6 Upcoming TV Shows Fashion Needs to Know About
Fashion brands have been cashing in on the cultural currency of series like Off Campus, Heated Rivalry, and The Summer I Turned Pretty. What are the next hotbeds of TV talent and how should brands get involved?
Off Campus only just landed, but it might feel like you’ve seen it before. The smash-hit Amazon Prime Video series features a hockey-jock protagonist caught in a turbulent relationship, with a breakout cast and steamy sex scenes to boot. Which is to say, on paper at least, it’s akin to Heated Rivalry, Crave’s explosively popular book adaptation that follows enemies-to-lovers Shane Hollander (Hudson Williamsass="xot-al" data-spotlight-athlete="Williams" data-spotlight-sport="f1">Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).
But it’s not all rinkside drama. The recent wave of rom-drams really began with The Summer I Turned Pretty, a coming-of-age series that went viral in 2025, engulfing social media thereafter (like Heated Rivalry and Off Campus, it’s adapted from a young adult novel). Plus, the enchanting raunch of Bridgerton, the latest season of which debuted in February to just shy of 40 million views on Netflix.
Gavin Casalegno, Lola Tung and Christopher Briney attend the The Summer I Turned Pretty season three photocall in Paris.
“There’s definitely something in the air. You can see it in the rise of smut and romantasy, too. In my view, mainstream culture has become palpably more sensual in the last few years,” says Serena Smith, deputy editor of Dazed. It’s become more escapist, too, satiating a craving for shared viewing. “I think heavy news cycles and general doomerism means that people want lighter, less taxing TV that still provides an emotional pay-off,” adds Holly Beddingfield, editor of youth platform Capsule.
By rolling out episodes weekly, streaming platforms like Prime and Netflix are returning to the golden days of mass-media monoculture. “Despite a lot of these shows being delivered in a streaming or binge-encouraged model, the general feel emulates a network TV show, which increasingly feels like the more in-demand tone for a show to have, with cliffhangers and dramatic turns,” says Fran Hoepfner, senior news writer at Vulture. The low-angst, whimsical vibe of these series is equally throwback. “The success of these shows also feels like a greater part of the early aughts nostalgia that’s trending.”
In many ways, these series are the perfect blend of fantasy and reality, often based on new adult novels — a genre of fiction that bridges the gap between young adult and adult, centering on protagonists in their late teens and early 20s. These high school and college dramas have long had viewers in a chokehold, being watched compulsively to drown out the outside world. “They’re escapist in that old-school, US collegiate way: small-town or sports-centric aesthetic settings that represent a fantasy unlike the way many young people can actually live their lives,” says Beddingfield. “The kinds of themes that crop up — unrequited love, sexual awakenings, and so on — are things most people have experienced firsthand,” adds Smith. “It also helps that they cast very beautiful people.”
Fashion brands, unsurprisingly, have been cashing in on the cultural currency these series provide. Last year, Coach collaborated with The Summer I Turned Pretty on a capsule collection inspired by season three’s collegiate aesthetic. After Heated Rivalry gathered speed, brands were quick to act, with DSquared2 enlisting Williams to walk its alpine runway show, while Saint Laurent courted Storrie for the front row of its Fall/Winter 2026 show and later dressed him for the Met Gala. The impact of these activations was mega: DSquared2’s website crashed following the live stream of its show, while Storrie, according to Launchmetrics, generated $14 million in media impact value (MIV) at the Met Gala. Already, American Eagle has released a limited-edition Off Campus merch collection, featuring a particularly of-the-moment slogan vest: “I <3 Hockey Boys.”
Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams walks DSquared2 FW26 show.
The Off Campus cast is likely next, especially star Belmont Cameli, who has already been featured by Interview Magazine. “It’s a playful nod to pop culture when brands tap up-and-coming actors from these series,” says Smith. “For a long time now, fashion has known it needs to reach out beyond its inner circle. Fandoms are particularly interesting for fashion, because in hiring an actor [like Williams], they don’t just get his cultural cachet, but the swathes of people cheering behind him,” Beddingfield adds.
It’s not just a case of getting into the costume stylist’s wardrobes or paying for product placement ahead of production; subsequent brand ambassadorships and red carpet dressing are among the many gateways for brands to tap into newer, younger — and not so fashion-forward — audiences. “[These TV shows] were perhaps once considered pedestrian [uninspired and ordinary], but as mainstream interest in fashion and luxury brands expands, there’s a desire to see it reflected,” says Hoepfner.
