Jean Brands See New Opportunities as Men Try Different Fits
Men’s denim is on the upswing, according to industry insiders. While a post-pandemic return to work could have signaled a downturn for jeans, male shoppers are still clinging to casual looks—but seeking more versatility and polish than the athleisure styles they came to favor throughout recent seasons.
Jeans continue to represent a men’s wardrobe staple, experts say—but they won’t settle for basic. While male consumers are historically less driven by of-the-moment trends, they crave new, technical fabrications that promise performance, as well as ultra-functional styling.
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“In the U.S. we see a growing demand for denim innovation in terms of design details, fabrics and finishes, but also in fits,” according to Willeke Hendriks, chief product officer G-Star Raw.
“Skinny and slim fits have been leading in the U.S., but we see more and more appetite for looser fits and bootcuts, first mostly reflected in our early adopter audience, but now we see the share of these fits increasing in our overall sales.”
“When it comes to men’s denim, the biggest opportunity for us is comfort and scaling new fabric franchises in order to achieve this,” said Kyle Sweeney, senior vice president of men’s design and merchandising at Rag & Bone.
“Our fabrications range from the Aero stretch, which is our lightest weight, stretchiest fabrication to the Authentic stretch, which is still a comfort stretch but more of a mid-weight,” he explained. “Rigid and selvedge jeans remain a small portion of the business but are growing in popularity due to the authentic nature and origin of denim—rigid workwear.”
Currently, the New York City-based label’s slim-fitting Fit 2 style is its best-selling for men “because of its versatility,” and the brand is building upon that success to offer something new to its male audience.
“Being that we are a quiet luxury, aspirational brand, our customer is looking for a style they can dress up or down which is exactly what you can achieve with Fit 2,” Sweeney added. Most often purchased in classic, traditional indigo hues and dark-washed grays and blacks, the group’s Minna wash—a proprietary dark indigo overdyed wash effect—is among the most popular.
But like women’s denim, fits are becoming baggier. “Additionally, we’re seeing looser-fitting silhouettes trending,” he said, from Fit 3, Rag & Bone’s most athletic fit to Fit 4, its straight leg. These options “are becoming more relevant as of recent,” Sweeney said. Meanwhile, Fall 2024 will see the debut of the Stride men’s style, which “merges the world of comfort and denim using loopback construction similar to your favorite sweat pant.”
Giving consumers a range of options—from silhouettes to fabric weights and stretch content—has been a winning recipe for the brand. “We continue to see denim growth in double digits year over year for the past several years,” Sweeney said, noting that Rag & Bone “still only see[s] continuous improvement in our denim sales.”
Building a denim wardrobe
Coresight research analyst Sunny Zheng said athleisure has been an “important driver that has changed the fabrics and the styles of denim because consumers want comfort and they want jeans that can be worn on different occasions including work.”
Innovation is key—rather than sticking with the traditional denim recipe of 98 percent cotton and 2 percent elastane, “Denim brands are launching more stretchy, lighter, moisture-wicking fabrics” that prioritize easy wear.
“There’s a big movement from slim and straight, or more traditional styles, to more modernized styles with comfort and elasticity,” Zheng added. “We are definitely in a denim cycle of baggier, looser styles since the since the pandemic, and we’re still in the casualization trend,” she added. Relaxed bootcut silhouettes are especially en vogue, and while slim styles “aren’t fading away—they are losing some momentum.”
According to Coresight’s research, macroeconomic trends are also impacting shoppers’ appetites.
“We’re seeing the outperformance of the value segment, especially this year, and in the second portion of last year,” Zheng said. “Because of high inflation, consumers are cutting spend on discretionary items including apparel, footwear and jeans,” and consequently, “Companies are reporting they’re seeing lower tier jeans are selling better than luxury jeans.”
Within the mass market, the most popular selling price for jeans “sits comfortably in the $40 to $60 range, followed by $80 to $100,” according to EDITED retail analyst Krista Corrigan. Growth in the $100-plus range was also noted, up 4 percent from the same period last year.
