10 denim trends
The last 10 years has seen an explosion of denim trends, with numerous new brands, cutting edge wash techniques, quirky details and all manner of silhouettes and shapes. This is the list of the top 10 trends that have changed denim in the past decade.
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Denim aficionados
Hard though it is to believe, towards the end of the 20th century, denim sales were down and cargo pant sales had rocketed. The G-Star Raw Denim Elwood, born in 1996, represented a new love of denim that explored industrial styling and workwear details; while imports from Japan, such as Evisu, became coveted items and by the time the 21st century was in full swing the era of the "denim specialist" and collector had been born. Think: The Duffer of St George, Evisu, the "heritage three" (Lee, Levi's and Wrangler) and Carhartt.
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Vintage
Vintage washes, now considered an art form, have grown to become a huge business focus for laundries. However, in its infancy, vintage washes at laundries meant that to have whiskering on your jeans cost twice as much as the traditional sandblasting and required a huge investment from laundries in terms of machinery. This "science" of new washes and new machinery just keeps on growing. Aged looks continue to be an integral part of every denim range now, often featuring more than one wash.
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http://www.wgsn.com/members/trends-info/fast-track/features/ti2007oct18_082217Engineered
Levi's Red, launched in 1999, emerged as a denim garment that defied all the traditional associations with denim as a five pocket western jean. This conceptual range, quickly adopted by denim aficionados for the fit and fabrication, (denim and hemp blend) went on to inspire the Levi's Engineered range in the spring of 2000. Levi's Red engineered shapes are celebrating a revival for spring/summer 2009 and have provided inspiration for denim and sportswear brands for the past ten years.
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http://www.wgsn.com/members/trends-info/fast-track/features/ti2006dec22_018954Acid wash
Acid wash and bleached looks have reincarnated themselves through the ages, from skinheads looks to punk, to 80's snow washes. As an "ironic" reaction to the recent refined, high-end, clean designer denim looks, the market is slowly returning to open-end, cheaper-quality denim constructions with more imperfections and surface texture.
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http://www.wgsn.com/members/trends-info/fast-track/features/ti2005jan06_015336Return to volume
The carrot fit created a new silhouette - extreme volume through the seat, an elongated front rise and tapered hemline. It also influenced the return to lighter, fluid denim weights for jeans. This slow filter into the mainstream market has explored carrot fits, harem pants, dhoti pants and more recently jodhpurs and chinos.
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http://www.wgsn.com/members/youth-market/features/ym2004aug10_010388aSlim proportions
The slim-fit emerged as a continuation of customisation. The embodiment of the 70s New York rock aesthetic, the early slim-fit victims at that time were literally sewn-into their jeans. It's a look that didn't come back quickly, but by the early 2000s the early signs of a slim-fit revival had begun to emerge. Model Kate Moss has been credited with reintroducing skinny jeans for women. It's now a look which we've seen all over the world: a mainstream classic.
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http://www.wgsn.com/members/trends-info/fast-track/features/ti2007oct26_082308Destroyed and threadbare denim
Who can part with their old favourites, even when they become threadbare and torn? Hole damage has featured frequently as the uniform of rock bands (often accompanied by a bandanna), adolescents and celebrities. Remember Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA or Britney Spears with a strategic split below her back pocket? Punk "mass destruction" also continues to influence fashion, and grunge, glam rock and gothic undertones all feature in catwalk denim collections today.
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http://www.wgsn.com/members/trends-info/fast-track/features/ti2005oct11_014534Re-emergence of the hourglass silhouette
Silhouettes are polarising back to extremes of feminine and masculine right now. For women's denim fits, this means the return of the waistline and hourglass curves. Despite the anxiety over a shift in proportions and the loss of the hipster, which gave woman a flattering elongated torso, the pin-up silhouette is here to stay. The knock-on effect has been the reappearance of shrunken jackets and shorter top blocks.
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Customisation
Customisation was the practical girl's answer to the vintage revival, combining thrift store looks with a pre-loved sensibility, reworking 1970's craft and embellishment references for an urban, mainstream marketplace. This classic "converted" jean-skirt has been reworked in both fashion and basic denim lines for the past decade and shows no sign of diminishing.
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Hipster
The jean to epitomise this risqué trend was the McQueen "bumster" in 1992 -"presenting a new view of cleavage" commented the BBC News. The "how low can you go?" hipster inspired Lee Australia to try to sell their 16.5cm front rise jeans with a bikini-line razor attached! With a renewed focus on the midriff, extreme low front rises epitomised a South American spirit of carnival. The low-rise block has influenced womenswear and menswear silhouettes and denim blocks throughout the past decade. For example: 70's hipster flares, love-worn vintage looks and more recently ethnic skinny fits