Though there are obstacles to these tie-ins, too. While the staying power of these series is surprisingly strong, entering the viral TV space as a luxury brand can be risky. It’s why engaging with the talent behind the characters, rather than the characters themselves, offers a safer bet; Williams might signify Heated Rivalry, but he is far more stylish than Shane Hollander. But increasingly, the reward is worth the risk. “The Summer I Turned Pretty doesn’t exactly scream Saint Laurent, for instance, but Christopher Briney attended. It seems brands are so keen to tap into that coveted Gen Z demographic that they’ll do what they have to,” says writer and cultural strategist Juno Kelly.
Here are the upcoming series brands should keep a square eye on and how they can get involved.
Based on the New York Times bestseller by Carley Fortune, Every Year After follows grown-up, childhood sweethearts Persephone Fraser (Sadie Soverall) and Sam Florek (Matt Cornett) rekindling their soured relationship. “I would definitely agree that it’s very much in keeping with the majorly hyped, young adult-adjacent, book-adaptation TV trend. I can definitely see an actress like Sadie Soverall dabbling more in fashion,” says Smith. “Every Year After will fill the hole left by The Summer I Turned Pretty,” adds Beddingfield. “Young people will never not want the hazy summer, first love narrative. We are in the era of yearning after all. With heritage American brands doing well right now, they would do well to align: think Ralph Lauren, J.Crew, Gap.”
Plus, it seems that the familiar territory of ex-flames will prove irresistible. “There’s a big obsession across the internet and music — see Olivia Rodrigo — with getting back with your ex, so I can see Every Year After having real pull,” says writer and culture strategist Juno Kelly, “especially given that the dating scene is proving apocalyptic for many: better the devil you know, and all that.”
Rivals, the very literally cheeky, gloriously camp adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel, isn’t brand-spanking-new: the second series has just been released. But its retro stylings, inspired by Naomi Campbell’s off-duty wardrobe and vintage issues of The Face, along with its growing audience share, makes it a worthwhile series for brands to enter. “Season two is airing right now, and definitely taps into this trend of sensual, unabashedly mainstream TV. I can see [stars] Alex Hassell and Bella Maclean doing more fashiony bits later down the line,” says Smith. With its popularity suggesting it will be up for renewal, there’s space for brands to pad shoulders and get color-blocking.
Much like The Summer I Turned Pretty, Netflix’s This Summer Will Be Different is due to feature another young girl falling in love in a beachside town. It’s also another adaptation of a Carley Fortune novel, the author who seems to boast the Midas touch right now. Currently in pre-production, the 10-episode series will follow 29-year-old Lucy as she reflects on her last few summers on Prince Edward Island, spent falling for Felix (aka Wolf). “With its beachy setting and teen romance made complicated by family relationships, This Summer Will be Different will be Netflix’s answer to The Summer I turned Pretty. It may, however, have a hard time living up to it, so brand collaborations will depend on its reception,” Kelly says.
Cutting her teeth on reading platform Wattpad, new adult author Ana Huang won over TikTok with her Twisted series. The punchy, risqué novels follow billionaires, influencers, and princesses as they navigate their way through trysts and trust funds. In January, Netflix inked a seven-figure deal to acquire the rights to all four books. While the script is still being written and the casting is yet to begin, the series is likely to attract audiences looking for more prestige, spicy drama. “Given that booktokers are already fantasy-casting the show, the line-up will probably draw a lot of traction, and would make for a fitting collaboration with any brands looking to populate their front row or campaigns with viral fodder,” Kelly says. With the series offering a window into the ultra-wealthy, there’s an opportunity for luxury brands to enter the conversation, too, especially preppy, finance-bro aesthetics.
Set in Chicago, each edition in Liz Tomforde’s Windy City series sees a high-flying athlete fall for a more grounded love interest. Over the last few years, it’s become a BookTok sensation, while racking up over a billion page reads on Kindle. Earlier this year, Amazon MGM Studios won the rights to the series, with the Emmy-nominated Alison McDonald on board as writer. While details are extremely scarce, all signs are pointing toward another hit; the first book in the series — Mile High — features, as is now seemingly mandatory, a hockey-playing male lead.
