Seller Handbook

The following is a transcript of a podcast episode released in January 2022. The transcript has been edited slightly for this format. You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Or stream it via the Spotify player above.

Isabella: Hi everyone! Isabella from Etsy’s Community team here. Today, I’m excited to talk about 2022 trends with the one and only, Dayna Isom Johnson. I’m going to get the scoop from her on what we can expect this year and we’ll also share some tips that you may find helpful when working on your own shop. Dayna, thanks for joining me today!

Dayna: Isabella, I’m so happy to be here again. Thanks for having me.

Isabella: Let’s start by talking about cross-category trends. These are the overarching trends that we can expect to see doing well in 2022. What can you tell us about them?

Dayna: I am so excited to share all the trend information with you for 2022. But I want you to keep in mind – and for our listeners to keep in mind – that anything that I’m sharing that’s trend-related is based on real data points from how people are shopping on Etsy and engaging with these items in real time.

Now I want to take it back to last year real quick. Do you remember when I mentioned the overarching theme of friluftsliv?

Isabella: Yes!

Dayna: OK, for 2022, we’re taking inspiration from another philosophy. This time it’s a Swedish philosophy and it’s called lagom. That loosely translates to “not too much and not too little”. So 2022 is going to be all about finding balance in our life. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs and now it’s time for balance.

You’ll also be seeing a lot of abstract shapes. Last year I was talking a lot about wiggles and squiggles. We've come such a long way from mid-century modern clean lines. We’re going to continue in this more relaxed mode of round edges. Oh, and are you ready for some major breaking news? The colour of the year?

Isabella: Yes, tell us!

Dayna: For 2022, Etsy’s colour of the year is emerald green.

Isabella: Oh, my gosh. I am so excited for this!

Dayna: Are you a fan of emerald green?

Isabella: Yes! I was born in May so my birthstone is the emerald.

Dayna: Oh, this is your year then. I think emerald green is such a wonderful colour for 2022 because it really embodies balance, harmony, and growth. And I think that aligns with that overarching theme of lagom. This is a moment for us to bring balance and still be connected to nature. And it’s such a nice colour to pair with different shades and tones, and even metallics.

Isabella, I want to know from you: Now that I’ve shared this breaking news of our colour of the year, what can sellers do with this information?

Isabella: For sellers looking to incorporate these trends, specifically the colour of the year, I’d suggest first looking at your product line, your inventory, and finding a way to include this colour there. For example, if you make hair accessories, maybe you’re working emerald green fabric into the mix. If you’re a vintage seller, maybe you’re looking for items that are this colour or complement or work well with this colour. For example, other jewel tones.

And the same thing with the shapes. Maybe you’re a ceramicist who makes vases or mugs. For you, this could mean trying out a few different shaped items. Adding some of those curvy lines into your shaping. For artists or vintage curators, maybe you’re offering wall art that features more abstract shapes rather than those clean lines that we’ve seen from the past.

Something I want to note here is that the merchandising team here at Etsy is on top of the trends as well. When they’re curating Editors’ Picks pages or emails that go to buyers, they’re looking for these types of items to feature so they can showcase all these different trends to our buyers. So if you’re hoping to increase your exposure outside of the typical ways that items are found – Etsy search, Google search – finding a way to work these trends into your shop is a good way to get discovered by our team, which means more visibility for you.

Dayna: Those are such good tips, Isabella. The merch team, you, and myself are all about discovering and trying to find all of these incredible items that ladder up to these themes.

Isabella: Let’s talk about the upcoming occasions and different gifting moments that folks should consider as they plan for 2022 and what the trends there will be.

Dayna: One of the things I’m very excited about for 2022 is celebrating again and being able to come together in a safe way. I think because of that, shoppers are going to be excited to show their love through all of these upcoming occasions.

When it comes to the top of the year, the first celebration I think about is Valentine’s Day. With that, comes the return of Palentine’s Day parties and, again, being able to celebrate with friends and family. Before COVID, I hosted a Palentine’s Day party for all my gal pals. We had so much fun so I’m excited to do that again this year, and hopefully other people are excited to do that as well.

More than ever, shoppers are being intentional. They’re wanting to make sure every item they’re purchasing is thoughtful or meaningful. They are making the conscious choice of supporting a small business. We’ve had so much time to reflect and we want to make sure that we’re doing good.

