If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.
“Wood Grain” Is the Unexpected Print Every Fashion Girl Is Buying
Knock knock.
Getty Images / Courtesy / Byrdie
Key Takeaways
- Wood grain print is having a moment.
- The unexpected print has been all over the runways and the red carpet on celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Taylor Russell.
What a relief to finally be done with endless, identical muted-toned sets and everything “quiet luxury”–prints, in all their bold, attention-grabbing glory, are here to stay. But while leopard spots, zebra stripes, and every shade of polka dots are making headlines, there’s a different inspired-by-nature pattern quietly creating a presence. Wood is the surprising print trend currently picking up speed, though it likely won’t be flying under the radar for much longer.
Fortunately for the in-the-know and uninitiated alike, the woodgrain trend is still in its fledgling stages, proliferate on the runways but only just beginning to make its way down to the most accessible, general market. In the past two years alone, Julie Kegels sent a wooden dress—as in, actually made with wood veneer—down the catwalk as part of her autumn/winter 2025 show, and Lithuanian designer Gabrielė Mockevičiūtė went immediately TikTok viral when For You Pages got an eyeful of mega-sized bags, huge jacket toggles, and form-fitting corsets, all whittled from wood. In fact, one of the app’s top fashion influencers, Izzi Poopi, grabbed the second-biggest video of her career when a try-on of Mockevičiūtė’s garments pulled in nearly 30 million views.
Getty Images
As is the case with all trends, though, the most critical question might be why—especially why now. Ahead, get familiar with the emerging wood print craze, from the easiest ways to wear it (before anyone else) to a few ideas about what the whole thing might mean.
The Trend
Really, the entire wood concept diverges into two categories. There are the garments created with a woodgrain print, either designed as a pattern or evoked through the use of a fabric like moire silk. Then, there’s the much more literal take. Remember the splash Taylor Russell made at the 2024 Met Gala in a Loewe dress that looked exactly like a custom-carved piece of polished wood? In reality, the look was a molded corset that used hydro-sublimation to print the tree-like pattern directly on. The effect was unmistakable, however. Lizzo channeled a similar vibe with her House Of Holland wood set, complete with matching nails, at the 2019 BET Awards, and Savannah James grabbed headlines when she stepped out this summer in a gauzy, glamorous wood print dress from Jean Paul Gaultier’s 2016 couture line.
Getty Images
Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Brandon Maxwell, and Thierry Mugler have all played with overt wood prints and themes in their assorted collections from the past few decades, establishing a bit of historic precedent. The trend might still be gaining traction, but it’s a surefire way to stand out in a sea of cheetahs, zebras, and crocodiles.
The Moment
Why now, though? If we start going into free association mode with wood, what comes up? Trees, of course, a return to nature, and maybe also a hint of the mythical. In an overwhelmingly industrial era, it would make sense to see a collective yearning for a softer, more back-to-basics aesthetic, especially as advancing technology makes everyday life feel increasingly uncanny. In a word of laser cutouts and 3D printing, does such an unmistakable reference to nature feel like more of a statement? And, considering the context of the raging animal print trend, it’s not a stretch to consider wood patterns a (metaphorically) humane alternative. Of course, there are also the cultural connotations. Could a witchy Scorpio season propel us right into a druid fall, channeling the spirit of mythological tree spirits?
Getty Images
Most likely, this collective gravitation towards an earthier woodgrain print is likely just an interesting way to reference nature in general—Mugler’s wood-printed collection was centered around Africa as a central theme, while Gaultier’s was inspired by a evening walk through a Japanese forest. As for the looks that seem more like a human-processed type of wood, it wouldn’t be farfetched to think of it as an extension of the ‘70s trend that ruled over the past several years. What’s more 1970s than wall-to-wall wood panneling?
@mockeviciute/Instagram
Get the Look
If you’re ready to commit to the full send and wear a head-to-toe wood gain print, those options are absolutely available. It’s just as striking as any all-over animal print, though still unexpected enough to feel legitimately fresh. For a more low-key taker, consider incorporating a wooden statement piece, like a brooch, a bag, or pair of shoes. Subtler still, any garment made of moire will capture the same sentiment naturally. Mix and match with floral to maximize the whole secret garden vibe, while a clash with more futuristic textures and colors could be equally interesting.
Source URL: https://www.byrdie.com/wood-print-fall-trend-11845353