Consumers are buying autumn looks early, heritage trend continues says Jack Murphy

The company said interest in wax jackets and heritage outerwear sales has “surged” and consumers are “shifting their focus to materials with a story, and garments with longevity”.

Jack Murphy attributes the surge in wax cotton, tweed and other heritage materials to a “wider movement towards capsule wardrobes, investment dressing, and focus on material provenance underpinned by the slow fashion movement”. 

It said its internal sales data “paints a picture of changing consumer behaviour. Despite the spring/summer season, sales of traditional autumn/winter products like hats, wax jackets and heritage outerwear have risen sharply in 2026. Consumers are increasingly investing in their autumn/winter wardrobe in summer because they’re less influenced by seasonal fashion microtrends, and more focused on building a trans-seasonal, timeless wardrobe at any time of the year”.

The company saw a 58% Q2 year-on-year increase in overall orders — with men’s jackets and coats experiencing a 174% surge in revenue. 

Wax cotton sales jumped 79%, revealing particularly strong momentum in menswear, where men’s wax has grown 134%. It said “men appear to be driving the movement towards made-to-last heritage materials”.

Interestingly, hats are Jack Murphy’s number one volume driver and felt hats have see a significant increase, with navy felt hats surging 900% and olive hats 550%. 

As it’s the season for horse racing events and country shows, consumers are purchasing hats not only as a practical purchase for cold weather, but buying them for all-weather social events, even in summer. 

Colour-wise, earthy tones are prominent and despite olive green being very autumnal, it’s been performing well lately.

Olive wax jackets are up 300% year-on-year, with navy up 79%. Consumers “are leaning into earthy, classic tones influenced by heritage, the landscape and nature — whatever the weather”. 

Orla Wax Jacket - Olive 

The colour also topped the charts for the most popular colour waterproof in SS26. “Olive is the unexpected dominating colour of 2026,” Jack Murphy said. “We’ve seen the rise of bold, loud colours and chaotic prints as maximalism has taken the stage this year, and olive green is bringing us back down to earth. It’s sophisticated and timeless, the ultimate ‘confident neutral’ anchor shade that’s versatile but with more depth than a stark black or a navy”.

It added that social media “is bringing heritage fashion to new audiences. Jack Murphy’s data revealed Instagram sessions surged 259% YoY, signalling consumers are discovering heritage brands more widely than ever”.