Shoppers aren’t flipping over an oversize beige sweater the way some did not so long ago. They’re more enticed by bright colors like chartreuse, adornments like crystals and textures like feathers and shearling, and most recently, pony hair.
The material, which is fuzzy and a tad coarse, has come to cover belts, shoes and even entire coats, allowing style-conscious dressers to add a layer of interest to their outfits.
It “allows you to be a maximalist in a small way,” said Brittney Russell, a lawyer in New York whose introduction to pony hair was a Pierre Laborde bag she saw on TikTok.
Working in law — where she wears dark suits and pins back her hair — Russell said she had quickly learned that if she wanted “to really express my identity and my personality” she would have to use accessories.
She loved that the Laborde purses, which are also made from leather and come in rich jewel tones and candy colors, were “full of different textures.”
Even those who aren’t hemmed in by corporate dress codes are embracing pony hair, and they have plenty of options to try it out.
This fall, Toteme introduced a structured topcoat made from leopard-print pony hair ($5,700), and Khaite released a pony hair tapered-leg trouser ($7,800). On the lower end, Gap recently came out with a zebra-print pony hair belt ($80), and even Nike is incorporating it into its split-toe style sneakers ($130).
“Pony hair” is a bit of an industry misnomer. The material does not come from ponies but rather refers to hair-on cowhide or calfskin. It can be somewhat fussy, requiring maintenance to prevent shedding and balding.
Shoppers don’t seem to mind. More and more, they are seeking a contrast to how smooth everything is rendered on social media and by artificial intelligence. That has stoked an interest in garments that display their craftsmanship and are rooted in the natural world.
Lucila Saldana, a senior strategist for footwear and accessories at WGSN, a trend forecasting company, noted a rise in consumer desire for tactility, driven by a feeling that “an exploration of the senses is what makes us human.”
U.S. retailers are selling more pony hair products — and pony hair items are selling out at a higher rate — than they did last year, according to data from Edited, a retail analytics firm.
The trend is “trickling down from these huge designers” to fast-fashion players looking to lend a luxury sheen to more affordable goods, said Krista Corrigan, a senior retail analyst at Edited.
Most pony hair available today is found in accessories like belts and handbags, with footwear making up around 70 percent of what’s available. These items tend to be less expensive than, say, a pony hair coat, allowing more customers to experiment with the trend.
Nengi Willie-Pepple, a social media executive based in London, said she liked that pony hair could “elevate” neutral outfits and “plain” tops. She owns a pair of pony hair heels she bought at H&M and is eyeing a Dalmatian print calf-hair bag from Alaïa.
“It takes a simple outfit to the next level,” said Willie-Pepple, 34. “I don’t feel as dressed down if I have something a little bit textured on me.”
The ubiquity of the material is also a reaction to the “quiet luxury” trend. Customers, bored with the basics — or looking to zhuzh up the ones still hanging in their closets — are seeking novelty in their garments again, said Isla Lynch, the buying director at Ssense, a luxury fashion retailer.
Lynch said she had noticed a swing back to maximalism where “we all want to wear feathers again and sequins again.” She attributed that to the “halo effect” of the new Chanel under Matthieu Blazy.
Blazy’s animal-print-heavy, fringe-trimmed and sequin-festooned vision has inspired shopping frenzies at Chanel stores in Paris and New York.
Shoppers covet in particular the brand’s pony hair ballet flats and handbags, which are often listed for double the retail price on the resale market.
The fashion industry’s fascination with the material is partly a cost-benefit analysis. While working with pony hair is expensive, it’s cheaper than other luxe materials, said Jamie Haller, a designer based in Los Angeles.
Since the textile is often dyed, pony hair makes it “really easy to inject color” into a collection, she added. It is usually costlier for smaller brands to introduce multiple colors of the same item because of high order minimums from their manufacturers.
For Haller, whose namesake label offers pony hair kitten heels in chartreuse and burgundy, the investment in color is worth it because pony hair “sells really well.”
“The palettes have been very restrained and sophisticated and neutrally grounded for a long time,” she said. “And people are ready to get wild.”
Pony hair is also finding fans at a time when many brands have long since banned fur but some shoppers, like Rosa Jisoo Pyo, a freelance fashion writer who works at a vintage store in New York, still covet the look. She said she felt “duped” by faux fur that “just ended up being plastic.”
When he first began working with pony hair in 2018, Francis Laborde, the Pierre Laborde handbag designer, he worried some shoppers might mistake it for fur, which he described as “controversial.”
It wasn’t really an issue. Once customers saw the material in myriad colors, they wanted more.
Now when he brings his assortment of bags to the Grand Bazaar, he finds that quickly “all the pony hair will be gone.”
