Fish prints and shapes have UK shoppers hooked this summer

Fish prints and fish-shaped items are gaining popularity in high summer fashion and homeware. Starfish-shaped earrings have seen a sharp month-on-month sales increase, and a silky blue skirt covered in fish has created a waiting list. In homeware, stackable glass tumblers shaped like fish have risen strongly in sales, and a fish-shaped gluggle jug is becoming a popular outdoor dining item. The trend aligns with growing UK interest in tinned fish, which has shifted from a budget staple to a more premium, “tin to table” product category. Supermarket sales of tinned tuna have increased, with TikTok influencers cited as a factor. Buying fancy tinned fish and reflecting dietary choices in clothing and decor signals social and political alignment, especially as people share their lives online.

"Sales of starfish-shaped earrings are up 300% month on month, while high demand for a silky blue skirt smothered in shoals of fish has resulted in a waiting list. In homeware, sales of a set of glass tumblers that stack together to form the shape of a fish are up 400%, while a gluggle jug a ceramic pitcher shaped like a fish that makes a gurgling sound as the water is poured is becoming an outdoor dining essential. Sales of versions from Wade Pottery are up 129% month on month."

"The trend is an extension of the UK's increasing tinned fish obsession. Recently, preserved seafood has pivoted from a cheap cupboard staple to a bougie star ingredient, with jazzy packaging and tin to table brands. This month Tesco said an 18% increase in sales of tinned tuna was due to TikTok influencers who it said had helped it to rise to the height of culinary fashion."

"While supermarkets sell tins of fish for as little as 65p, some gourmet versions start from 12. Bettina Makalintal, a senior reporter at the food website Eater, says people are embracing the trend as a way of signalling how they align themselves politically and socially. Choosing to buy fancy tinned fish and to reflect these dietary choices in our clothing and decor says something about who we are, what we aspire to, and our social milieu, especially when we consider how much of our lives we also share online for other people to see and"

Read at www.theguardian.com