A key theme for sellers to keep in mind for Valentine’s Day is glass and sheer colours. This is going to be a big trend for 2022. I want you to think about kaleidoscope effects. So remember I was just talking about those wiggles and squiggles? Think of that same kind of concept but in a melted type of visual format. Very fluid, very whirly and swirly.

And then prisms have started to rise in popularity. I think this is tying back to the love of nature and catching beautiful rays of sun. Sun catchers are also starting to rise in popularity. We’ve seen a 54% year-over-year increase in searches on Etsy for prisms or sun catchers. It’s that love of nature that’s still very prevalent. People want those whirls and swirls and that fluid type of pattern.

Isabella: That sounds so fun. I want to go back to what you were saying about Valentine’s Day. Did I hear you say “Palentine’s” Day?

Dayna: Yes. Here’s the thing with Valentine’s Day. I think for a very long time Valentine’s Day was associated with love that's celebrated between significant others. But for the last couple of years and it’s going to continue: Valentine’s Day is for all love. It’s for the love that you have, of course, with your significant other, but also the love that you share with your gal pals, your friends, your aunt, and your grandmother. Anyone in your life who brings you love and who you bring love to should be celebrated on Valentine’s Day.

Speaking of love for a lot of different people in your life, I’m going to take you to Mother’s Day. For Mother’s Day, I would love for sellers to start thinking about new heirlooms. We love celebrating our mothers and mother figures for Mother’s Day. But listen, we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs in the last couple of years. So it’s time that shoppers cherish those moments with loved ones and their mother figures, and find high-quality items that really honour that family history. I want sellers to think about those baking dishes that have family recipes printed on them. Or special lockets for wonderful family photos or vintage items that call back cherished memories. Think about creating items that are true heirlooms for loved ones to cherish for generations.

The second thing that I want to call out are decadent drinking vessels. We’ve seen this for probably a couple months now: Coloured glass. I’ve bought two or three different vintage versions of this. There has been a consistent rise in popularity in coloured glass. Here’s why: I think because we have been in our homes for so long and we’re getting ready to entertain again, there’s a rise in a sense of formality with dishware. People are hosting dinner parties again and wanting to feel fancy and excited to celebrate again. These don’t have to be completely matching sets. These can be a rainbow of different colours and it’s a way for shoppers to really show their personality off.

Isabella, do you have any tips for sellers when it comes to these upcoming occasions?

Isabella: Yes, I think these new heirlooms you mentioned are a really good moment for vintage sellers. You were talking about lockets and decadent drinking vessels, which are great for vintage sellers to think about. I love what I’m seeing a lot of them doing already, especially with all the coloured glass and Depression glass.

You’re kind of giving everyone the green light to start mixing and matching a little bit more which is fun. This is just an idea but: What about if you can’t find a full set of something when you’re shopping at those estate sales, but you grab one here, one there, one there. And you make your own set, like a mix-and-match set.

Dayna: I’m obsessed with that, because let’s say you’re a lover of blue. Then your goal is to find all these beautiful blue glasses and glassware sets. To me, it adds so much dimension and personality to a table spread rather than just having the same matching set. Be unique and try to mix and match it up.

Isabella: One other tip that I want to offer here is that it’s so important – especially around these celebrations and different gifting occasions – to think about who will be searching for your items. So with SEO, or search engine optimisation, we talk a lot about thinking of who your target market is. We recommend trying to think like them, thinking about exactly what they would type in to search when shopping for an item like yours, and using those words and phrases in your listing titles and tags.

Your listing titles and tags are super valuable real estate when it comes to keywords and whether or not you show up in searches on Etsy, as well as off-site searches like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. So you want to make sure you’re thinking about your target market and using those words and phrases to create keywords to use in your titles and tags.

But around these gifting moments and special occasions, I encourage sellers to take it a step further and don’t just think about the 20-something girl who’s typically the one shopping for the winter accessories that you offer. Instead, perhaps it’s her significant other or her grandparent who’s shopping for her. The best example I can give here is that I will forever call my makeup bag a makeup bag, whereas my mother will forever call it a “cosmetics pouch”. It’s not makeup, it’s cosmetics. And it’s not a bag, it’s a pouch.

So really stretch yourself and think of all the different people who might be shopping for an item like yours during these high-traffic moments on the site like these gifting occasions. Be sure you’re covering all of your bases.

