From designer water bottles to Stanley cups, why 2023 was the year of the status drinking vessel

There’s been a plethora of accessories trends this year we expected like metallic bags and corsages, and also plenty of unexpected including lace tights and knee-high socks, to name just a few.

But perhaps the most unexpected prop on the cool-girl roster in 2023, was the aesthetically pleasing drinks bottle.

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The question we're asking is: how did a reusable tumbler - the first of which was created for consumer use around 1947 - become a social media status symbol? 

Perhaps it was the influence of the ‘girl’ aesthetics (2023 is after being dubbed the year of the girl). For example, the controversial vanilla girl and the clean girl - two trends that range further than clothing and extend to appendages from candles to bedsheets, hair accessories to lampshades. 

Or it could have been the rise of the quiet luxury movement. Minimalism has extended to become the go-to aesthetic for anything and everything, including the bottles we carry.

It could also be thanks to social media doing what it does best, and catapulting the trend off the back of a celebrity influence (a la Hailey Bieber and, well, any beauty trend really), or the conscious shift by younger generations to become more sustainable. 

MORE: Meghan Markle has joined the most unexpected TikTok It-girl trend 

READ: 13 biggest fashion moments in 2023: from Margot’s Barbie era to Harry Styles's Crystal jumpsuit 

“We’ve seen a huge swell on celebrities’ socials to show off their reusable water bottles ever since Adele sipped from her Stanley on Carpool Karaoke,” says Hilary Peltz, founder of In.Parallel, a marketing consultancy service that works with luxury brands.

“No one wants to casually be caught drinking from plastic bottles anymore. My favourite is The Ocean Bottle with its great design and mission to rescue 1,000 ocean-bound plastic bottles for every OB bottle purchased. I’ve purchased one for each member of my family to use.”

Recently, the Duchess of Sussex hopped on the chic bottle trend and gave it her own spin. She made a surprise appearance as a background extra in a coffee advert, and her coolest prop was the 'Trek' tumbler in almond birch from drinkware brand Simple Modern. The ultra-sleek bottle has a subtle logo and minimalistic design, and the colourway epitomises 2023’s favourite elegant colour palette.

"Designer water bottles and cups have become a cult status this year in the same way we saw with phone cases," explains strategic PR Advisor Emily Austen, founder of Emerge. "Celebrities have found a way to express themselves through their choices. Personalisation, a way to make statement, gender reveals or hints to brand collabs, these have become a way to communicate with fans.

"We have seen a huge trend towards less sexy products becoming fashion items - phone cases, paint, household products. Water bottles signal a lifestyle choice that celebs are keen to showcase through their social media and photos.

"Atheleisure, workouts, smoothies (Erehon and Hailey Bieber), wellness more broadly and insights into personal fitness and wellbeing trends has meant that celebs are keen to show off cups and bottles as a fashion statement. Perfectly co ordinated with their vanilla core outfit, these items signal status and a commitment to wellness.

"More and more celebrities also want to demonstrate sustainable credentials, and we’ve seen the rise of the branded cup as a perfect piece of merch."

Though various brands have surfaced since the coolest cup craze, Stanley’s has undeniably become the It-girl go-to that has risen quicker than we can say 'quiet luxury'.

The searches on TikTok for the Stanely cup are astronomical, but the hashtag #creamstanleycup alone has almost two million views, proving the vast popularity of the minimalistic cup.

Global pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo listed her Stanely Quencher H2.0 Flowstate as one of the 10 things she can’t live without in an interview with GQ. “I was actually TikTok influenced into buying this,” she said, which she owns in her signature shade of purple.

Whether you're a fan of following trends or not, it's hard to argue with one as chic, sustainable and long-lasting as this one...

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