‘Sex appeal’: Why corset hoodie trend is on the rise

You’ve heard of corsets, and you’ve heard of the humble hoodie. But a new “fashion Frankenstein” that combines the two – literally – is gaining in popularity.

A new “fashion Frankenstein” that combines the corset and the humble hoodie is gaining in popularity.

Cozy loungewear on top, restrictive lingerie on the bottom, the corset hoodie “is both a conjugation and rejection of its parent trends”, Jessica Testa wrote in a piece for The New York Times this week.

In recent weeks, the style has been donned by Puerto Rican rapper (and rumoured boyfriend of Kendall Jenner), Bad Bunny, during his performance at Coachella. The hoodie – which was black with a sheer corset with visible boning – had been custom-made for him by French fashion house Mugler.

Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny wore a custom-made Mugler corset hoodie during his set at Coachella. Picture: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Coachella

“Is the corset hoodie my new catsuit?” Mugler creative director Casey Cadwaller, who introduced the style into the brand’s collection in 2022, asked The Times.

“I think it’s going to end up being a big thing.”

A version of the jumper is part of the brand’s upcoming collaboration with the retailer H&M.

Mr Cadwaller described it as “a very weird hybrid”, adding that incorporating a corset into a hoodie “formalises the most informal thing”.

Wearing it zipped up can feel like “a back brace at the gym”, he said, while wearing it open feels like any other hoodie, but “a little more fierce, and also a little more comical”.

The style has also been championed by Irish designer Timothy Gibbons.

Mr Gibbons began making the hoodies last year, repurposed from sweaters he finds in tourist shops along New York’s Canal Street. While Mugler’s interpretation of the trend exceed $1000, Mr Gibbons’ retail for around $417.

The sold-out hoodie’s popularity, he told The Times, is a result of “leeching off New York’s iconography, in a way, but also making something so comfortable and wearable as a hoodie have this sex appeal”.

A corset hoodie by Irish designer Timothy Gibbons. Picture: Instagram/Timothy Gibbons

Australian label Dion Lee's take on the style. Picture: Supplied

Closer to home, the style has been championed by Australian designer Dion Lee, with a more comfortable play on the brand’s signature structured corsetry.

The label’s play on the style sells for just over $1100, and features hook-and-eye closures instead of a zipper.

“Consumers still want streetwear. It’s here to stay,” fashion stylist Faisal Hasan told The Times. “Yet they also want elegance post-pandemic, and here they have it both.”