Dayna: We’ve talked about these upcoming celebrations, but what do you suggest for sellers who have Christmas items or other past themes listed in their shop?

Isabella: As you said, we’ve got Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day coming up so it’s time to move with the seasons. First, you always want to make sure your keywords are aligned with upcoming occasions and upcoming gifting moments, rather than anything that has passed. So it’s time to take out those titles and tag phrases like “Christmas gift” or “New Year’s gift” and swap them for something that makes more sense seasonally. For example, Valentine’s Day, or if there isn’t a celebration that’s coming up or one that works well for your items, consider those more evergreen moments. For example, birthdays and anniversaries. Maybe your item isn’t a Mother’s Day gift, but you could associate it with something else.

And then make sure your shop sections are accurately reflecting what’s going on. This is for SEO purposes but it’s also about making sure your shop is up-to-date and looks fresh and relevant for any potential buyers who are browsing. For example, if you have a shop section for Christmas gifts, you’ll want to change that and perhaps consider adding something specifically related to a different upcoming occasion or celebration. Or you can play it safe and simply use the shop sections to categorise your inventory. So if it’s a piece of jewellery that was previously under Christmas gifts, maybe now you’re moving it to the necklace section.

OK, so I want to get into categories now. We talked about overarching trends. We talked about the upcoming gifting and occasion moments. What about trends within big categories on Etsy?

Dayna: Yes, let’s start with Home & Living. I think this is such a big category yet again because we’ve spent so much time in our homes in the last couple of years. We’ve had to switch and pivot and get our homes in a new order and give it a refresh. Now it’s time to drill down to those very specific little decor moments and bring in fashion and function.

The number one thing that I’m so excited about, specifically for home, is signature lighting. This is a time to level up and focus on the lighting in our home. Whether that means a sculptural pendant or an incredible vintage lamp, this is a moment to marry fashion and function. We’ve already seen a 344% increase in searches for ‘70s lighting. That’s a great decade for you to draw inspiration from, or for our vintage sellers to discover incredible pieces from that decade to add to their shop. We also saw a 27% increase in searches for sculptural or decorative. This is showcasing the fact that people are wanting to find very unique pieces and express their personality.

For all of those numbers that I just referred to, that time period is within the last three months. So these are very current numbers of shoppers who are searching for these things.

Let’s move on to a pattern. You heard me talk about those fluid wiggles and squiggles, but an extension of that is marble. Because we see those very fluid patterns in marble as well. This is going to have a major moment in 2022. I would love for sellers to consider using small decorative items like candle holders or even larger statement pieces like coffee tables. In terms of the data, we’ve already seen a 263% year-over-year increase in searches for marble candle holders so this is a wonderful opportunity for sellers.

Next I want to talk about Denmark pastels. We’ve seen an uptrend in Denmark and Danish pastels in interior design. I’m loving this because you know what it pairs nicely with? Those jewel tones AKA our colour of the year, emerald green. And vintage sellers, this is a great opportunity to surface trending materials from the ‘90s that are dialling back to those pastel moments. And with these Denmark pastels, Isabella, you’re not ready for this number. This number is insane.

Isabella: Let’s hear it!

Dayna: All right, it’s a 28,705% year-over-year increase in searches on Etsy for Denmark pastels. Major, major trend alert.

Isabella: Wow.

Dayna: Now finally for home, I want to take it to a futuristic feel. There’s been so much talk about travel to space and being in this virtual world. That is, in turn, inspiring these iridescent and kaleidoscopic patterns and very fluid forms that look a bit futuristic. So be on the lookout for those as well.

Isabella, any Home & Living tips for sellers?

Isabella: Yes. So for Home & Living, I want to highlight the importance of product photography. I think it’s really important here to have editorial, high quality, curated photos. Folks can’t pick up and touch your items so it’s really important that your photos are communicating what the buyer will receive should they decide to make the purchase.

And maybe you’re not able to offer marble materials or marble candle holders. Or maybe pastels aren’t going to work with your product line. Something that sellers can do instead is use photography to stay on-trend and relevant. Something that comes to mind is photography backgrounds. I’ve seen a lot of sellers photograph their items on top of marble. And maybe you don’t have marble worktops that you can photograph against or maybe the lightning isn’t great where you do have some marble stuff going on. I’ve seen sellers actually purchase marble contact paper or a large poster board that has a marble pattern on it and photograph their items on top of that.

