Chloé, Melissa, and Xiaohongshu: Jelly shoes

Jelly shoes are experiencing a major revival. Chloé recently released a Disney princess-style pair for spring 2026, while Chinese designer Lùchen, K-fashion brand Heavenly Jelly, and Skims have all flooded Xiaohongshu (also known as Rednote) with translucent footwear styles. The trend is unsurprising, considering Blackpink star Lisa has worn Melissa jelly sandals for years. On Xiaohongshu, #jellyshoes has amassed 30.9 million impressions at the time of writing. Chloé’s mules have rapidly become a sought-after, hard-to-attain luxury piece in China and beyond, despite a wider slowdown in aspirational spending. In a season defined by consumer caution, jelly shoes feel comfortingly nostalgic and unserious, with a “kawaii cuteness” that may explain why they are resonating so strongly in the market. Gen Z’s ‘90s obsession “Gen Z’s love for jelly shoes taps multiple broader trends all at once,” explains Emily Gordon-Smith, content director at trend-forecasting agency Stylus. “They’re highly nostalgic (or more specifically anemoia, nostalgic for a time you didn’t live through) being so of the ‘80s and then becoming a thing again in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s — giving off playful, carefree summer vibes of a bygone era to a new audience.” The idea of spending $670 on jelly shoes straddles meme fashion and childlike whimsy — exactly what gives the category traction on Xiaohongshu. Jelly shoes evoke childhood innocence while simultaneously functioning as internet-ready fashion objects. They are unserious shoes for a generation that is drawn to imperfections, from posting blurred photos online to sharing unfiltered personalities. But nostalgia and memes alone do not explain the scale of the revival. The aesthetic maps neatly onto the country’s expanding kidult economy, where adults increasingly purchase toys, collectibles, and playful accessories as forms of escapism and self-expression. Labubu charms, Sanrio collaborations, plush bag accessories, and kawaii-coded fashion all operate within the same emotional ecosystem. Jelly shoes fit because they resemble toys as much as footwear: glossy, translucent, brightly colored, and almost cartoonish. Is AI influencing fashion trends? That cartoonish quality matters in 2026. Across Xiaohongshu and Douyin, AI-generated visuals and hyperreal fantasy aesthetics are reshaping fashion imagery. Consumers are gravitating toward products that look digitally rendered even when they are physical. Local designers including Xander Zhou and jewelry label Yvmin have already built cult followings through accessories and garments that appear surreal and even mimic AI effects. Jelly shoes naturally belong in this visual universe. Their glossy translucence makes them appear unreal on camera, almost like CGI props. The trend also aligns with a broader rejection of quiet luxury minimalism. Gordon-Smith notes that “there’s a very 2026 postmodern irony at play in this revival, with Gen Z’s emphasis on not taking fashion too seriously and an appetite for all things ugly but cool.” In China, where highly polished jingzhi (精致) aesthetics dominated much of the post-pandemic recovery period, the rise of playful ugliness feels significant. Jelly shoes are impractical in some contexts, awkward in others, and often divisive. That is precisely the point. Their versatility across microtrends has accelerated adoption. “They also neatly suit an array of summer 2026 micro trends, from cute kawaii and coquette styles when worn with sweet ankle socks to more pragmatic grandpa and fisherman looks,” Gordon-Smith explains. On Xiaohongshu, the shoes are often paired with colorful ‘90s and Y2K-esque looks and frequently bedazzled with charms. Jelly shoes enter experiential retail worlds Brands are now turning the aesthetic into immersive cultural worlds. Brazilian footwear label Melissa recently collaborated with creative studio sēnpop on the theme of “The Future is in Jelly,” a vibrant exhibition called “Jelly Land” on Shanghai’s Yuyuan Road. That experiential approach has become central to Melissa’s success in China, where immersive activations have become key to elevating niche categories. Celebrity co-signs and designer collaborations have further pushed jelly shoes into fashion territory. Propelled in part by Blackpink’s Lisa wearing the brand, Melissa’s Xiaohongshu hashtag has now reached 19.4 million impressions, while its recent collaboration with Chinese designer Susan Fang for Spring 2026 further positioned jelly shoes within the luxury-fashion conversation. Ultimately, the style’s appeal lies in its ability to channel fantasy during a moment of consumer fatigue. At a time when Chinese shoppers are spending more cautiously, jelly shoes offer a low-stakes form of escapism: playful without being entirely childish, nostalgic without requiring lived memory, and synthetic in a way that feels increasingly contemporary. In 2026, fashion’s future may not look handcrafted or heritage-driven. It may look translucent, glossy, and slightly AI-generated.

Chloé, Melissa, and Xiaohongshu: Jelly shoes

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Chloé, Melissa, and Xiaohongshu: Jelly shoes

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag