Saddle up! Cowboy chic is back... and its resurgence is 'because it's the Year of the Horse'

Cowboy fashion is back this summer - and experts say a major boost has been that 2026 is the Chinese Year of the Horse.

Both high street and high-end designers have sold out of cowboy boots, bootcut jeans and rodeo belts. 

They have been snapped up by fashionistas to wear to music festivals.

One is the State Fayre, a major new rock, country, folk and American-inspired extravaganza, which has seen a touch of Nashville arrive in Chelmsford, Essex, this weekend.

On Saturday, headlined at Hylands Park, once the home of the now defunct V Festival, while Kings of Leon had the top billing on Friday.

Tonight, June 28, will see The Lumineers close the three-day country music celebrations. 

The festival, which offers VIP glamping, is partially filling the void left by , which is having a fallow year and will return in 2027.

Festival-goers also made use of luxurious airstream caravans, which can cost as much as £110,000 but can be rented for a weekend for £6,000.

A fashion expert told The Mail on Sunday: 'It sounds ridiculous but the Year of the Horse has been very much behind the cowboy clothing trend, which has then fed into the whole country and western music thing coming to the UK.

'Nashville is where it's at right now - and it has now arrived in Britain.'

Stella McCartney had a horse and cowboy-themed launch for her 2026 winter/fall collection at Paris Fashion Week. 

It featured horses in Le Grand Manege Jean Caucanas, a rustic indoor arena in the French capital.