As summer begins, retail buyers will be hard at work sourcing products their customers will crave during the biggest shopping season of the year. That’s why Faire hosted our Reshaping Retail event on June 4 to set you up for success ahead of the holiday buying season with a half-day of informative sessions including insights, practical tools, and emerging trends to look for. 

Retailers often tell us that they want help predicting the top fall and winter retail trends for 2025, and we’ve been listening. During one of the first sessions of the day—What’s trending: Stock your shelves with insights from Faire—store owner Carly Miller-Chen joined Faire’s Ximena Keirouz to unveil a lookbook of trending products across the apparel, food, home, and gift categories. 

Not to worry if you weren’t able to attend—we’ve got you covered. From timeless bestsellers to exciting new finds, we curated some of the hottest picks backed by Faire’s exclusive data to share with you. You can also watch a recording of the entire session below.     

Key takeaways from the session

As predicted in our 2025 Faire Forecast, the Victorian Noir and Intentional Detours trends have been big so far this year. But what’s going to be on shelves as 2025 draws to a close during the holiday buying season?   

Trending in home decor: ravishing red

From cheerful, cherry-infused hues dominating runways to playful fruit motifs adorning dish towels and art prints, this trend merges sophistication with whimsy and offers retailers a versatile palette for cross-category appeal. Red is also a primary color that we see all throughout the holiday season, making it a perfect shade for holiday gifts. 

• Searches for “red” are up 35% year-over-year. 
• Searches for “cherry” are up 98% quarter-over-quarter. 
• Searches for “strawberry” are up 222% quarter-over-quarter. 

Trending in apparel: wild things

A symbol of luxury and rebellion, leopard and cheetah prints are resurging on runways, in high-street collections, and across social media as both statement pieces and playful accessories. While these animal prints never truly go out of style, they are definitely at peak popularity and sure to be sought-after through the end of the year and well into 2026. 

• Searches for “leopard” are up 129% year-over-year.
• Searches for “cheetah” are up 144% year-over-year.

Watch the video for two additional trends for Gifts and Food & Beverage buying.

Advice on adopting trends for your business 

While buying into trends can yield big rewards, it also comes with certain risks. The last thing you want is an unsellable overstock of merchandise past its trending peak while you struggle to find space for your bestsellers and new trends pass you by. But with timely point-of-sale data and a systemic approach, you can forecast how much product your store will likely sell before placing orders, whether you’re stocking up on the latest trends or tried-and-true staples. For starters, following the open-to-buy process can help you predict what (and how much) inventory you’ll need and protect your business during unexpected slow seasons. The basic open-to-buy formula is planned sales + beginning inventory – ending inventory. 

What percentage of your budget is safe to spend on trends?

It’s typically safe to say that 30% of a consumer’s budget is dedicated to discretionary spending, including trends, so you probably don’t want to dedicate more than 30% of your wholesale budget to trending items. However, this percentage can vary depending on the nature of your business and your target audience. In this session, Carly shared that her budget for trend spend is about 20% of her annual budget. Once you’ve made it through a few successful retail seasons, you should be able to forecast your buying needs much more efficiently, leaving room for a safe percentage of trending items.

How do you minimize risk when shopping for trends?

If trends aren’t your style, stocking your shop based on the latest TikTok video can feel like a stretch. But Faire offers ways to minimize the risks and stock your shop with new items alongside your bestsellers. Virtual trade shows like Faire Markets are a great place to start if you’re new to trend-based merchandising. With more than 100,000 independent brands from across the globe at your fingertips and discount-matching up to 5%, you can try unique new products at a lower price. Faire Insider can also help you try new products with less risk thanks to free shipping on thousands of unique brands, early access to Faire Markets, exclusive access to new brand arrivals, and other benefits. 

About the speakers

Carly Miller-Chen is a creative director, curator, and creative multi-hyphenate based in San Diego, California. After spending over a decade in the digital media and retail industry, she is focused on reimagining community care and building inclusive spaces through conscious retail.

Ximena Keirouz is a seasoned design and creative leader with over 15 years of experience in the technology and retail industry. She’s passionate about building, mentoring, and leading creative teams to do their best work across brand and creative. She currently leads the creative team at Faire and has previously built and scaled teams at Robinhood and Airbnb. Under her leadership, the creative team at Faire develops the strategy and execution of various areas of the business from brand marketing, performance marketing, and product go-to-market to content production and in-product brand experiences. 

Watch all the Reshaping Retail sessions and subscribe on YouTube.