In 2025, personalizing our clothes felt bigger than ever. From monogramming to embroidery, it showed up everywhere—from makeup bags to sterling silver tableware. One enduring item always comes to mind when I think about this trend: the iconic L.L.Bean Boat Tote. I’m also reminded of the Parisian spots that cater to it, like Louise Carmen’s initialed notebooks or Buly’s engraved hairbrushes and lip balms. In New York, Abbode has become a go-to store for customization, offering everything from underwear to napkins that can be personalized.
Following the spring/summer 2025 runways, Associate Director of Special Projects Kristen Nichols wrote that individuality would be one of the defining trends of last year, and since then, personalization has only grown. Depop recently released a 2026 trend prediction report, which echoed the same sentiment for this year as well. More and more brands are offering ways to customize your purchases: Lazy Jamie has an Engravable Gift Shop for dishware like serving platters and coffee cups, while L.A. brand Charlie Beads offers embroidery on select pieces for an additional $40, and Gohar World is another favorite for one-of-a-kind gifts. Curator Julia Rabinowitsch swears by L.L.Bean’s initialed button-down, referring to it on her Substack as "one of the chicest gifts you can give." There's a whole range of items you can get monogrammed, from bedding to bags. And if you didn’t already know, J.Crew has an entire section devoted to it (The Monogram Shop), while Le Labo allows customers to personalize any bottle of perfume.