Dayna: I like that a lot because sometimes sellers will say to me, “Am I supposed to incorporate every trend into my shop?” My feedback is always that just because something is a trend doesn’t mean you have to hop on it, but there are ways to incorporate it. I love the idea of using it as a background because you’re still showcasing the trend in some way, but you don’t necessarily have to follow it completely.

Isabella: Right. Not everybody is able to offer their side tables in pastel colours or their candle holders in marble. But folks can use photography backgrounds to position themselves as on-trend. These types of things will also just give your shop a more relevant feel or another layer of credibility with shoppers. Shoppers expect to see these highly curated, more editorial, high-quality photos now when they’re shopping. So it’s important in terms of being competitive too.

All right, let’s talk about the Clothing category next.

Dayna: OK, the first one is business casual with a twist. We’re not ready to give up our video call looks, with business above the keyboard and pyjamas on the bottom, right? But as we step back into the office maybe a couple days a week or however your schedule is, it’s time to re-introduce full-body looks. One thing that’s been rising in popularity are bold blazers that are paired with more relaxed bottoms. It’s a chic new take on business casual. We’ve seen a 75% year-over-year increase in searches for blazer dresses.

The next thing is a ‘90s and Y2K revival. We’ve talked about the ‘90s a bit last year and now it’s starting to gain even more traction especially for those very popular items like studded belts. We saw a 34% increase in them in the last three months.

In addition to the ‘90s and Y2K revival, I think this is something that kind of straddles those two decades: pop-punk. We’ve seen that revival in music and on social media in the last couple of months, but now it’s time to bring it into fashion. And I love this because fashion is all about self-expression and allowing that personal creativity to run freely.

Another item that is directly aligned with this: spiked collars. We’ve seen searches for spiked collars up 879% in the last three months. Can you believe that?

Isabella: I’m excited about that one.

Dayna: You know, this one’s going to get you too because I know last year you also loved the chequerboard print and really embraced that. Coming off the heels of the pastel tones we saw in that trend is pastel goth. That has been a trend on TikTok for the last couple of months. I love the fact that we’re bringing together these very soft pastels with the darkness of goth. I’ve seen some interest in tutu skirts and other things that are marrying these two themes. We’ve seen a 34% year-over-year increase in searches on Etsy for pastel goth clothing.

Isabella: OK so, again, photography is going to be super important when it comes to items in the clothing category. But let’s take it a step further. I think listing videos are huge when it comes to clothing. Of course, you want all 10 photos in place, but I want to encourage sellers in this category to take it to the next level by adding a listing video. Listing videos are so valuable to buyers because they show off the things that static photography can’t. For example, with clothing: fit, movement, and flow. The things that people really look out for when they’re in a dressing room trying something on.

OK, next up is Jewellery & Accessories. What can you tell us about that category?

Dayna: OK, remember how we were talking about getting away from those straight hard edges for home decor and moving more into rounded edges and fluid shapes? That same inspiration is coming to Jewellery & Accessories. So think of those twists and curves and see how those can be incorporated, whether it's abstract shaped earrings or necklaces or other accessories in your collection.

The other thing, which really reminds me of the 2000s, is the return of silver. Gold has been in our baskets for a long time, and it will always remain in mine because I’m a gold lover, but silver is going to have a major moment. I feel like especially for trends, when things are phasing in and others are phasing out, it can be nice to combine the two, so I feel like mixing metals would be really nice as well.

Isabella: Definitely. Like you, I’m a lover of all things gold but silver is great too. And it’s a little bit more casual sometimes, which I like a lot. I do love the idea of mixing metals especially if you’re trying to clear out some old inventory while also introducing some new. Just like you said, it’s a good way to find the balance of selling what you already have in your shop but also introducing some new things.

Dayna: All right, Isabella, so what about some tips specifically for jewellery sellers?

Isabella: I want to mention the importance of product photography again. With jewellery, what feels most relevant here is styling. Styling your jewellery in photos, showing off how jewellery can really make an outfit or elevate a look. That type of content is really inspirational to buyers.

