The Must Have SS21 Fashion Pieces You Need According to Instagram

With summer just around the corner and restrictions slowly lifting, many of us are excited to finally dust off our ‘going out’ clothes or search the shops for some new pieces to add to our wardrobes.

Yet after a year of wearing loungewear, what will 2021’s most popular fashion pieces be post-lockdown? Streetwear fashion brand Criminal Damage has analysed Instagram data to reveal the most popular clothing pieces on the social platform right now.

The 20 most popular hashtags on Instagram for summer clothing items are:

1. Streetwear         49.1m
2. Hoodie                 14m
3. Jumpsuit             12.2m
4. Kimono                8.2m
5. Blazer                   7.9m
6. Sandals                7.4m
7. Maxi Dress         6.3m
8. Crop Top              6.2m
9. Sweatshirt          5.5m
10. Leather Jacket   3.3m
11. Trainers               2.8m
12. Denim Jacket     2.3m
13. Joggers                 2.1m
14. Crocs                     1.9m
15. Loungewear       1.9m
16. Flip Flops             1.9m
17. Little Black Dress 1.8m
18. Tracksuit              1.6m
19. Graphic Tee       1.3m
20. Skinny Jeans      1.3m

Unsurprisingly, some of the nation’s favourite summer staples appear in the top 20, with sandals, leather and denim jackets, and maxi dresses taking some of the top spots. However, some unusual fashion choices have also found their way into the list. Arguably the most dividing footwear item, Crocs, make an appearance in 14^th place – ahead of long-loved summer staple, flip flops, and with celebs such as Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj styling the vibrant styling the quirky footwear, there’s certainly a lot of love for the shoes across social media right now.

Some of our lockdown favourites have also made an appearance, with comfier clothing options that many of us have lived in throughout the pandemic, such as sweatshirts, loungewear, and hoodies making their mark firmly in the top 20. In the number one spot, streetwear takes a huge lead, with a massive 35 million more hashtags than the number two spot. This certainly dispels the myth that we’re all moving away from comfort now that we’re post-lockdown; streetwear is certainly set to stay.

Monty Aytan, Executive at Criminal Damage says, “It’s interesting to see streetwear and loungewear pieces taking up many of the top 20 spots. This shows us that Instagram style stars have embraced the lockdown trends of the last year, suggesting we are a nation who have adapted to combining style and comfort as now being of equal importance.”

 The least popular summer pieces tagged on Instagram were also found, with the bottom ten revealed as:

1. Parker Jacket                     1.4k
2. High-waisted Jeans        8k
3. High-waisted Shorts       19.2k
4. Black Sneakers                 45.3k
5. Cargo Shorts                      51.5k
6. Oversized Tee                   67.3k
7. Puffer Jacket                      242.3k
8. White Sneakers                353.7k
9. Oversized Shirt                 388.6k
10. Denim Shorts                     426.4k

The ten least popular items of clothing include some of the nation’s much loved staple pieces from previous years such as high-waisted jeans and black sneakers, showing that perhaps the pandemic has revealed that stretchy materials are more popular post-pandemic, with denim clothing being much more restrictive than our comfy loungewear featuring an elasticated waist!

Editor’s Note: Instagram data correct as of 25/05/2021