The Women Shaping Zara Larsson’s Viral Midnight Sun Aesthetic

From the moment Zara Larsson started dropping anthems from her now-iconic album Midnight Sun exactly one year ago, it was clear that a star was… reborn. The Swedish singer, who we knew from hits like “Lush Life” (which has new viral dance choreography), “Symphony,” “Never Forget You,” and “Ain’t My Fault” from a decade prior, has reemerged as the pop diva she’s always been, and is finally getting her roses.

Since she stepped on the red carpet at the 2025 MTV VMAs, Larsson immediately turned into a fashion It Girl. Now, when we see vibrant sunset colors, hibiscus flowers, spray-painted tops, rhinestone eye makeup, Lisa Frank-esque dolphins, and keychain belts, many of us think of Zara Larsson.

In addition to the singer’s own creative vision, much of this can be attributed to her very joyful and energetic all-female team, consisting of stylist Caterina Ospina, makeup artist Sophia Sinot, and a revolving cast of costume designers, all of whom have strong POVs that have gained them esteem in their industries (and buzz online).

To break down the evolution and inspiration behind Larsson’s signature style and Midnight Sun era across her EU and US tours, music videos, award show performances (and ahead of her much-anticipated deluxe album Girls’ Trip on May 1), Refinery29 speaks with the creative artists on the making of our favorite “Hot & Sexy” fashion and beauty looks.

Over one year ago, Spanish-born stylist Caterina Ospina was brought on to style last-minute festival looks for Larsson, which helped blossom their creative relationship. “From that moment, we didn’t stop,” Ospina says. “She was always bold and colorful. It was just putting all the pieces together and trying to make her pop.” And that pop was heard around the world when Ospina started styling Larsson as Tate McRae‘s Possessive tour opening act.

For Larsson’s current Midnight Sun era, Ospina boils down her aesthetic to a few words: “Dopamine, fairy, powerful, sexy girl.” And we very much agree that it’s dopamine dressing to the max. “If you like Zara’s style, it’s because you like color. She’s all about empowerment. So if you want to wear that, you need to be a very bold and happy person; to be free and yourself and sexy.”

While she makes it clear that Larsson is the big boss, Ospina is the one in charge of research for inspiration (Ex: Winx Club, Bratz, and Hannah Montana) and outreach to costume designers (especially emerging talent, Spanish creatives, and Central Saint Martins college graduates) to help reflect the different “fun fairy vibes” and “hot and sexy” portions of Larsson’s concert performances. “I see something, an element or a color or a shape that I like from them. How can I get this into Zara’s world? How can we merge it and make it magical for Zara?” she explains her thought process.

That’s how Ospina found Irish designer Sorcha O’Raghallaigh, who has previously created custom pieces for pop icons like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna, and Kylie Minogue (and who was actually stepping back from custom design at the time). Her signature element? Flower work, dating back to her CSM graduate collection. “They’ve always been a thread in my work. So I think that’s what drew Caterina to me to develop a special hibiscus,” O’Raghallaigh says, adding: “It’s been a real dream to work with Caterina and Zara, who also appreciate color and texture and sparkle, which is my favorite thing.”

Ospina echoes this, saying: “No one at that point really knew what we were capable of, and with her, it was just the perfect match.” That is, when Larsson stepped out at the 2025 MTV VMAs in a collaborative look from the stylist and costume designer that showed off the singer in a sheer bedazzled mini dress covered in rhinestoned hibiscus flowers, with a hair clip to match. (And if you’re wondering, both Ospina and O’Raghallaigh cite this era-defining and transformative look as their favorite Larsson design to date.)

You likely know many of O’Raghallaigh’s pieces for Larsson because they’ve blown up online. From the many shimmering mini skirts worn across Larsson’s EU and current US Midnight Sun tours to the embellished hibiscus bra in PinkPantheress’ “Stateside” music video, the custom designs have helped define the singer’s current era — which O’Raghallaigh describes as: “Fantasy, colorful, a bit Barbie, and Y2K” — while staying true to the designer’s craft and POV.

“Everything I do and my team does is by hand, bead for bead. We literally make everything from scratch. We like to make life hard for ourselves, basically,” the designer jokes. “Even with the skirts for the US, they’re tiny, but there’s probably over a hundred hours of work in each one.”

