Camo Print Is Back: The Y2K Trend Alexa Chung, Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber Are Wearing This Fall 2026

Camouflage print has officially left the army surplus store and walked straight onto the street-style circuit. According to Who What Wear, the Y2K-era motif is being championed this season by Alexa Chung, Bella Hadid, and Hailey Bieber — three women whose closets tend to predict what the rest of us will be wearing in six months.

It isn't the first time camo has had a moment. It cycled through the early 2000s as a streetwear staple, then faded into something reserved for hunting catalogs and surplus bins. What's different this time, per fashion editor Imani-Nia Francis-Tsolaki, is that today's version blends three eras at once: the undone, slightly scruffy sensibility of '90s grunge, the dressier edge of Y2K, and the bolder scale and color-blocking of the 2010s streetwear boom. The result reads less like camping gear and more like a print you'd actually plan an outfit around.

Why camo is back now

Part of the appeal is practical: after several seasons dominated by quiet luxury neutrals, camo gives Gen Z and millennial dressers a maximalist, pattern-forward option without committing to anything as loud as animal print or florals. Alexa Chung has been photographed in camo-print trousers paired with simple tops — proof the print can anchor an outfit rather than overwhelm it. Bella Hadid, who has leaned into a country-western aesthetic this year, has been spotted in a camo-print cap, giving the trend a slightly more rugged, Americana-adjacent read. And Hailey Bieber gave it a quieter stamp of approval, spotted in the print via husband Justin's own social posts.

There's also a timing overlap worth noting: camo's comeback is landing in the same season as the broader "eras dressing" movement we covered last week, where mixing decades within a single outfit has become its own flex. A print that visually nods to three different fashion eras at once fits that mood perfectly.

How to wear it without looking like you raided a surplus store

The easiest entry point is a single statement piece against otherwise simple basics — a camo jacket over a plain tee and jeans, or camo trousers with a fitted top, the way Chung styles hers. Keep the rest of the outfit quiet and let the print do the talking.

For a dressier take, look for camo rendered in non-traditional colorways — muted taupe, cream, or soft grey-green rather than classic forest tones. These read as a print first and "army jacket" second, which makes them easier to wear to dinner or a daytime event without the costume-y feel. A camo cap or bag is also a low-commitment way to test the trend before building a full look around it.

Texture matters too. A camo print in a soft knit or a silky slip style feels current; the same pattern on stiff canvas reads more utilitarian. If you're shopping for one piece to start with, a relaxed jacket or a pair of wide-leg trousers tends to be the most versatile — both pair easily with the neutral basics most closets already have.

The bottom line

Camo isn't trying to be subtle this season, and that's the point. After a long stretch of restrained, "quiet" dressing, a print with this much built-in nostalgia and attitude is an easy way to signal that you're paying attention — without overhauling your entire wardrobe to do it.

Mistlora is an independent fashion and lifestyle publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by SHEIN — brand names are referenced here for informational and editorial purposes only.

Why Three Different Eras of Camo Are Showing Up at Once

What makes the 2026 version of this print different from a straight Y2K throwback is that it is pulling from several of camo's past moments simultaneously rather than just one. Who What Wear's report on the trend's return describes today's camo as balancing the "effortlessly undone" sensibility of '90s grunge with the dressier appeal of its early-2000s Y2K years, then updating both with the bolder, more maximalist prints of its later streetwear era — the three now coexisting in the same pieces with very little friction, according to the same report. That layering of references is part of why the print reads current instead of like a straight revival: a camo cargo pant can lean grunge with a battered tee, or lean Y2K with a going-out top, without changing the actual print.

On the ground, the comeback is already visible at a mainstream price point — a styling column covering the trend points to Zara's camo trousers as having gone viral specifically because they let people try the print without a big investment, and notes camo already showed up on the SS26 runway for the Paris label Zomer alongside a broader wave of Y2K-coded pieces like cargo pants.