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Featured Image: Naomi Campbell for Héger Léger Spring 1994
Fashion moves like a pendulum—trends swing in, peak, fade, and inevitably return. The once-revered bandage dress, a staple of the 90s and 2000s, has found its way back into the spotlight, this time on TikTok’s For You pages. Once the off-duty uniform for 90s supermodels and the go-to club attire for celebrities in the 2000s, it’s now sitting in the online shopping carts of Gen Z.
First coined by designer Hervé Léger, the bandage dress quickly became one of the most iconic looks in fashion. Constructed from strips of stretchy fabric that criss-cross and contour the body, the dress offers a tight, form-fitting silhouette—seamless, flattering, and ready for a night out. While the material can be heavy, the payoff is in its ability to sculpt and shape with precision.
Its revival comes at a time when Gen Z is reclaiming nightlife culture. After years of pandemic restrictions and digital-heavy socializing, the allure of dancing in packed clubs, escaping workday stress, and seeking “third spaces” beyond a phone screen has returned. TikTok influencers have become style tour guides for this new nightlife era—often turning to past trends for inspiration.
But in 2025, the comeback isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s about reinvention. Black designers are putting their own stamp on the bodycon silhouette, pushing it beyond its original confines.
Take Mowala Ogunlesi, who reimagined the look with a tight black mini dress featuring daring asymmetrical cut-outs—infusing the style with a modern edge that speaks to risky nights out with friends. Or Theophilio, whose graffiti-covered mini dress transforms the classic shape into a canvas for culture, color, and identity. Inspired by Brooklyn street style and his Jamaican American heritage, Theophilio proves the bandage dress can be more than a club look—it can be a storytelling piece.
The bandage dress has long been a staple in the Black community, worn by icons like Beyoncé and Halle Berry. And as with so many trends, its resurgence is being driven by Black creativity—reframing a once-mainstream piece into something more expressive, inclusive, and rooted in cultural pride.
The pendulum will swing again, but as long as Black designers keep reshaping the narrative, the bandage dress won’t just come back—it’ll come back better.
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