Think about what’s trending right now. Maybe you’re styling your vintage silver jewellery with grunge-influenced clothing and backdrops. Or you’re pairing some earrings with another accessory like a hat or a necklace to show off how these different accessories can really elevate a look. I think that’s something you can show off in your photos. It’s a way to add a layer of credibility to your listing, to your shop, and to your brand – and influence buyers to hopefully add to basket and purchase.

And then one other tip I want to highlight as we’re talking about jewellery is that it’s really important to apply attributes to your listing whenever relevant. Attributes are available to sellers during the listing process and they’re helpful for search engine optimisation reasons. When you’re listing your item in your shop you have the opportunity to add keywords through titles and tags. And then you also have the opportunity to add categories and subcategories to your listing. From there, you’ll see different attribute options available to you. If any of those available options directly relate to your product, you should add them to your listing. With jewellery, you may see certain types of stones or certain types of metals. These attributes that you add to your listing will act as extra keywords on your listing to help with search engine optimisation.

The other thing about attributes is you’re basically putting your item in search filters when applying them to your listing. So when a buyer types in a search on Etsy, we often see that they’ll narrow down their search results by using filters available to them on the left side of the search results. If you’ve applied attributes to your listing, you’ll show up in those results if they’ve filtered for the attribute you’ve added.

Dayna: I love that, Isabella. I actually used that for some of my Christmas shopping. My niece wanted a new nameplate necklace but she was very specific about the type of metal that she wanted. She gave me this whole list of things that she wanted and applying those filters helped my search so much. So as a customer, it really makes a difference.

Isabella: Yeah, I want to call it out for jewellery, too, just because it’s a little bit more competitive of a category so it’s one where we see people filtering down their results.

Dayna: It’s so helpful. OK now I want to shift gears a bit. Something positive that came from the pandemic after all these ups and downs is the fact that so many people are discovering their creative talents and hobbies and opening Etsy shops.

Isabella: Yes! I actually have a stat here that I can share: There’s been an 85% increase in sellers on Etsy this past year.

Dayna: Wow, that’s such a wonderful stat and I think, now more than ever, there’s demand from shoppers wanting to support small businesses. When it comes to trends that align with that, this first one is something we’ve been talking about probably for the past two years: beginner kits and DIYs. It’s a popular time for people to take on new crafts and new creative projects and experiment with a new medium. For craft supply sellers, think about adding beginner level kits for people who are looking to explore a new craft for the first time.

The next one is tufting. I can’t get enough of watching tufting projects on social media, especially on TikTok. This has been very popular. People are using tufting guns to create big items, small items, a cushion, a rug, a wall hanging, and everything in between.

The next one is all about foraging. So still aligned with that love of nature that I’ve been preaching about for the past two years now. Shoppers are very interested in the outdoors even in colder weather. Think about offering craft materials or supplies that use natural elements or projects that are designed to be done outside. I think this is a great opportunity, especially for parents because they can get their kids interested in crafts. They can be educational and experience more of the outdoors.

And then finally: texture and dimension. I think this is another moment where nature comes through as a source of inspiration. These are tactile elements for crafting. So can you make your patterns or your projects a bit more three-dimensional with beads or with those tufted yarns that I mentioned earlier? Anything that adds more depth or texture.

Isabella: Next up, let’s talk about Paper & Party Supplies.

Dayna: Yes, let’s get back to occasions. We have Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day coming up and Paper & Party continues to be a top category for those celebrations. In addition to those beautiful paper goods, I also would love for sellers to think about if they can offer digital versions of their work. Because, no matter what, we’re always going to have last-minute shoppers so let’s make sure we can serve up something easy and quick for them on a platter.

Isabella: I have to take a moment here to throw some love to our digital sellers. So many times, I have been in that pinch. Yes, I am that person that you just mentioned. And those digital sellers on Etsy come through for me. I have the card an hour before I’m going to the party. Or the downloadable piece of art that I can gift to someone. While I’m at the event, I can just send them a little email: “Here’s your thing.”

Dayna: Digital sellers, there are lots of Isabellas out there so make sure you offer those things. But also, in terms of other Paper & Party things for sellers to keep in mind: textured imperfection. A couple of years ago, I mentioned wabi-sabi. Remember embracing the imperfection in decor? Now I think it’s time for sellers to consider this and how they can apply it to surfaces. Think about how you might create paper goods with beautiful textures or rounded edges.