When combined with other designers’ pieces like crystal bodysuits and mesh tops through Ospina’s styling, the outcome has been viral looks that Larsson’s fans and concertgoers love to recreate. “The dedication from the fans has been insane,” O’Raghallaigh says. “Some of the recreations… I’m like: ‘Do you want to come work for me?’”

Another mega trend we’ve seen online is fans reinterpreting Larsson’s bright and bold beauty looks, courtesy of Dutch celebrity makeup artist Sophia Sinot, who was recently awarded Glamour’s 2026 Best Beauty Content Creator. Sinot has collaborated with Larsson for over five years, but since consistently working with the singer for her tours, the MUA has single-handedly put a halt to “clean girl makeup.”

“Although it was very much about embracing natural beauty, I still feel like there was some sort of pressure on it. It was like, put as little makeup on as possible, but make sure you look as beautiful as possible,” Sinot speaks on the minimal beauty aesthetic. “With this era that we’re in now, people just don’t really care about looking beautiful,” elaborating that perfection and status-quo beauty looks aren’t a top priority for self-expression anymore.

For the EU tour, Sinot says she was inspired by space, nature, water, and reflections of the sun à la songs like “Midnight Sun” and “Saturn’s Return.” Sinot explains: “This tour is the first moment where we actually have been able to really express ourselves without any limitations or any rules,” adding that her day-of process is very “chaotic” and Larsson just tags along for the ride.

Sinot’s signature “Midnight Sun glam” concepts include bright color-blocked eyeshadow, aura blush, face gems, and, more recently, body makeup and stickers. Ospina, who calls Sinot a “mastermind,” gave the MUA custom-designed hibiscus stickers, which Sinot placed on Larsson’s cheeks… followed by rhinestone stars down her arms and legs, butterflies down her spine, a sun across her chest, and leopard print around her shoulders.

For the US, “I’m more inspired by Barbie and ’80s glam and animal prints,” Sinot explains. “I used to do leopard print on my eyes in high school, and my teachers were really not happy that I’d skip class all the time, but that I did have time to put leopard print on my eyes,” she reflects, while fatefully citing Larsson’s leopard-print beauty looks as her favorite work.

Following Sinot’s consistently viral looks, she’s gained more opportunities from brands and clients, most recently creating the five looks for Katseye‘s “Pinky Up” music video.

And “opportunity” seems to be a big word for the creatives involved with Larsson, because doors have opened for all of them. For both Lis Dominguez (Alineo Studio designer) and Aitana Lorenzo (Ayquechulo designer), they say: “We are both incredibly grateful to Caterina for this opportunity and for trusting us. Working for Zara has given us valuable experience and pushed us to adapt and reinvent ourselves.”

Both designers, who went to the same Spanish university together, were reached out to separately by Ospina to help reflect a style evolution for the US tour. “We immediately texted each other and started talking about it for hours. We connected instantly and knew that together we could evolve Zara’s aesthetic and surprise her fans.” And they did just that.

Taking inspiration from early-2000s trends and pop icons like Paris Hilton, Destiny’s Child, and Britney Spears, the collaborative duo blended “the maximalism and signature colors of Ayquechulo with the fluidity of Alineo pieces.” This has come to fruition through viral flowy dyed matching sets, custom charm and keychain belts (which I personally tried to recreate for my Coachella outfit), crystal bras, and chunky jewelry for Larsson’s stage performances. Symbols like hibiscus flowers and dolphins, as well as colors like fuchsia, yellow, and blue are also notable threads throughout their work.

“It has been surreal to go on social media and see viral videos about our collaboration. We love that Zara’s fans recognize our work and connect with the looks,” they say, adding: “We also love seeing people recreate our pieces.”

From day one of the Midnight Sun era through today, there’s no doubt that there has been a cultural shift in the music, fashion, beauty, and fandom spaces. “When it exploded and people started replicating the outfits to go to the concert, it was very shocking, but it’s very nice to see that people resonate with it,” Ospina says. “That’s the biggest compliment that a stylist can have, and I’m sure Zara will say the same.”

Sinot also puts the gravity of this Zara Larsson phenomenon perfectly, saying: “When I was very young, I would also look up to pop stars and think: ‘Oh, I wanna look like that.’ And now, we are creating those moments.”

Check back soon for Refinery29’s shopping guide to get Zara Larsson’s look, according to her team, whether you’re attending her tour or channeling a Midnight Sun summer 2026!

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