How to Dress for a Heatwave

When Paris Fashion Week Men’s wrapped on Sunday, it wasn’t the high-profile line-up or the latest trends dominating conversation. It was the sweltering heat that forced brands to reschedule shows and prompted editors to reconsider whether it was worth braving near-104°F temperatures for re-sees. Conditions were equally as stifling at Milan and Pitti the week prior; meanwhile, London Climate Action Week took place against a backdrop of a “risk to life” weather alert, with one event focused on extreme heat being cancelled due to — wait for it — extreme heat.

Soaring temperatures across Europe — the world’s fastest warming continent — have forced citizens to rethink the way they dress, opening up an opportunity for marketers. In the UK, brands have been flooding customers’ inboxes with ‘heatwave-ready’ product selections. Underwear brand Stripe & Stare positioned its Tencel intimates as a “heatwave survival kit”; footwear and accessories retailer Dune’s bestsellers are “heatwave-approved”; Whistles asked its subscribers if they were ready for the heatwave, before suggesting its new season pieces might fit the bill; and conscious brand Aym sent its customers inspiration for outfits that, it claimed, stay cool when it’s 86°F.

Though arguably opportunistic, they’re not missing the mark. Pinterest UK data shared with Vogue Business reveals that consumers are seeking out clothes that can help them cope with high temperatures. Between March and June 2026, searches increased 1,400% for “heatwave outfit”, 800% for “hot day outfit”, and 500% for “hot weather outfit”.

Wholesale buyers are also taking note. Sophie Jordan, menswear buying director at German luxury e-commerce platform Mytheresa, says she isn’t directly buying for the heat yet, but it’s starting to show up in customer purchases. “We’re seeing more lightweight, airy, and breathable fabrications bubble up and work well, with Auralee’s super fine shirting and gauzy options from Our Legacy being personal favorites,” she says.

For Ramon Luna, senior buyer at US luxury online retailer Fwrd, the influence of heat is more direct. “Lightweight fabrics, relaxed summer dressing, and warm-weather functionality continue to resonate strongly with our customer,” she says. “As a result, we have been encouraging many of our strongest brand partners to further develop this aesthetic through fabrication, silhouette, and overall product offer.”

For buyers and consumers alike, the problem is that the dresses, sandals, and raffia bags brands are peddling might be great for a pleasant summer’s day, but they are certainly not a salve during a red alert for extreme heat. However, behind the scenes, some brands and producers are beginning to make strategic investments in fabrics and finishes that go beyond surface-level cooling. Can fashion adjust to this unsettling new normal in time to meet consumer needs?

As consumers’ summer shopping habits are reshaped around a new climate, brands and retailers need to ensure they can react to demand. For some brands, this is a natural progression of their product focuses. “As a brand rooted in T-shirts, first layers have always been a priority category for us,” says Andreas Langhorn, co-founder and product director of Danish made-to-order menswear brand Son of a Tailor. “Over the years, we’ve introduced more lightweight fabrics for the summer months, such as Lyocell, lightweight Merino wool, and linen, as well as light, open knits.” He points to an extra-fine Merino polo shirt with a light drape to aid temperature regulation, and a Lyocell T-shirt with a cool-to-touch finish.

Levi’s is also exploring lighter fabrics. In summer 2024, it launched the quick-drying, moisture-wicking Performance Cool range, followed by linen denim 2025, the latter of which became a seasonal bestseller, according to the brand. The aim, says VP of European merchandising Anne-Catherine Lepas, is to redefine denim for warmer weather. “Over the past three seasons, we’ve been expanding our Cool denim in response to a clear consumer demand […] for lightweight fabrication and comfort during the hottest months,” she explains. “We’ve integrated this cooling denim across some of our most popular fits, and as comfort-led dressing becomes more popular, this offering is becoming increasingly relevant throughout the year.”

The brand is shifting its marketing, too. This year, it is prioritizing shorts and non-denim tops in lightweight fabrications such as linen, Tencel, and cotton voile. “Summers are only getting hotter, and we build our assortment and brand campaigns around that reality,” says Lepas.

Levi’s marketing is prioritizing shorts and non-denim tops in lightweight fabrications this year.

