There’s a national shortage of fishnets right now

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There’s a national shortage of fishnets right now

GUYS

You know the  picture. The one on Instagram, the cropped close up of a girl twisting her torso, fishnets peeking from the top of her ripped jeans with the waistband sitting scarily high up her stomach. Once an item of clothing restricted to the bedroom, fishnets have officially taken over Instagram (and the world).

You can’t escape them – fishnet tights, socks, crop tops, even fishnet bralets are everywhere right now. They’re best-sellers in every high-street store, type in #fishnets on Instagram and you’ll see 344,100 posts of them poking out of every type of clothing possible.

The demand for them is huge. Since August they’ve been constant bestsellers on Asos, resulting in them stocking up on variations like fishnet ankle socks (which have sold out 24 times since summer) and every type of colour and size type you could imagine. Pastel pink fishnets, extra thick fishnet fishnets, extra small fishnet fishnets, multicolour fishenets, fishnets fishnetted in intricate patterns, fishnets, fishnets.

And it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere anytime soon. Since they’re selling so well, they’ve got more in stock for their Spring/ Summer collection including oversized fishnet socks in different colours, as well as striped and sporty fishnet tights.

Since last year, Depop have seen a 50 per cent rise in fishnet related items and they frequently appear on the explore page. Tainá Vilela from Depop HQ told me: “Streetwear and the late 80’s are still strong trends and the fishnet is having a come back. This time it’s more about not trying too hard (or at least pretending to) and wearing it in a more sporty way, letting it show under ripped jeans or high up in the waist.”

The perfect party clutch/pillow via @asos_anna ?/? ?: 935437

A post shared by ASOS (@asos) on Dec 16, 2016 at 12:37am PST

Every week, Ann Summers sells 1500 pairs. As a store that was primarily known for it’s lingerie, they’ve noticed a rise in people buying them to wear day-to-day. “Playing peek-a-boo with your fishnets is something Ann Summers has always championed, so it’s great to see Fashionistas embracing this trend,” Louise Hillman from Ann Summers Head Office told me. “Whether it’s fishnet or ‘whale-net’ tights, it’s the cheapest way to update your staple denim.”

Sure, they’re not the most practical trend – but how many trends actually are? We don’t wear hoops because they keep our ears warm and nail varnish isn’t to protect our fingernails from the sun.

With approximately one person uploading a photo with the hashtag “fishnets” every minute on Instagram, it looks like they’re here to stay.

Featured image from Brogan West.