And then those geometric patterns. We saw chequerboard everywhere last year. It’s not going anywhere for 2022. Keep this pattern in mind with those soft edges. Maybe this is a way that you can update something that has that chequered print but has a soft edge. And then go crazy with the colours because colours are here for 2022, whether pastels or bold jewel tones.

Then in my Christmas trend guide, I mentioned mythical creatures being a major influence in children’s decor. I think this is going to continue to be strong, especially in the children’s category for celebrations. We saw a 24% year-over-year increase in searches on Etsy for dragon toys. So think about those mythical creatures: dragons, fairies, anything dealing with make-believe. And, yet again, bright colours for kids. Because shoppers want that sense of joy and vibrant colours are getting them excited about celebrating again.

Isabella: OK. Finally, our last category that we’ll chat about today: Weddings. What’s the latest there?

Dayna: For weddings in 2022, it’s all about the colour. So I’m talking invitations, other paper goods, centrepieces, and even fashion. It’s about to be an explosion of colour for wedding celebrations. We saw a 311% year-over-year increase in searches for colourful wedding items.

The other thing that’s exciting about weddings that’s a little different is pared-down dresses. Whether that means opting for a fun and flirty dress or a sexy slip dress or even a pantsuit. This is a moment for couples to be able to express their own personal sense of fashion. Get excited, get colourful, get not too fussy, and just be your true version of yourself.

For vintage sellers, this is a moment to look to those styles of the past and have them resurface because they’re back in. And also – this is a major point, especially for weddings because for many people it’s a one-time wonder in their life – this is a time for them to be more sustainable. It’s a time to choose vintage options that are not adding to the amount of stuff that’s in the world but really just breathing new life into something and adding their own story to this item for their wedding day.

Isabella: Dayna, as always, such great information. A lot for the seller community to think about. They do have some questions for you. We sourced these over in the Etsy Forums.

Our first question comes from Tin Lizzi Antiques: “What colour trends are predicted for home decor in 2022? Any unusual patterns, styles, or themes to emphasise? I sell vintage so it helps to know what buyers are expected to hunt for on Etsy.”

Dayna: Bright jewel tones are taking centre stage for colours, especially our colour of the year, emerald green. For home decor, neutral tones have been a leader but now I think it’s time to really introduce those bolder hues. So whether selecting a bold sofa – it could be vintage, of course – and letting those tones really shine through the accessories. This is a time to introduce colour.

Pattern-wise, again, look to those marbles and other sister twist-and-turn patterns like kaleidoscope. Because those very fluid patterns are going to have a major moment.

Isabella: Our next question comes from Adira Jenner Art: “Is it worthwhile to use trends to plan what I create to sell if each piece takes a long time – a month or more – to make. Or is it better to use trends more as a guide for how to market my art?”

This is a really good question. Dayna, do you mind if I take this one?

Dayna: Not at all.

Isabella: I do think it can be worth it, if you’re leaning into trends that feel like they may be around for a bit. In general, be thinking evergreen. I think you can work trends into your product line if they are here to stay and if it makes sense for your items. If your items do take a long time to make, it may not be worth investing in some of those brand new trends or trends that we’re just not sure how long they’re going to be around for.

But using trends as a guide for your marketing does seem like a really great idea. For example, we all know now that emerald green is the colour of the year. So perhaps you’re photographing your artwork on a wall that’s painted that colour, or on a mantel that has an emerald green vase in the background. Or maybe your posts on social media are framing your artwork as a really great housewarming gift since we know that home decor is a trending category right now. Does that make sense?

Dayna: Yeah! And maybe it’s not incorporating the trend into a full line of products. Maybe it’s just one item that has a small emerald green accent, for example, so that you’re not completely changing something that you make.

Isabella: Yeah, that’s great. OK, our next question comes from Nuriart Deko: “I would also like to know what colours will be trending next year in home decor and wall decor so that I can include them in new artworks. Also, it would be great to know if next year any specific styles will be a trend. Thank you for sharing it with all of us. Your information is always very helpful and inspiring.”

Dayna: That’s very nice. So again, we’ve talked about the rise in popularity of bold colours and the colour of the year, emerald green. In terms of shapes, it’s all about being more relaxed, having less rigid straight lines, and more abstract shapes. Think about curved edges, soft lines, and abstract shapes, and a movement away from straight edge lines.

