With its signature stretch and sculpted fit, the Hervé Léger bandage dress has made an unexpected return to the fashion spotlight in the past months. Gen Z’s obsession with the look has sent online searches soaring, but with the trend’s resurgence comes the question: Does this new wave of body-con dressing signal a return to restrictive ideals, or has the style become a statement of autonomy and inclusivity?
Searches for “Hervé Léger dress” have increased by 1303 percent on Depop over the past three months, while searches for “bandage dress” have risen 1280 percent on the platform during the same period. In the past year, the e-commerce company reported a 58 percent increase in interest in “body-con” silhouettes. On Google, searches for “bandage dress” also reached a new peak in the first week of June.
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The formfitting dress, created by designer Hervé Léger, was considered the uniform of ’90s models. The silhouette, first made of dozens of elasticated bandage-style strips of knitted cloth, debuted on Léger’s fall 1992 ready-to-wear collection and became an immediate sensation, WWD reported. By the early 2000s, the dress had become a staple in celebrities’ wardrobes, seen on Kim Kardashian to Rihanna.
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With its popularity also came the controversy. Due to its body-hugging appeal, the bandage dress was often seen as flattering only on certain body types — typically slim, toned figures, which reinforced narrow beauty standards. With the rise of body positivity and inclusivity trends in the 2010s, the style lost its trendy status.
In 2025, the bandage dress is experiencing a resurgence alongside the rise of a new skinny culture, fueled by the popularity of Ozempic and similar GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, as well as social media trends such as SkinnyTok — a diet culture that is widespread on TikTok.
For fashion psychologist Jennifer Heinen, the bandage dress revival can be both a reinforcement of traditional beauty standards and a subversion of them. It all depends on “who’s wearing it — and why,” she said.
“The dress still carries traces of a past that celebrated thin, toned bodies as the ideal. But Gen Z is remixing that. We’re seeing curvier bodies, nonbinary wearers, and size-inclusive reimaginings of the silhouette. The intention has shifted,” Heiner told WWD. “Gen Z’s version of the bandage dress isn’t about aesthetic obedience. It’s a visual paradox: compression that doesn’t conform, sexiness without apology. When styled with visible softness — fuller bodies, body hair, flat shoes — it becomes a disruption, not a reinforcement.”
Embracing something that was once controversial can also be an act of rebellion, Heiner said. According to her, another reason that can explain the bandage dress renaissance, besides Gen Z’s obsession with Y2K trends, could also be the need for containment.
“The bandage dress is a literal and symbolic form of containment: it holds, hugs, grounds. In a world that feels chaotic, that tactile pressure can be soothing,” she said. “In fashion psychology, we call this ‘sensory anchoring,’ the way tactile pressure can ground a person emotionally, much like a weighted blanket. Gen Z is craving emotional texture in what they wear. Not just aesthetics, but sensation.”
Hervé Léger has utilized TikTok to connect with its newfound audience, garnering thousands of views with videos showcasing different bandage dress styles. The brand reinterpreted the viral silhouette for its 2025 and 2026 resort collections.
Michelle Ochs, the creative director of Hervé Léger, has been vocal about Gen Z’s love for the once-controversial silhouette on social media. “Bandage dress is back in a big way,” Ochs told Bspoketv on Instagram. “I’m so excited. I think there’s a lot of nostalgia tied to it. I think there are new people discovering it. It’s timeless. And we’re ready to get dressed and get out,” she said.
Just as it happened in the 2000s, celebrities are now also embracing the silhouette, with Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber and Alix Earle leading the pack.
“The key is conscious styling; choosing how you participate in the trend, not letting the trend dictate your worth. The bandage dress was used to compress. Now it can empower, but only if the choice is yours,” Heiner said.