Why Are All the Celebrities Suddenly Wearing Merch?

Yahoo

22-07-2025

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Last month, Pope Leo XIV stepped out in Vatican City in his white papal cassock and a black Chicago White Sox hat. The funny, relatable, unexpected moment put the cherry on top of a trend I had been noticing and trying to deconstruct for some time: merch is back in the cultural sphere. The reason why may not be so superficial.
During awards season, Bad Bunny wore the same 'Saint Barth West Indies' tourist cap with almost every look—even on the red carpet. Around the same time, Jennifer Lawrence styled her red mesh flats with a Twilight Saga hat and Dua Lipa soaked up the sun in a swimsuit from her own Radical Optimism Tour merch shop. During the NBA Playoffs, Timothée Chalamet was the New York Knicks's No. 1 fan in a string of sporty fits that repped the team's logo and colors, while partner Kylie Jenner followed his lead and even proved she's the world's best girlfriend in Knicks-themed lingerie.
Some weeks ago, Britney Spears debuted a surprise merch collab with Balenciaga, and Jay-Z stepped out in Paris wearing merch from wife Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour. Earlier this month, Anne Hathaway wore a pair of $1,395, jeans with a baseball cap from Bruce Springsteen's merch shop ($51), and Madonna stepped out in New York City wearing Spears's Balenciaga-designed merch.
Book merch is also having a moment. Model Kaia Gerber has repped tees from New York City-based McNally Jackson Books, and her ex Austin Butler has stepped out carrying a tote from the same bookstore.
When we think of merch, we often think of sports team logos or commercial merchandise advertising a movie, an album, or an artist. But there also exists a strain of political merch which, rather than expressing fandom, expresses personal political ideologies. This kind of statement clothing, from organizations supporting human rights—such as the Human Rights Campaign, March for the Movement, and CHNGE—has also been making the rounds over the past couple of years, amid the world's grim political tensions.
Recently, Pedro Pascal made waves when he stepped out in a 'Protect the Dolls' shirt in support of the trans community—which he styled with a New York baseball cap featuring upside-down text. (Merch on merch.) Of course, celebrity stardom paired with statement-making merch makes for a walking billboard—in this case, one for a good cause.
Traditional merch—like the Yankees hat every New Yorker has in their closet—has always been around, but it was really Virgil Abloh who pushed merch into the high fashion sphere when he designed the moody Yeezus tour shirts for Kanye West in 2013. Pop stars including Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber followed suit, tapping fashion brands to collaborate for their own tour merch, all which quickly sold out.
With trends functioning as they do, merch went from irrelevant to incredibly stylish to overkill in just a few years, and in 2024, GQ declared it dead. But there's no shortage of celebrities in merch in 2025, and I think this time around, the moment is a bit different. Wearing merch these days isn't about getting our claws on the latest trend or tapping into a newfound nostalgia for our dads' decades-old wardrobes, but rather suggests a deep craving for community and personal identity.
Celebrity stylist Alexandra Grandquist, who works alongside her sister, Mackenzie Grandquist, explains that repping a piece that champions a cause you support, a team you're a fan of, or a niche book shop you frequent adds an individualized touch to a look—and in a time of endless options, of course we're all hungry for a little more individuality.
'It's an identity that you're sharing. It shows people what you're interested in, kind of like a walking billboard—a conversation starter,' the stylist says. 'It's a good way to connect with people and show your interests without having to talk.'
Unlike in the 2010s, the tour merch being worn now is affordable and easy to access, something which shows a desire—from the artists' part—to break down barriers and let people in. Something like Beyoncé's 'Levii's' T-shirt in collaboration with Levi's ($45) is subtle, but instantly adds that if-you-know-you-know element to any outfit. Similarly, Shakira's tour merch with Hard Rock Cafe ($26.60) has been in high demand as she continues her shows; some pieces don't even have her face printed on them, but if you're a Shakira fan and see someone wearing them, you can instantly relate.
'It's also more personal than just wearing a random T-shirt or a Gucci logo T-shirt, you know? It's a little bit cooler,' Alexandra says.
The Grandquist sisters constantly source vintage sports teams and music group merch ('it's more faded, it has more character than most of the merch that they're making right now') for their clients, which include Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott.
And wearing merch automatically makes your part of a specific community—which, in times of turmoil, is something we are all desperate for.
'People are craving authenticity and a real way to express what they're about,' Bryan Escareño, the creative director of Los Angeles-based brand Amor Prohibido, says. 'Merch, at its best isn't just a logo on a tee—it's a piece of a story, a wearable statement. It's like saying, 'This is what I connect with, this is part of my world.' In my work with Amor Prohibido, storytelling is everything—taking my experiences, our community's experiences, and molding them into art.'
The same sense of belonging that comes with wearing entertainment-world merch also applies to merch from political candidates, humanitarian initiatives, and LGBTQIA+ organizations, all which have become increasingly visible in the United States during Donald Trump's divisive second term.
Escareño, who recently released limited-edition merch collection with Dos Equis and American regional Mexican band Fuerza Regida, says, 'Merch is a powerful connector. It's a visual cue that says, 'I see you, you're part of my tribe.''
He adds, 'Merch fosters that sense of belonging, of sharing a perspective. I think there's a deeper hunger for genuine connection and self-expression. In a world that's so fast and often filtered, wearing merch is a tangible way to plant your flag and demonstrate what you stand for.'
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