Rise of Pockets for Practical Fashion

Tiya Antony
Fashion News Editor

Overdramatic pockets were seen all over the fall 2025 fashion runways. Do people want more practicality and utility in their fashion?

Tory Burch in NY had a brown leather jacket with varying pocket sizes and styles to make a collage. Other brands like Dior, presented skirt suits with large front pockets with numerous pouches. This trend of having more pockets proves that there is a consumer trend pushing for my practical clothing that utilizes pockets for space and keeping items without sacrificing style. This trend has been creeping into the market as cargo pants came back into style a couple of years ago.

Consumers desire to have high-end luxury brands to create more than just bold and stylish products, but also those that are practical and have the quality of being long term wearable products. Especially when it comes to women’s fashion, clothing with pockets is desired by most.

On average, women’s pockets are 48% shorter and 6.5% narrower than men’s jeans. Some conspire that women’s clothing is made with less pockets or less functionable pockets in order for a successful purse industry.

The first true modern pocket was created in the 17th century when men’s suits had pockets directly sewn into the seams and linings. Women were relying on medieval methods with layers of clothing, so they had difficulty to access their belonging and relied on purses instead. The first purses were very tiny but in the early 20th century, as females started to work, the sizes of bags grew.

As time continued, clothing became more form fitting so the pockets were often removed to keep the tight feminine silhouette. Women became dependent on clutches and then purses, as the clothing did not offer pockets.

Luxury brands make the most of their profit on accessories which is why accessories are commonly seen on runways. A regular consumer might be more captivated to buy the accessory on the runway models than the clothing. The luxury clothes may not be a piece they can commonly re-wear as opposed to accessories that can be mixed and matched to wear with various outfits and occasions.

In recent years, a lot of women led brands have created dresses and skirts with pockets, in order to allow females to have pockets in their clothing as well. There’s a reason why leggings with pockets have been a staple in many female closets in the past couple years, because it combines style with functionality which has often been overlooked in women’s clothing.

Contact Tiya at antonyti@shu.edu