• Checkerboard print has been everywhere since 2021, from clothing to home decor.
• But now, the design is heading toward cringey, overdone territory, according to fashion fans.
• In the near future, gingham and stripes could take its place as a trending print.

If checkerboard is a staple print in your wardrobe, I have bad news for you: It’s probably going to look cringey soon.

Remember when everyone loved cow print in 2019, and then again for a minute in 2021? The design was a huge fad for short bursts of time, but is now scarcely seen in fashion.

And then there are prints like chevron, which was everywhere in the late 2010s but is now considered “cheugy” or basic by younger generations.

Now, fashion fans and experts say, checkerboard is going the way of the chevron. But don’t worry, they say another classic print is sure to take its place.

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Checkerboard: timeless or trendy?

Retail buyer Summer Landon spends her time trend forecasting in the fashion and interior-design sectors, and told Insider that she views checkerboard as “a generational trend.” While checkerboard “has been around forever,” she said, it’s bobbed in and out of style over the past century.

According to a 2022 Homes & Gardens article, checkerboard floors are thought to have originated in ancient Egypt and were a fixture in Roman and Victorian homes long before they hit their interior-design peak in 1950s diners and kitchens.

In the fashion world, celebrities like Twiggy, Sonny, and Cher loved checkerboard dresses and suits in the ’60s. And checkered Vans sneakers became a sensation in the ’80s.

Jude Stewart, a journalist and the author of “Patternalia: An Unconventional History of Polka Dots, Stripes, Plaid, Camouflage, & Other Graphic Patterns,” noted that throughout its lengthy history, checkerboard has also become a popular signifier of various things, like car-racing flags, chessboards, and older time periods.

“None of these associations are bad to bring into your house,” Stewart told Insider. “They’re all very fun and delightful and energizing, so I could see why there’s an interest in it as a pattern.”

There’s also the appeal of checkerboard being customizable.

“You can do things like change the colors, or make a little bit of a tweak and it’s not a 90-degree square anymore,” Stewart said. “It lends itself really easily to making it your own. It’s this kind-of wholesome pattern that brings a lot of energy and a sense of playfulness.”

While the classic black-and-white style never disappeared, it wasn’t hugely popular again until recently.

Some began gravitating towards the print in 2020 as “The Queen’s Gambit” rose to popularity and made chess trendy. 

But the latest cycle of the trend, Landon said, really started in 2021. That year, Zendaya donned a standout checkered skirt, Kendall Jenner rocked the print on her nails, and checkered home decor suddenly appeared in countless stores.

Checkerboard is still everywhere in 2023

Retailers like Urban Outfitters, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Anthropologie are still stocked with checkerboard decor.

And checkerboard is still going strong in the fashion world. In September, the print was spotted on Versace’s spring/summer 2024 ready-to-wear show when Claudia Schiffer strutted down the runway in a green-and-gray checkered dress. Other models sported the print on tank tops, purses, and jackets.

Celebrities have also gotten in on the trend. Anne Hathaway donned the same Versace look to the Albie Awards in September, and Sarah Hyland wore a magenta, checkered dress from Christian Siriano at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala in April.

Everyday fashion fans like Jenna Barclay love checkerboard, too.

The 36-year-old, Los Angeles-based content creator makes social-media posts about fashion, nostalgia, and trends for her 424,000+ TikTok followers. Barclay found herself caught up in the latest checkerboard wave, but she’s long been a fan.

“I’ve been wearing checkered Vans since I was a kid, and I think that’s what I will always associate the print with,” she said. “But a lot of younger people somehow associated checkerboard with the ’90s and Y2K — which isn’t true to my experience in the actual ’90s — so it’s interesting.”

Barclay thinks the popular checkerboard rugs of today might remind younger people of the graphic-print carpets that covered arcades and movie theaters in the past, or the grunge aesthetic made mainstream by ’90s bands like Nirvana.

Stewart said checkerboard could also be seen as a “skater motif” — one that was especially popular in the ’90s and early aughts with the rise of skateboarding culture.

What goes up must come down

Three years is a long time for a fashion trend to last — even one that cycles back around like checkerboard. 

Those in the know like Barclay are preparing for the print’s inevitable decline.

While she still likes checkerboard clothes, the influencer has purged checkered decor from her home. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at a checkerboard rug again,” she said.

How does a print go from looking cool to making people recoil?

“Sometimes trends just become too big,” Landon said. “Our eyes, ears, and senses get fatigued of seeing the same thing over and over.”

Humans crave newness, something Landon says can move a trend into cringey territory once its been overdone. “It’s really an emotional response, like: ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve just seen that so many times,’” she added.

That’s why she sees checkerboard becoming the new chevron — something Landon’s sister Sierra Campbell made a popular TikTok video about. (Her video has more than 380,000 views since it was posted in late September.)

So, what’s next? 

Landon sees another beloved print taking checkerboard’s place: gingham.

“With the rise of the quiet-luxury trend — Sophia Richie is the biggest example — I think gingham is next,” she said.
“Gingham is this really timeless, classy, subtle print, almost like a more subdued checkerboard.”

Barclay, on the other hand, thinks stripes will take over.

“Stripes are everywhere all of a sudden,” she said. “That’s the thing with these prints. Something can be classic but then cycle through moments where it’s trendier.”

They might be right — at least, until the next big thing comes along.