Blue Banana Wrapped: Your 2025 Favorites!

2025 has been a crazy year; we’ve had some new brands join the Blue Banana crew, and we’ve seen some fire fits. Let’s look back on 2025 and get ready to up our gothic game for 2026. But first, let’s take a look at our 2025 stats - here’s your Blue Banana, Wrapped:

Most Searched…

‘Dress’ was the most searched term, from the 1st of January 2025 to the 30th of November - and who can be blamed? We stock an amazing range of alternative dresses, ranging from flattering vintage swing dresses to seductive, witchy, gothic maxi dresses. Why not search our range of dresses once again to find your next summer go-to? 

Our most searched-for gothic footwear was ‘New Rock’; with stunningly detailed designs and an effortless alternative flair, a pair of New Rock boots is the perfect shoe to partner with your gothic fits. The shoes announce your presence, so enter a room loud and proud with your own pair in 2026!

Our most looked-up accessory item was ‘Belt’ this year. If you can remember way back when to last year in our ‘What Accessories Should You Wear In 2025?’ blog, we mentioned that belts, and particularly stacking belts, would become a popular move in the alternative community for the upcoming year. It seems that at least one of our predictions came true, with belts rising to take top spot on our accessories list. 

The top-searched band this year was Sleep Token; with the mega successful release of their fourth studio album and booking themselves the headlining spot at Download Music Festival, we’re not surprised. This alternative rock band is changing the game of the heavy metal scene, and whether you’re a purist or you love these exciting new developments, you have to respect Sleep Token’s catapult into the spotlight this year! 

However, according to our files, Metallica was the most popular band this year, selling the most band merch out of our range. Kings of metal music, Metallica, found major success with their third album, Master of Puppets, which had a resurgence in recent years due to the hit of the same name featuring in Stranger Things season four. Whilst they did not initially receive massive commercial success, their earlier albums built a strong, underground metal fanbase. Metallica were some of the initial pioneers of thrash metal, or power metal as it was referred to before the term was coined. 

Nose Ring was our most searched piercing/jewellery item in 2025, and we provided it. If you’re considering a piercing, whether it's your first or fifth, why not take the leap in 2026? Check out our store locator page to find the nearest Blue Banana piercing studio to you; established in 1997, Blue Banana has spread across the country, providing over one million piercings in the last 25 years. Feel safe in the hands of our trusted, trained professionals. If you want to find out more about the piercing process, check out our piercing page here! 

New Ranges…

Four new brands joined the Blue Banana collective this year: Killstar, Something Different, Ragged Priest, and Pamela Mann. All providing a unique alternative style and range of products, we’re proud to stock these fantastic brands. It’s always fantastic when we can provide new, fresh, alternative designs! And we plan to continue growing not only our current collections, but also our selection of alternative brands so that you can continue to have a diverse selection of gothic, retro, and alternative clothing at your fingertips in 2026. 

Beloved Bestsellers…

Clothing and accessories weren’t the only standout items of 2025; you guys loved the Manic Panic Cream Classics range, and Hot Hot Pink, Purple Haze, and Pillarbox Red were the top-three colors of the year. We know that red was the color of 2024-2025 - do you think that a new color is going to take over in 2026?

Overall, our bestselling Dr Martens shoes this year may surprise you, as our bestsellers were actually a pair of Dr Martens sandals. However, once you see the Nartilla Gladiator sandals, you’ll understand why. Strappy, eye-catching, sexy and powerful, these gladiator-style sandals captured all of our black hearts. 

Classics with a twist; the bestselling Dr Martens boots were the 1460 Vonda Roses Boots (Black/Red). We also love these leather boots, a traditional 1460 style with bold red roses curling up the outside. These Dr Martens Vonda boots have all the hallmark elements of the 1460 boots, with a classic 8-eye lace, black and yellow branded pull loop, and the iconic Goodyear yellow welt stitching, with a gorgeous, embroidered floral design. 

Our most popular New Rock shoes in 2025 were the effortlessly cool New Rock M.106-S1 Core Shoes. These trainers elevate your outfits (literally), with a chunky platform sole and a casual silhouette. These more understated shoes still have the same detail-oriented design as other New Rock Boots. Metal decals decorate both the upper part of the shoe and the sole; we love the shiny bone-shaped dubrae that catch the eye across the laces, the perfect gothic, witchy touch to the shoe. These durable leather boots are carefully crafted with hand-touched finishes. Modern yet alternative, and in line with New Rock’s moto-boot and alternative origins, these New Rock Core Shoes are perfect for those looking for an alternative, casual shoe that’s easy to dress up! 

Hopefully, you enjoyed your 2025 Blue Banana Wrapped! Did you buy any of the products mentioned above this year? And do you feel ready for 2026? We can’t wait to revisit next year and discover if any of these bestsellers were dethroned, or if they managed to stay top of your hearts for another year. We’ll continue to expand our catalogue and provide the best experience possible in store and online, so we’ll see you with some new ranges in the new year!