Isabella: Our next question is from Frais by Breezy Tee: “I so look forward to Dayna’s trend reports. We would like to know what trends for fashion accessories we can expect in 2022 for both of our shops. What colours, patterns, and fabrics will be big for spring and summer 2022? Any luxury fashion or lifestyle trends as this shop focuses more on luxury items like silk, twill, and wool. We are really interested in luxury buyer trends on Etsy. Are we seeing an uptrend in people shopping for luxury fashion on Etsy?”

Dayna: In terms of fabrics, comfort is still top of mind because we haven’t quite left our cosy home time yet. But with luxury, shoppers are starting to dress up again and they’re easing into it. So these beautiful, luxurious silk fabrics that you’re mentioning are a small luxury that shoppers are really digging right now.

Colour-wise, I suggest that you go bold with those jewel tones or metallics, or even weaving the two together. I talked earlier about the rise of silver jewellery because of the ‘90s and the 2000s themes coming in. Perhaps there’s a way that you can weave in silver metallics with those bold colours. I also talked about those kaleidoscope patterns, so think about those as well as those very fluid marble patterns.

I also want you to think about sheer panelling and lightweight fabrics. This is really happening in fashion right now. You’ll see a lot of different cutouts in fashion and sheer panelling within those cutouts. I’m not sure if that’s something you can work in as well, but it’s the luxury of those high-end fabrics that people are loving.

Isabella: I’ve got to say since Brie mentioned working with silk earlier: For me, those are my comfort fabrics when it comes to hair. Dayna, you know because you’re a curly girl, too. I’ve got to use those silk hair ties or they’re not coming out of my hair.

Dayna: Oh, 100%. Curly girls unite. We need those soft fabrics. I think even if you’re not a curly girl, something made from beautiful silk is a small luxury and one that shoppers are really interested in and excited to incorporate into their everyday lives.

Isabella: OK, our next question comes from Light and Bright Shop: “I would love to know about any jewellery-related trends. More specifically, what materials and colours are gaining popularity?” Do you want to do a little recap for Light and Bright Shop?

Dayna: Yes, as I mentioned before, we are seeing a return of Y2K styles. That was the bling era, so I’m predicting that silver makes a big return. Because not only are you seeing those kind of bling interpretations that are scaled down, but it’s also a combination of punk influences with both silver and spiked collars having a major moment.

Isabella: Our next question comes from Mia Personalized: “I’m very curious about what kind of trend awaits us for personalised jewellery in 2022. I believe that I have designed great products that are timeless and can be worn at any time. But of course, it would be perfect to follow the innovations and trends.”

Dayna: Personalised jewellery is clearly a staple on Etsy, but what I’m loving is the evolution of nameplate necklaces. I’ve been at Etsy for 10 years now and have seen these evolve and take on new forms. I love the options that have multiple names that are displayed around the necklace in different fonts, and even in handwriting. I also love the integration of birthstones and birth flowers. I think there are ways for you to mix and match these different trends in terms of the personalised options.

Isabella: This next question is from Couple Design by Damien: “Hi, I’m a newbie on Etsy and I’m planning to sell some star maps. I was wondering, should I design my products with trends in mind or should I just add some trending elements? Do products following trends really work?” Dayna, do you mind if I take this one?

Dayna: Go ahead!

Isabella: I think a lot of new sellers probably have this question and I think the way that you phrased this, you’re on the right track. You don’t want to revolve your shop around what’s trending. Instead, you want to figure out how you can take those trends and incorporate them into your product line, your photography, or even in some of your shop branding.

Our last question is from The Gingham Life: “I sell vintage and modern sewing patterns. Will sewing still be on trend in 2022?”

Dayna: Absolutely. Shoppers are increasingly tapping into their creativity and individuality. I predict that sewing and other hobbies will continue to be on the rise. I want you to refer back to the fashion trends that I mentioned earlier. I think this is going to be a really good time for you, especially for these people who are discovering new talents.

And I have to say, I’m always so grateful to our community for giving us these questions. I also want to shout them out because all of the trends that I put out are data-based, but it's Etsy sellers who are coming up with these. It is your creativity that is exciting shoppers. So I want to shout out our community for the never-ending creativity and the never-ending inspiration. You all inspire me every day, so thank you for all that you do.

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