“Traditionally affordable brands are experimenting and having success with more premium prices,” Corrigan said, pointing to a $149 pair of jeans in H&M’s collaboration with Rokh, which sold out a majority of SKUs in just one week. Fast fashion titan Zara is also selling jeans under the luxury label Massimo Dutti, upping the average sale price for a pair of denim.
“Looking at the average price of jean assortments, it’s clear that brands see promise in the category and are raising prices,” Corrigan asserted. H&M’s denim prices grew 4 percent over last year, and 13 percent over two years. Zara saw similar pricing trends, with denim up 7 percent year over year and 12 percent from two years ago.
The proof of denim’s staying power is in the sell-through data. “More jeans are selling out at mass retailers in the past three months compared to last year as the category continues to flourish,” Corrigan said. Products that pair well with denim are also on the rise, from graphic T-shirts to linen button-downs.
The trend toward baggier fits is also growing across generational cohorts, with wide-leg men’s styles taking over Gen Z favorites like Pull&Bear, Asos and Zara. “Loose fits are outselling slim fits almost 2 to 1 and skinny jeans nearly 6 to 1 as the customer gravitates toward baggy fits,” the EDITED analyst said.
Western styling, too, is gaining ground in the men’s denim market, from denim button-downs to snap-front shirts. “Boxy denim worker jackets are also bubbling up, fueled by demand for the streetwear aesthetic,” she added. “Jean shorts will also be a major category this summer, a silhouette retailers shouldn’t omit from their ranges this year,” Corrigan said.
“This season, we’re seeing extremely oversized and much baggier fits selling well,” she added, like skate-inspired styles that have sold out at Pull&Bear, Urban Outfitters and PacSun. The popularity of ’90s fashion endures, with nostalgic grunge aesthetics influencing men’s purchases, manifesting in “acid washes and ‘dirty denim’ looks,” along with “grubbier dark washes to nostalgic light-wash denim.”
When it comes to hues, “Blue still dominates the color wheel across jeans at 45 percent of sell outs over the past three months, but black and grey are rising in the ranks at 27 percent of the total,” she added.
Defying trends
“I am also seeing a solid revitalization of 90’s style and denim, in particular, is making a huge comeback,” said Jake Danehy, Fair Harbor co-founder and CEO.
While post-pandemic male shoppers seemed to gravitate to synthetic styles like Lululemon’s ABC Pants “to stay comfortable but remain put together for work,” the chief executive said jeans are again on the rise. “I honestly see denim as being in demand and trending up.”
Looking ahead, the chief executive said the New York-based lifestyle brand sees “significant opportunities in the men’s denim market.”
While Fair Harbor trades mostly in casual staples that straddle the line between athleisure and fashion, “With the rise in the denim trend, we wanted to offer an authentic aesthetic with modern comfort that our customers have grown accustomed to,” Danehy said. “Our growing denim success has shed light on what men seek—cool, comfortable pants.”
Danehy believes in “denim that defies trends”—meaning that the brand is keeping its assortment tight with three washes that designers believe will stand the test of time: Beach, a medium indigo, Deep Sea, a dark indigo and the palest Light Wash.
“The Beach Wash is our consistent best seller, but we’re excited to see how our new Light Wash will do in warmer weather,” Danehy said, noting that the brand’s modern, straight fit with classic five-pocket styling has proven versatile enough for work or weekend wear. Each jean features “classic stitching, heritage details, and traditional hardware.”
When it comes to fabrications, the brand’s Ultra-Stretch Driftwood denim has hit the spot with comfort-driven shoppers. The “incredibly soft” fabrication “looks like authentic heritage denim, but feels more like sweatpants,” Danehy said. A blend of 69 percent organic cotton, 29 percent recycled polyester, 3 percent rayon and 2 percent spandex is Fair Harbor’s secret sauce, balancing “stretch, softness, sustainability and durability.”
According to Danehy, denim is a category with the potential for extensive growth. The brand is planning to launch a new wash in the fall, along with a denim shirt, “to address our customers’ evolving needs” and heighten interest. “We’d like to maintain a year-round denim business, ensuring we stay in stock and meet the demand consistently,” he said.
This article was published in Rivet magazine. Click here to read more.
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