How Pinterest predicts what’s next
According to an article on Ad Week, each year, Pinterest mines signals from its massive ecosystem — tracking year-over-year growth across roughly 80 billion monthly searches from more than 600 million users worldwide. The goal: identify the colors, styles and aesthetics most likely to shape the year ahead.
The platform’s track record is hard to ignore. Over the last six years, nearly nine in 10 Pinterest trend predictions have become mainstream — from the Jellyfish haircut and Cherry Red colorways to Eclectic Grandpa and the Pickle Fix.
For 2026, Pinterest’s forecast spans age groups, but Gen Z is clearly in the driver’s seat, powering roughly two-thirds of the trends. One of the most talked-about, according to Creative Bloq, is Wilderkind — an aesthetic rooted in Gen Z’s growing pull toward nature and slower, more tactile living.
What exactly is Wilderkind?
Wilderkind is a nature-forward look that blends woodland imagery, wildlife references, and soft, organic textures. Think mossy greens, bark browns, and muted earth tones – balanced by a touch of fantasy.
The aesthetic lives somewhere between realism and daydream: forest-core with a poetic edge. Visuals often include fawn-like freckles, butterfly-wing patterns, leaf details, and natural materials that feel weathered, handmade, and alive.
From niche to everywhere
Wilderkind is already moving beyond mood boards. Brands across categories are beginning to translate the look into physical products and campaigns.
Instagram account and content creator @wilderkindprints offers Wilderkind-inspired designs on 100 percent recycled paper. And according to an article on msn.com, Pinterest predicts a rise in delicate animal-inspired accents in the fashion world, including butterfly-wing nail art and clothing patterns that mimic forest animals such as deer freckles.
The trend is also reaching into tech. According to trendhunter.com, designers are increasingly merging nature with technology, producing phone cases, accessories, and wearables that feature woodland motifs and wildlife-inspired graphics. Gen Z’s appetite for personalization and self-expression is accelerating demand in this space.
That crossover is already visible in the Wilderkind Collection, a limited-edition collaboration between CASETiFY and Pinterest. The drop includes phone cases adorned with butterfly wings, fox-tail details, and other subtle nods to the natural world.
“These are so cute!” said Florida Gen Z’er Betty Marie Lockhart. “I would totally get one of these. I love the colors and how whimsical it feels.”
Pinterest’s own data suggests the momentum is real. Recent search growth tied to the trend includes:
- Bug jewelry: +60%
- Deer aesthetic: +55%
- Dragonfly nails: +145%
- Flower outfits for men: +105%
Wilderkind on social
On social platforms, the aesthetic shows up less as polish and more as process. Creator Duncan Smith, known online as @trashboy_nyc, has built a following of more than 320,000 by transforming discarded materials into sculptural, organic home décor. In one recent reel, he reimagines a torn-up chair as a raw, nature-inspired statement piece, capturing Wilderkind’s “found, not manufactured” spirit.
What it means for brands
Creative studio Casa Bele recently weighed in on LinkedIn, urging brands to approach Wilderkind with intention rather than shortcuts. Their advice: prioritize custom, hand-drawn illustration over AI-generated visuals to preserve the human, imperfect quality that defines the trend.
According to the studio, Wilderkind is especially powerful for fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and artisanal brands – categories where authenticity, craftsmanship, and emotional connection increasingly drive purchasing decisions.
Content Creator Brooke Bunch may be reached at brooke_bunch@yahoo.com.
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