Why Sardine, Caviar, and Seafood Fashion Is Summer's Trendiest Catch

Staud's beaded Tommy bags have always been one of Shawn Wallace's favorite designer accessories. "I love seeing them come out with new colors and designs every few weeks. I’ve had a bit of an addiction if I’m being honest," the New York City-based finance professional tells Marie Claire.

Her infatuation only deepened when an ad for Staud's "Staudine" bag, a Tommy embellished to resemble a tin of sardines, appeared in her feed last summer. She hit "Purchase" and planned to take it to two destination weddings: one in Italy and one in France. "I thought it would be a cute, summery bag that would go with some of the outfits I’d planned out," she says. "It ended up being a total hit."

Wallace is just one of hundreds of women who've been hooked by a fashion trend channeling a Mediterranean summer through the specialty foods aisle. Whether you top every summer salad with smoked salmon and caviar or have a seafood allergy, novelty prints and accessories featuring tinned fish have deposed the vaguely nautical "fisherman aesthetic" for summer 2025. The look has evolved from former Bottega Veneta creative director Matthieu Blazy's sardine bag, which features a sculptural gold fish handle and a woven leather compartment, to kitschy watercolor prints illustrating an entire raw bar. Designers from Rachel Antonoff to Damson Madder have adorned matching sets and dresses with hand-painted seafood prints. J.Crew is shucking sardine-tin T-shirts. And if you need proof that this trend has truly taken off, a quick browse of any fast-fashion site will reveal countless seafood-print offerings.

But one specific print species is leagues ahead of the rest, at least in terms of shoppability: According to a recent Google Trends report, search interest in sardines reached an all-time high in May. Queries for "beaded sardine bag"—led by the "Staudine" style—increased 300 percent last month, while searches for "sardine dress" doubled.

Lest you assume the look is just for dinner, Google also reports that sardines are being worn 24/7: pajamas, hair pins, jewelry, graphic tees, purses, jumpsuits, and beaded bags rank among the most popular queries nationwide. On TikTok, an entire "Discover" page is dedicated to the $298 "Staudine" bag, where women unbox it with the joy usually reserved for a quadruple-figure designer purse.

Staud co-founder and creative director Sarah Staudinger didn't necessarily aim to create a seaside Birkin equivalent when she introduced the "Staudine" for Spring 2024. "We try to incorporate a playful symbol in each collection, and sardines felt like the perfect fit," she says. "They instantly remind me of long, lazy summer lunches in the Mediterranean—there’s something so nostalgic and emblematic about them."

For women who wear them, cartoon caviar and sardines aren't that far off from lemon prints that recall the Amalfi Coast or lobster bags nodding to Nantucket (even if they're an acquired taste). And, they take themselves slightly less seriously than the shell pendants found in other fashion circles.

"Everything about tinned fish is aspirational, from its stunning visual appeal, both inside and out, to the simple elegance of enjoying it," says Becca Millstein, co-founder and CEO of Fishwife, a direct-to-consumer brand specializing in artisanal tinned fish (and the occasional fashion collaboration with the likes of Susan Alexandra). The illustrated, vintage-inspired fish tins are a recognizable symbol, she adds: one look, and their biggest fans are transported somewhere sunny and out of the office. "Not all objects can communicate so much so quickly, but the sardine tin does it incredibly well."

Fishy references aren't exactly new to the summer fashion menu. Designer Rachel Antonoff was leagues ahead of the sardine prints trending now. Back in 2019, her team released a prawn print for the spring season, set on shift dresses and button-up shirts. "We loved the idea of water-color prawns, and then we added an engagement ring to one of them, as if someone had hurled theirs into the ocean and it landed on a prawn," she says.

Those iced-out crustaceans were a "hit," prompting Antonoff to continue designing food-inspired prints. Her label's "Edibles" edit includes everything from radishes to pineapples and a viral pasta-print puffer jacket; the knit caviar tins and all-over sardine prints remain best-sellers.

Sardine-inspired fashion isn't all that deep: It's summer casual dressing with a little extra salt.

"I think the combination of the Staud and Staudine bag was a really clever and funny way to take advantage of the tinned fish trend," Wallace says. "I’m looking forward to wearing it again this summer." And while some seasonal trends will come and go, this print has a much longer shelf life.

Shop the Sardine Summer Trend