From Hopecore to Victorian Noir: Varying consumer moods in Faire’s commerce trend forecast

As 2025 shapes up to be a year of complexities and challenges in the world of retail, an ability to refine and define what to expect from consumers has become imperative in helping retailers establish their approach towards this convoluted market. It is exactly this that wholesale platform Faire intends to unravel in its latest ‘Faire Forecast’ report, detailing the top retail trends shaping local commerce in 2025.

The presence of aforementioned difficulties are what have informed Faire’s cited trends, with the platform stating that shoppers were “actively seeking a fundamental human joy that otherwise might’ve fallen through the cracks”. Thus, retail has been reframed in increasingly creative ways to help shoppers in their pursuit of this joy. Faire then raises the question of how retailers can prepare to cater to those special moments, and what they are prioritising in order to do so.

Adventure and detours

‘Intentional detours’ refers to a trend among avid adventurers who are embracing spontaneity and allowing possibilities for exploration. Manifesting in products like cowboy hats, searches for which increased three fold since Faire’s Q2 2024 findings, as well as playing cards and polaroids, this trend is not so much about reaching a destination, but the memories that are made along the way. It invites you to “disconnect to reconnect” Faire notes, by “[opening] yourself up to the beauty of the world around you”.

Victorian Noir

While Faire’s second trend, ‘Victorian Noir’, largely applies to homeware shifts, much of it can also resonate with fashion, particularly with its defining qualities of “decadent, romantic and supernatural”. Here, Faire invites retailers to explore the more dramatic aesthetics, with brocade, velvet and ruffles deemed as defining materials and textures. Vintage-style jewellery was also noted as a personal accessory type to look out for, “rejecting the wisdom that less is more”. The colour burgundy, which Faire associates with this trend, has particularly enjoyed a rise in acclaim, with searches for the reddish hue up 240 percent from two years ago.

Handcrafted and long-lasting

In a world increasingly reliant on technological advancements, consumers seem to be calling out for quality and craftsmanship, pushing forth a rising demand in handmade pieces over mass production, and items that evoke the rawness of the outdoors. ‘Neutral Good’ is the title given to this mood, and particularly refers to a growth in interest in wicker, rattan and woven materials, searches for which Faire said have risen nearly 100 percent from Q2 to Q3 of 2024. Wool has also enjoyed an uptick in interest, rising 46 percent as of Q3 from January.

Hopecore

Positivity extends into Faire’s final trend, ‘Everyday Hopecore’. A desire for communal hope and optimism has been prevalent over social media, Faire said, with many generations reviving the styles of their younger years in an effort to brighten their lives. Purse charms are a reflection of that, the report states, with searches increasing 500 percent from Q2 to Q4 last year for the accessory-based product. Bows and ballet flats were also cited to be significant pieces, representing wardrobe statements that are returning consumers to the more simple times in their lives.