The ’90s Hobby Making a Comeback as Searches for Kits More Than Double
Searches for “tie dye kit” have climbed 123% over the past year, as the colorful summer-camp activity offers inspiration for homemade Christmas gifts.
A white T-shirt, rubber bands and bottles of dye were once the ingredients for a familiar ’90s afternoon. Now, growing searches for tie-dye kits suggest the hands-on hobby is attracting fresh interest ahead of Christmas.
Searches for “tie dye kit” reached approximately 31,000 in the past month, with Glimpse reporting a 123% increase over the past year.
The rise adds a DIY dimension to the wider interest in tie-dye. The broader term “tie dye” attracts approximately 1 million US Google searches a month, up 20% year over year, according to estimates sourced through Glimpse.
Interest in the broader term climbed even higher earlier this year, reaching approximately 3.4 million US searches between February 8 and March 7, 2026.
For Americans who grew up making colorful shirts at summer camps, school or sleepovers, the activity comes with plenty of nostalgia. With Christmas approaching, it also offers a way to make something personal for someone else.
Alongside the search findings, new first-party sales analysis from Free Spirited Clothing reveals which tie-dye colors its US customers are choosing, offering inspiration for anyone planning their own festive project.
Searches for kits put the DIY hobby back in focus
While searches for “tie dye” can cover everything from fashion inspiration to ready-made clothing, searches specifically for kits point more directly toward interest in the materials used to make it at home.
The figures do not measure kit purchases or completed projects, but they give a clearer indication of interest in the hobby itself.
Abby Rafer, a spokesperson at Free Spirited Clothing, said:
“For a lot of Americans, their first experience of tie-dye was making it themselves. It brings back memories of summer camp, school projects and covering the kitchen table before anyone was allowed to open the dye.
That makes it an appealing activity to revisit around Christmas. You can make something for a friend or family member, choose colors they actually wear and give them a piece that feels personal.
The increase in searches for kits is particularly interesting because it brings the making side of tie-dye into the picture. There’s a difference between liking a colorful shirt and wanting to have a go at creating one yourself.”
Rainbow remains the leading choice
For anyone deciding which colors to use, Free Spirited Clothing’s sales analysis suggests the classic rainbow combination still has plenty of appeal.
Rainbow/Multi accounted for 22.51% of classified purchases across the brand’s US sales, making it the most-purchased tie-dye color family in the analysis.
Blue came second at 16.90%, followed by Green at 15.76%.
| Rank | Tie-dye color family | Share of classified purchases |
| 1 | Rainbow/Multi | 22.51% |
| 2 | Blue | 16.90% |
| 3 | Green | 15.76% |
| 4 | Red, White & Blue | 10.52% |
| 5 | Pink | 9.54% |
| 6 | Purple | 7.23% |
| 7 | Pastel | 7.03% |
| 8 | Black & Gray | 4.68% |
| 9 | Earth & Autumn | 2.72% |
| 10 | Red & Orange | 2.62% |
| 11 | Yellow & Gold | 0.48% |
Rainbow’s lead extended across much of the country within the brand’s customer base.
Of the 46 states with enough classified sales for a winner to be published, 43 had Rainbow/Multi as their most-purchased tie-dye color family.
California, New York, Texas and Florida were among the states where rainbow came out on top.
Only three qualifying states had a different winner: Maine preferred Blue, while Montana and West Virginia favored Green.
Where rainbow tie-dye is most popular
Louisiana recorded the highest share of Rainbow/Multi purchases in the analysis, with the color family accounting for 29.90% of classified purchases in the state.
Oregon ranked second at 28.21%, followed by Utah at 27.05%.
| Rank | State | Rainbow/Multi share |
| 1 | Louisiana | 29.90% |
| 2 | Oregon | 28.21% |
| 3 | Utah | 27.05% |
| 4 | Minnesota | 26.38% |
| 5 | Washington | 26.17% |
Louisiana also recorded the most decisive state result, with Rainbow/Multi finishing 13.43 percentage points ahead of second-place Green.
A homemade gift doesn’t have to mean every color in the bottle
Although rainbow led the sales analysis, other color families showed distinctive regional patterns.
Tennessee’s share of Yellow & Gold purchases was 1.96 times the national share within the dataset, the strongest local over-index identified.
Montana’s Green share was 1.55 times the national share, while Idaho stood out for Purple and Kansas for Red & Orange.
| State | Standout color | State share relative to national share |
| Tennessee | Yellow & Gold | 1.96x |
| Montana | Green | 1.55x |
| Idaho | Purple | 1.48x |
| Kansas | Red & Orange | 1.43x |
Abby added:
“If you’re making tie-dye as a gift, start with the person you’re making it for. Someone who wears mostly blue or green might appreciate those colors more than a full rainbow.
The nostalgia is in the process as much as the finished shirt. You can enjoy making something the way you remember doing it years ago, while choosing colors that fit the person’s wardrobe today.
Rainbow is still the leading choice in our sales data, but the range of other colors people buy shows there’s room to make the result feel individual.”
The full research and state findings are available at:
https://shopfreespirited.com/
