Denim makes a comeback, finding fans in Emily Ratajkowski, Kate Moss and Michelle Obama and exposure in TV series Yellowstone
- What do Paris Fashion Week and cowboy TV show Yellowstone have in common? This year, it is a love of denim – the tough textile is one of the hottest trends
- The fabric’s big-name fans include models Emily Ratajkowski and Kate Moss, and Michelle Obama. One industry insider calls it a ‘superpower’ item
You would be forgiven for thinking that the taciturn cowboys on returning US drama Yellowstone and the world of Paris Fashion Week have little in common, but there is a link when it comes to fashion.
We are talking about denim – that most useful, hard-wearing and mundane of fabrics worn by everyone from cowboys to singers and mechanics to movie stars – which has become particularly interesting of late.
Glenn Martens, artistic director at Italian brand Diesel, is reimagining the fabric by splicing it with tulle and turning it into textural overcoats, teeny crops and more.
The denim is a nod to Roseberry’s Americanness – America being the spiritual home of jeans – and his dismantling of stuffy ideas about haute couture. It also reflects the pragmatism of the house’s founder, Elsa Schiaparelli.
At Bottega Veneta, the recently installed creative director, Matthieu Blazy, has made denim the most luxurious and coveted item of the year thanks to a pair of jeans and a white tank in his debut collection that were crafted from leather, and jeans and flannel worn by model Kate Moss for spring/summer 2023.
The fabric was popular with the street style set at this year’s fashion months, too – worn in all manner of ways, from Danish fashion influencer Pernille Teisbaek’s cargo trousers to that mid-00s staple the maxi skirt, and a whole load of double denim (tops and bottoms made from the fabric).
Does this not prove that the greatest appeal of denim lies in its very utility and capacity for innovation and reinvention?
That capacity for reinvention also means that denim trends will come and go, so do not throw out your skinny jeans yet even though everything is a little slouchier and experimental right now.
“[The] ’90s denim trends continue to prevail, especially baggier low-rise jeans. Brands such as Bottega Veneta delivered styles in lighter washes with a detailed texture that added dimension during Milan Fashion Week, approaching the trend with relaxed and easy-to-wear styles,” she says.
“We’re also seeing a return to the wide-leg baggy jean. Customers are looking for comfort and cool in denim right now. We love the lighter washes and ripped styles.”
Ditte Reffstrup, creative director at Ganni, agrees that denim is an eternal go-to.
She says the third collaboration between Ganni and Levi’s experimented with natural dyes, something new for both brands, and she lists her favourite pieces as the maxi patchwork dress and denim maxi skirt.
Reffstrup says denim is a “superpower” item.
“Denim is my favourite material; it’s so versatile and has a way of transcending trends and seasons like no other,” she says.
“I love classic denim pieces like jeans and pairing it with shirts, knits and chunky boots. There’s also some sort of superpower around denim, because I feel like it’s that material that makes you feel capable and confident in any situation.”
