, its winning formula is arguably linked to its bohemian simplicity, and the sense that it harks back to a traditional, craft-adept world. Which could mean it’s here to stay.

A crochet two-piece. Photograph: She Made Me