While some brands explore new fibers and blends, others are pushing the boundaries of textile manipulation to make traditional fabrics work harder in the heat. One of them is Indian brand Oshadi, which works directly with regenerative cotton farmers in Tamil Nadu to grow cotton, processing and producing with a local collective of spinners, weavers, knitters, printers, dyers, and tailors. “I looked at what current weather conditions need and realized that summer clothing isn’t actually summer clothing anymore. I’m not going to be wearing light denim in 110°F,” says founder Nishanth Chopra.

Oshadi uses a fine cotton fiber type that is local to the growing region.

Making the most of the exceptionally fine cotton fiber type that is local to the growing region, Chopra began to experiment with finer weaves, inspired by traditional Indian fabrics such as mulmul and khadi, used to make scarves and saris. Speaking via video call, he holds up a new season jacket against the window. It’s made from 80 GSM cotton (the higher the number, the lighter the fabric weight), so sunlight filters through. The brand, which also supplies cotton to other brands through its sourcing arm Oshadi Collective, recently spun 120 GSM for the first time, trying to recreate the softness of traditional local weaves.

Chopra also points to traditional garments such as dhotis, saris, and turbans as garments made with heat in mind that designers could learn from. For instance, a new season sunhat takes the properties of the turban — using layers of ventilated fine cotton to keep the head cool — and draws on the practical necessities of dressing for manual labor in hot conditions (an increasingly dangerous reality, which brands and producers must also urgently address), with an elongated brim at the back to protect the neck from the sun. “It’s been made for all our farmers,” says Chopra.

The brand also works directly with regenerative cotton farmers in Tamil Nadu to grow cotton, processing and producing with a local collective of spinners and weavers.

There is plenty more for Western brands to learn from hot countries, he continues. “India has been the inspiration behind many weaves, techniques, and design tricks,” he says. But this inspiration has historically been taken and served up by Western designers without credit. At the same time, colonization saw more climate-appropriate clothing local to India being superseded by stuffy suits and heavyweight fabrics in Western styles. Now, Chopra thinks the exchange could go the other way, driven by Indian brands and designers.

Heritage Italian luxury brand Zegna is also betting on traditional fibers with Oasi Lino, a certified traceable linen. “It is breathable, lightweight, and naturally adapted to warmer climates. We focus on elevating those inherent qualities through craftsmanship, creating garments that feel effortless to wear while retaining the sophistication and precision of tailoring,” says Alessandro Sartori, the brand’s artistic director. “For years, we have been rethinking tailoring by removing weight, structure, and anything that feels unnecessary.”

In addition to Zegna’s Oasi Lino, the wider Ermenegildo Zegna Group’s “filiera” (supply chain) creates luxury fabrics that cross heritage with technology, such as Amezing Cool Effect Summer, a superfine wool finished with a treatment that reflects sunlight to keep the fabric cool next to the skin. “When fabric, construction, and proportion work together in harmony, clothing becomes lighter, more comfortable and more natural to wear,” says Sartori.

While some brands stick with natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk, and merino wool — widely hailed for breathability and natural temperature regulation — others are turning to newer technology to heat-proof their products. A decade ago, US brand Theory introduced Bilen, a knit that combines viscose and performance fibers, engineered to deliver comfort in warm weather. The original launch was limited to menswear, but the brand realized women were buying it for themselves and officially extended it to womenswear in spring 2025.

According to the brand, the lightweight stretch-knit construction helps minimize heat retention; moisture-wicking properties remove perspiration away from the skin; and a breathable knit structure allows for greater airflow. It also comes with built-in UV protection, another feature increasing in popularity (and the subject of US outdoor brand Patagonia’s own heatwave-adjacent marketing email, in which it promoted its UPF 40 Capilene Cool Sun range, released in spring 2026).

“What’s especially interesting about Bilen is its versatility. Because it’s a highly versatile yarn, we can knit it into a number of different stitches to create more open styles that enhance breathability during the warmer months, while maintaining the polished look our customer expects,” says Theory’s chief merchant Cate Kis. The Bilen range has expanded to include styles such as polos, short sleeves, and crewnecks.