Denim Brands Navigate the Western Trend
Global Google searches for “cowboy hat” skyrocketed 212.5 percent following Beyoncé’s Super Bowl commercial, after which she dropped new country music. Online retailer Boohoo reported that searches for “cowboy boots” and “bolo tie” also soared by 163 percent and 566 percent, respectively.
The latest fashion weeks indicate that ready-to-wear and denim are next in line to benefit from Western’s revival. From Elie Saab showing traditional Western embroidery on dark denim separates to Molly Goddard’s kitschy country knits, Fall/Winter 2024-2025 collections are dense with cowboy motifs.
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While recent examples like Pharrell Williams envisioning French-born Louis Vuitton through an Americana lens and Beyoncé adhering to a strict western dress code since announcing her country album “Cowboy Carter” have amplified the Western aesthetic and secured its grip on trendsetters for at least another season, Western fashion has been bubbling up as far back as the early 2000s through celebrities, according to Heajun Park, 7 For All Mankind’s global head of design, womenswear.
However, the recent surge of Western in films and media—from Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling dressed in rodeo costumes in “Barbie” to fashion editorials featuring bonafide horse girl Bella Hadid—has widen the audience consuming Western content, shesaid.
It’s hard to miss, given the bold way designers and stylists interpret the theme. “The revival of western-inspired fashion within pop culture is strongly represented with vibrant and theatrical interpretations of the utilitarian pieces worn by the early nineteenth-century American cowboys of our past,” said Isha Nicole, Boot Barn’s creative director and VP of marketing.
Retail intelligence firm EDITED breaks the Western movement into six sub-categories: Mr. Americana, inspired by Williams’ denim, cowboy hats, neckties, workwear; Mr. Rodeo Drive, inspired by Bad Bunny’s studded denim and animal prints; Rodeo Drive, based on Beyoncé’s leather looks and luxury labels; Festival Cowgirl, inspired by the festival coordinates and cowboy hats worn recently by Kim Kardashian; Ranch Girl, based on Hadid’s check shirts and western belts; and Coquette Cowgirl, an aesthetic perpetuated by Lana Del Ray’s fondness for prairies skirts, bows and gingham.
Grounding Qualities
Park also credits Western’s timeless and versatile appeal to its recent popularity. “It can be rugged and sophisticated at the same time, and the fusion of traditional western motifs with contemporary designs are always great source of inspiration for designers, offering something both classic and modern,” she said. “It also speaks to consumers that are looking for unique ways to express themselves by giving them fashion forward items that still feel familiar and classic.”
In some ways, the Western aesthetic offers a sartorial detox from the deluge fashion cores and fads born on TikTok and Instagram.
“The American cowboy is emblematic of a rebellious spirit and a pioneering mentality; culturally, the cowboy’s iconic persona [celebrates] our heritage while symbolizing nonconformity,” Nicole said. “In a confusing era among the early adoption of AI and technological overstimulation, there is a shared appreciation for a more organic, humble and authentic existence.”
The number of horses in recent campaigns, from Stella McCartney to House of Sunny to 7 For All Mankind, underscores this mindset change.
For Wrangler, which has recently shared its cowboy roots with Staud and Sandro in collaborations, it goes deeper. “Western is not a trend. Western is really a way just like activewear, ready-to-wear and outdoor. It’s a choice and I think it’s all about how it makes consumers feel,” said Vivian Rivetti, Wrangler global VP design, at SXSW. “If you think about the presence of a cowboy or cowgirl, there’s a sense of pride. There’s a sense of competence. The way they stand, the way they tip their hat…it is about exuding confidence. And I don’t think there’s anything more attractive than someone who is confident.”
Mainstream Mania
While Western themes has waxed and waned in fashion for decades, often repackaged as Americana, heritage or bohemian, it hasn’t been this widely embraced by mainstream fashion. In fact, prior to the last decade, Nicole said fashion within the Western space “was a bit taboo.”
“Before that time at Boot Barn, we exclusively focused on utilitarian pieces designed to meet the needs of the working cowboy. But over recent years, another viewpoint emerged within the Western community—toying with western fashion as a theatrical celebration of cowboy culture started to develop,” she said.
At this time, Boot Barn launched its exclusive women’s fashion brand, Wonderwest, to “bring pieces that ignite new runway trends by modernizing classic western motifs—pieces woven with threads of resilience—into contemporary fashion,” she said.
Wonderwest’s offering spans cropped leather jackets and vests, fringe suede shorts and studded denim jackets and jeans to beaded slip dresses and bridal dresses. Wonderwest enables Boot Brand to stand out among other national retailers, Nicole said, by curating timely collections and driving marketing strategies tailored specifically to this fashion customer, which draws more people into the brand.
The fashion pieces show a new side of the retailer, but Boot Barn isn’t losing touch with its roots. “While we carry a house of brands that caters to many different customers—from fashion to function—we lean more toward the staple pieces suitable for and characteristic of the rugged Western lifestyle,” Nicole said.
However, the retailer sees consumers buying a mix of classic Western pieces and novelty items like interesting cuts and embellishments. Nicole added that traditional stitch patterns seen on cowboy boots are on the rise currently. “There are a lot of brands within the Western space doing exciting things, from traditional to nuanced, including Cody James, Wrangler, Idyllwind Fueled by Miranda Lambert, and Shyanne,” she said.
Hudson is reimagining bootcut styles and texture stories that pay homage to the Western era, said Brandon Williams, Hudson’s creative architect.
In addition to easy denim dresses that style well with cowboy boots, William said the brand is introducing an update to its Signature Flap Pocket style in a modern way for Fall 2024. “Our flap pocket style has been a favorite in the Western genre, and we are giving it a fresh take,” he said. For men, the brand is leaning into more denim-on-denim styling with coordinates that show of its premium washes.
7 For All Mankind already offer timeless and heritage fits that align seamlessly with the western trend, Park said, naming the brand’s boot cuts and Dojo flare as prime examples. “We also recognized the opportunities in western influences as fashion details and have incorporated into our collection. Our designs in Spring ’24 feature subtle western-inspired details, such as shaped yokes, contrast stitching and row studding,” she said.
Looking ahead, Park said Western’s presence on the runway proves that “the style is here to stay” but will evolve in contemporary and modern way.
“As a denim brand it is undeniable that our roots lie within the trend since it was the first cowboy that made jeans so popular. At 7 For All Mankind, it is inevitable that we will always carry a bit of that identity since it is rooted so deeply in our spirit as a denim brand,” Park said.
Nicole doesn’t foresee consumers veering off from the cowboy hats and boots that have fueled the Western trend to where it is today. Rather, they’re getting stronger. “The American cowboy is so deeply engrained within our national culture that it’s unlikely there will be much diversion from the cowboy’s iconic style within the fashion space. Instead, we anticipate the evolution of the iconic style deepening more as we dive into 2024,” Nicole said.
With the West imbued into its DNA, Boot Barn plans to stay the course and ride out the country tidal wave and continue to serve its core Western consumer.
“Rather than changing our business model based on what’s popular now, we remain firmly grounded in our mission and vision. However, we do stay focused on fashion trends to keep the brand modern, fresh, innovative, and at the forefront of the industry,” Nicole said.
This article appears in Rivet’s Spring Issue. Click here to read more.
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