Bieber's Boxers And How You Can Tell Whether A Fashion Trend Will Have A Lasting Impact

Using data to unpack some viral fashion moments, from boxers to labubus to Valentino Rockstuds to Dario Vitale's Versace.

Last Sunday at the Grammys, Justin Bieber returned to the stage to perform at the ceremony for the first time in four years. And while this moment itself was already highly anticipated and buzz-worthy, it was made even buzzier by the outfit Justin Bieber chose to wear during his performance. Or not wear.

That’s right, Justin Bieber’s Grammys performance was perhaps as stripped down as it could get. No backup dancers, no backing track. Just him, his guitar…and a pair of boxers.

Following the Grammys, Bieber Fever went into full effect. Site traffic for Justin Bieber’s clothing brand Skylrk—whose logo was displayed all over his boxer shorts—saw their web traffic grow by 300% during the ceremony. Their inventory of boxers and socks completely sold out. And today, one week later, based on my analysis of online posts, their sentiment, and search traffic, boxers are already around 70% more popular overall versus last month.

Justin Bieber performs at the 2026 Grammys in a pair of Skylrk boxers.

Clearly, Bieber’s style had quite the impact across fashion and, as such, boxers are back on the rise. But actually, when you take a closer look at the data, something a bit more complex is happening here. So, what’s really going on?

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY

When it comes to using data and analytics to understand fashion trends, it’s sometimes not just about observing an overall trend line, but more about what different forces are coming together to create the trend line in the first place. And, what happens when these forces might be opposing each other. Let me explain.