Bandanas go beyond paisley, with crochet, lace and bold prints

Bella Hadid’s white crochet bandana from Costa Knit Atelier at the Cannes Film Festival showed how far the accessory has moved past paisley nostalgia. This summer, the smartest versions look less like a costume reference and more like a quick fix for heat, travel and bad-hair days, with labels from Faithfull to Staud to J.Crew turning the square scarf into something softer, lighter and easier to wear.

Why the bandana feels new again

The appeal now is in the material shift. On June 22, WWD tracked the trend beyond the classic red-and-white or black-and-white paisley and into crochet, lace-trimmed, linen and bold-print versions, which read more polished than the souvenir-shop standard. The accessory still carries old associations with cowboys, workers and wartime utility, while the newer fabrics feel breezier and less literal.

The commercial logic is clear too. Faithfull, Staud, J.Crew and Christopher John Rogers x Old Navy all point to a bandana-adjacent scarf that works in different price tiers and style worlds, from contemporary fashion labels to mass-market retail. One version can finish a resort look, another can solve a lunch-to-beach outfit, and another can make a simple tank and jeans feel considered.

The brands pushing it forward

The 2026 crop is strongest when the scarf stops looking like a flat print and starts reading as texture. Crochet has been the most visible upgrade, especially because it softens the edge of the accessory and makes it feel handmade rather than retro. Lace-trimmed styles do something similar, adding a delicate frame that takes the bandana away from old-school Americana and closer to summer dressing that feels airy and feminine.

Linen is the smartest practical move in the mix. It keeps the silhouette crisp without feeling precious, and it works in the heat, making the piece an easy low-effort buy. Bold-print versions, meanwhile, give the bandana a more fashion-forward finish, especially when the print feels graphic rather than kitschy.

From Elle Fanning to Bella Hadid

Last summer’s bandana comeback had already been road-tested by Elle Fanning, Rihanna and Hailey Bieber. Telsha Anderson-Boone said she likes wearing bandanas over a silk press or braid style, or on her waist with a bikini.

White crochet strips out the western and souvenir associations and lets the bandana read as clean, expensive and summer-ready. The same category is also showing up at Ganni, Lelet and Free People across price points and aesthetics.

The bandana’s long way to the moment

Smithsonian Magazine traces the bandana back to South Asia’s bandhani tie-dye tradition. Imported Indian silk and cotton kerchiefs later arrived in England in the 18th century, where the name was anglicized to “bandana.” Europe then reproduced the look, especially through Turkey-red dye and paisley motifs inspired by Kashmir shawls.

In colonial America it functioned as travel maps, it appeared in Revolutionary War imagery, and it later cycled through U.S. politics, workers’ dress, cowboy iconography and wartime practicality.

How designers are styling it now

In R13’s spring 2026 collection, Chris Leba used bandana prints across jeans, blazers, skirts and Western boots, framing the motif as part of a “romantic punk” idea of taking an iconic item and doing something unexpected.

Christopher John Rogers x Old Navy launched on April 15, 2026, and became available online and in select stores nationwide.