Check mate: How to easily embrace the checkered trend

Lately, the checkered trend has been hard to miss. Look through a fashion magazine, interior magazine, or Instagram and you'll quickly come across checkerboard trousers, shoes, and decor items aplenty. While it’s far from the first time this pattern has been the trend du jour across fashion and design, thanks to social media its reach is more ubiquitous than ever before.

Danish designer Stine Goya, whose iteration of the trend, including bright or pastel colours and textural elements such as knitwear, has become one of the most popular of the moment, explains why she think the pattern continues to delight. “The checkered trend keeps coming back because it is such a simple yet bold pattern that immediately draws your eye and adds a playful touch - and has done consistently over decades. Similarly to the swinging sixties and grungey nineties, we are living in times where pop culture plays such a big role and has so much influence on our everyday lives.”

Related: Kendall Jenner's favourite Stine Goya sweater is back

While the checkerboard trend can be traced back to well before the age of modern pop culture, today's celebrities are playing a leading role in its constant reinvention, with the likes of Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber among those spotted recently in Goya's checked knits. “The key keeping this trend fresh is to combine and offset your checks in new interesting ways," suggests the designer herself. "You could either go for a full head-to-toe check look, or opt for clash effect with romantic florals – the possibilities are endless.”

Here's how to take advantage of these endless possibilities when it comes to the fields of fashion, accessories and design.

Stine Goya
The obvious place to start, this Scandi brand's sweater has been seen round the world. Danish designer Stine Goya’s checkerboard knits gained mega-popularity thanks to some very (very) famous endorsements. With her playful colours, high-quality material, and whimsical brand universe, it’s no mystery why people are so attracted to Goya's unique take on trend-driven pieces.

Paloma Wool
A cult favourite, Spanish fashion brand Paloma Wool got in on this latest iteration of the checkered trend during its early days. The company’s checkerboard trousers, shirts and knits have kept evolving, with the pattern getting enlarged, shrunk, distorted and overlaid with additional patterns or colours to ensure that the look is always one step ahead of the game.

Lisa Says Gah
This e-commerce platform and brand has had a major influence on social media trends, including the checker pattern. Their incredibly popular collaboration with Stockholm-based artist and designer Katherine Jean Plumb, or KJP (more on her below), gave us the cutesy, quirky “Daisy Check” pattern. Check them out for checkered knitwear, gingham dresses and more iterations of the look.

Tona the Label Swimwear
Founded by fashion journalist Tona Stell, Tona is a swimwear brand that focuses on excellent fit, quality fabrics, inclusive sizing, and sustainable materials, Their checked bikini pieces are classic, charming and flattering.

Related: 10 sustainable swimsuits to savour this summer

Vans
Vans are far from newcomers to the checkboard trend - the brand's checkerboard slide-on, which can be purchased as a regular shoe or a skateboarding shoe, has been part of their range for years. Beyond the renowned black and white option, there's also a huge array of colours and collaborations to bring a little something extra to the classic silhouette.

Fabrek Bags
Danish e-commerce site Fabrek (meaning Factory) stocks a host of brands, including their own. Perhaps their most popular item is their whimsical, stretchy woven bags in a checked pattern. There are many colour combinations to suit every style and they’re ideal to have on-hand as extra shopping totes.

J. Hannah Jewelry
The playful nature of the checkerboard pattern may seem at odds with fine jewellery, but that isn't always the case. This LA-based designer proves it with her stunning Chess Inlay Signet, which combines Mother of Pearl and Onyx in a checkerboard pattern on a square signet ring. J. Hannah also plays with the pattern with her Form Inlay Rings I & II, also made with Mother of Pearl and Onyx. These pieces feel both luxurious and suitable for daily wear - truly second-skin jewellery.

Related: The best everyday Scandinavian jewellery brands to make a statement

Nordic Knots
Sweden-based rug company Nordic Knots produce a range of beautiful and high quality pieces for the floor. Their flat weave selection includes Square, a series of checked rugs in different colour combinations. They have various other check-adjacent rugs that likewise look fantastic, proving that the pattern brings something fresh and playful to the home.

Kvadrat Sisu Fabric
Want to re-upholster something in your home? Why not go with a checked pattern for something both classic and playful? The wool Sisu textile, produced by Kvadrat and created by Nanna Ditzel, was rediscovered and re-launched by artist Danh Vo as part of his seminal exhibition at Statens Museum for Kunst, “Take My Breath Away” in 2018. The eye-catching and sometimes unexpected colour combinations, paired with the classic tactility and unmatched quality of Kvadrat’s fabric, can turn any piece of furniture into an elevated design piece.

Mirror Water x Choosing Keeping Journal
Mirror Water is the new skincare brand from one of the original influencers, Estée Lalonde. The bath products themselves are worth checking out, but we love her collaboration with stationary brand Choosing Keeping: a Japanese Kozo Paper journal in a green, white and black checkered pattern. For those who love a good notebook, this is it.

Related: Check out the 6 best checked suits to invest in now

Studio KJP
Stockholm-based designer and artist Katherine Jean Plumb is the founder of Studio KJP. Her colourful, graphic designs have a mod quality, thanks in large part to her use of checkered patterns and various iterations of checks, such as her beloved Daisy Check, available both through her own site and via Lisa Says Gah. From pillowcases to risograph prints to phone cases to towels, Studio KJP makes home and clothing goods that will bring a smile to your face.