Meme to Bestsellers: How Barrel Jeans Became Denim’s Biggest Trend
Innovating denim fashion is challenging. While the ways to produce more sustainable and durable jeans are increasing, the roster of jean fits has remained relatively the same for decades. Slim, straight, skinny, bootcut, flare, boyfriend and wide leg have all earned their place on the menu and have faced little to no competition from new fits.
In rare moments, however, a brand can strike blue gold with a new silhouette.
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That has been the journey Citizens of Humanity and its horseshoe jean, though the barrel jean wasn’t a clear winner out of the gate.
Citizens of Humanity launched the women’s Horseshoe jean in Fall 2021, just as consumers were easing back into wearing jeans and pivoting away from their pre-pandemic skinny fits. Though consumers were warming up to straight and relaxed fits, the oversized Horseshoe—distinguished by its curved wide legs that fall to a slightly tapered and cropped hem—proved to be too directional for most.
Marianne McDonald, Citizens of Humanity, creative director, recalled consumers’ initial response to the oversized fit. “Opinions were quite divisive, and people had strong reactions all over social media,” she said. Online, the jeans drew criticism for their bow-legged silhouette and drummed up comparisons to Yosemite Sam from the Looney Tunes.
That mindset changed, however, as consumers grew comfortable in relaxed silhouettes. With skinny jeans dethroned as the top-selling women’s fit in 2022, brands and retailers expanded their denim assortments to include straight, flare, wide-leg and more. Loose and baggy fits looked fresh and new to consumers after a decade of skinny.
“Over the next year, as silhouettes eased and denim trends became baggier, the Horseshoe moved from a directional style for a small fashion set to one of the brand’s cult styles and by Fall 2023, it was a best-seller, tripling in sales from the year before,” McDonald said.
Citizens of Humanity offers the Horseshoe in four new washes for Spring 2024. The jean has also become a blueprint for new styles. The Miro is a tapered take on the barrel leg silhouette with a slightly relaxed top block. For fall, the brand introduced the Vintage Welt Horseshoe, a version with front welt pockets.
“You will see the barrel leg woven throughout future collections playing on the idea of outsized proportion and relaxed effortlessness which has always been part of our brand DNA,” McDonald said.
Rise of the barrel
Other denim brands watched and learned, adding barrel jeans to their collections this year.
Denim mainstays like Gap, Levi’s and Madewell have launched barrel styles. Earlier this month, Madewell introduced the Darted Barrel-Leg jean in off-white and described the style as its “newest wide-leg jean is both flattering and wearable, ideal for those seeking a classic fit that won’t go out of style.”
Premium labels are putting their own twists on the shape. DL1961 offers the style in full and cropped lengths. Frame recently introduced a low-slung style, in addition to the Bubble—a jean with a curved outseam for a bubble effect. Paige gives the barrel a workwear makeover with cargo pockets and front panels.
The voluminous jean also fits into brands with a bohemian aesthetic, revealing how a 2010s boho revival may look different in 2024. Free People offers a barrel jean as a mid-rise style in 18 washes as well as coated, pull-on and printed versions. Likewise, Driftwood Jeans applies its signature decorates like cutouts and embroideries to its barrel fits.
Consumers are responding. Ample press attention plus a cadence of emailing marketing from brands promoting their barrel jeans have elevated the style’s profile. In March, Trendalytics said average weekly searches for barrel leg jeans were up 328 percent compared to the prior year. The jean has also benefited from cool-mom celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Serena Williams, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez and Blake Lively adding it to their denim rotation.
Dynamite’s influencer partners are gravitating toward the fit. “The barrel jean silhouette is capturing consumer interest because it combines a trendy, modern look with a versatile and flattering fit,” said Andrew Staunton, Dynamite’s design director consultant. “Unlike more exaggerated styles on the market, our barrel jeans are designed to complement curvier figures and accommodate wider hips and thighs while achieving a sleek, tapered look reminiscent of the beloved mom jeans”
“Recognizing its steady rise in popularity among aspirational brands,” he said Dynamite introduced the Blair Barrel, a high-waisted rigid jean with a baggy fit and an ultra-tapered leg, in April. The style saw “significant interest” from consumers and a surge in sales following a marketing campaign touting the new fit. The Blair is available in medium/dark and medium/light—the latter being a consistent bestseller.
“We excel in recognizing and acting on trends as soon as they emerge showcasing our commitment to delivering what our customers want as soon as they want it. Dynamite is not just addressing the barrel leg silhouette as a passing trend but positioning it as an essential to our customers’ wardrobes,” Staunton said.
Mathilde Mader, Everlane’s chief creative officer, said there are measurable and immeasurable factors driving interest in barrel jeans. The sustainable brand’s barrel assortment includes the Way-High Curve jean, the Utility Barrel and the Summer Barrel, a version made with non-stretch 10 oz organic denim that’s loosely woven with less yarn per inch, so it has an airy softness.
“We definitely get inspired by street style outfits we see on social media, as well as our teams in the office and how they dress,” she said. “I think wide-leg jean styles have been around and on-trend for a while now, so most people have tried them, so it just felt like the right time to look at what was next and take it one step further with the barrel style.”
Around a year ago, Everlane began to see strong sales in wider leg and barrel styles. The brand’s Gardener jean, a cropped wide-leg style, was gaining momentum and the Utility Barrel, a best-selling bottom, was re-fabricated in denim.
“We knew there was an appetite for more statement styles in denim, so we developed our Way-High Curve jean. This style featured the same top block as our best-selling Way-High jean, but with a curved barrel leg shape that we had never offered before,” Mader said. “We are not a fast fashion brand, so our style was in development and production for nine months before launch. It just so happened that when we did launch in January 2024 it hit right as the interest in barrel jeans was increasing.”
The Way-High Curve jean, a high-waisted silhouette with a statement curve leg that hits at the ankle, was an instant success. “As soon as we launched the Way-High Curve jean in January 2024, it started selling through immediately and surpassed all expectations,” Mader said. “We couldn’t keep it in stock. We had a hunch that our customer would want to try it based on the enduring popularity of our Utility Barrel pants, but it was still something much more pushed than we usually offer.”
What’s next?
With barrel and similarly exaggerated volumes trending across denim and bottoms, Dynamite will continue to explore new roomy fits. The brand will introduce the June Barrel, a jean with a longer inseam and true waist that pairs well with heels for an elevated look.
“We are confident that the barrel leg trend will continue to thrive this fall,” Staunton said. “These jeans are designed to enhance curves for those with a slender frame and flatter curvier figures with their loose cut and narrow waist, ensuring the barrel leg is universally flattering.
Everlane introduced cream and cocoa colorways of our Way-High Curve jean for spring/summer and plans to add colorways for fall. The brand is also building its Utility Barrel pant assortment by applying its flattering fit to different leg shapes.
“We know that there is opportunity to continue offering an assortment of leg shapes in our pants and denim, with barrel and curve fits being one part of that,” Mader said.
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