Last summer’s Barbiecore phenomenon had us all running out to find the neon pink pieces to brighten up our jewellery boxes. This year, it’s all about ‘brat’ and the vibrant shade of lime green that’s become associated with it.

For anyone unfamiliar with the term ‘brat’ (where have you been??), it rose to prominence earlier this summer with the release of musician Charli XCX’s album, Brat, which boasted pared-back cover art – just the word in a low-res font written over a lime-green background. At the time, the singer described the album ethos as “me, my flaws, my f-ups, my ego all rolled into one.” Since then, ‘brat’ has become a byword for accepting yourself and feeling comfortable in your own skin, including all of your mistakes, and bright green suddenly has started popping up all over the internet.

The colour then got another boost and unexpectedly ended up in politics shortly after US President Biden announced he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential election race and nominated Vice President Kamala Harris in his stead. Charli XCX quickly expressed her support for Harris, proclaiming “kamala IS brat” on the X platform. This was swiftly followed by a positive response on Instagram from Kamala HQ, typed out in a similar low-res font against a vibrant, lime green background, just like the Brat album cover.

While not everyone is not totally 100% sure what the term ‘brat’ now means (it seems to be evolving all the time), what is certain is that lime green is undoubtedly trending hard – a feat not seen since the club days of the late 1990s, when the shade semaphored optimism, energy and good vibes.