Year in Review: 10 Most Read Denim Articles of 2023

The most read articles of 2023 reveal the many layers of the denim industry.

The articles underscore the power of high-low fashion collaborations, Gen Z’s unwavering interest in nostalgia and how country music continues to influence denim fashion. They also brought to light the highs and lows of the denim supply chain, from denim suppliers being pressured to lower prices to the innovation leaders scaling textile recycling. Readers also wanted to learn more about newcomers and under-the-radar brands. How will these topics evolve in 2024?

Here’s a closer look at what readers were consuming the most in 2023.

Style moments at the Academy of Country Music Awards

The biggest names in country music celebrated in jeans at the 58th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in May. From Dolly Parton’s turquoise-embellished jeans to the various versions of Canadian tuxedos worn on and off the red carpet, check out the event’s best denim moments here .

How this made-in-Americas brand beat Levi’s and Wrangler

A pair of $124 men’s Factory Jeans by Maine-based brand Origin USA beat out 11 other brands and models as the best pair tested by Project Farm LLC, a YouTube channel devoted to testing products ranging from everything from motor oil and blenders to utility knives and drywall anchors. Click here to find out what made the pair of Origin USA jeans stand out from the competition.

7 aesthetics to know for 2023

Fashion cores—or “aesthetics” as Gen Z calls the all-encompassing, highly stylized themes—continued to influence youth culture. The aesthetics seen in 2023 were notably less kitsch and TikTok-driven compared to previous years, however. As cottagecore and coastal grandma died down, the cohort embraced more classic styles, tech-y takes on utility and combined references from the ’60s, ’70s and ’90 to create a retro hodgepodge. Click here to read more. ??

Telfar’s shopping bag gets a denim makeover

Brooklyn-based unisex label Telfar tugged at the hearts (and wallets) of denim heads when it dropped a collection of denim bags and accessories in December. The brand’s signature shopping bag (a.k.a. the Bushwick Birkin) got a refresh in washed indigo and washed black denim as well as logo baseball caps and belts. The Telfar drop followed a denim-centric collaboration with Ugg. Click here to find out what the fuss was about.

Wrangler signs a multiyear deal with country music star Lainey Wilson

In May, Kontoor Brands-owned Wrangler announced a multiyear partnership with Lainey Wilson, the 2022 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. In addition to being the face of Wrangler’s Fall/Winter 2023 women’s collection, Wilson will launch a collaboration with the heritage brand next fall. Click here to read more about the deal and how it magnifies Wrangler’s country music roots.

Levi’s said to seek discounts from ‘doormat’ denim suppliers

A supplier claimed that at an October 2022 event in San Francisco, Levi’s herded him and other strategic partners into conference rooms at the hotel where they were staying. There they were trapped, as he characterized the situation, until they agreed to slash the price of new orders by 20 to 25 percent. Similar demands were given by Gap and Wrangler, he said. The claims revealed how the supplier/brand dynamic has changed. Manufacturers fought back during Covid-19 because the en-masse cancellations left them on the precipice of dissolution. Now, it appears that they are being pushed back to the edge, but they fear that coming forward will only hasten their demise. Click here to read the full story.

Grunge fashion readies a comeback

The musical genre that made flannel shirts, grandpa cardigans, dirty and destroyed denim, baby doll dresses and skate-inspired footwear the uniform of ’90s teenage angst is back in the zeitgeist.?Click here to out how Gen Z put their own spin on grunge fashion.

This new brand attacks a problem 75% of women experience

Launched in August, Ginger + Dandelion offers the “first-ever bloat-friendly” jeans for the 75 percent of women who experience the disruptive digestive issue for reasons ranging from hormones and long-haul flights to post-surgery and post-pregnancy recovery. Click here to find out the hidden technology developed by founder Nicole Berger.

Vintage Levi’s jeans get the haute couture treatment

The vintage Levi’s 501 XX Big E jeans served as the canvas for gilded embroidery in Valentino Haute Couture’s collection in July. Known as the “Big E” for bearing a red tab with a capitalized “E,” the tab denotes jeans produced before 1971. It also means the rare, collector-worthy jeans were manufactured in the United States before Levi’s moved production overseas in 2002. Click here to read more about the prized jean.

Investments and strategic partnerships are behind mechanically recycled fiber manufacturer Cyclo’s growth

Since it threw open its doors, Simco’s Cyclo division has recycled 72 million pounds of textiles that were destined for the landfill or incinerators. Click here to find out why Mustafain Munir, director of Cyclo, is confident that the industry is preparing to take an even bigger leap forward toward circularity.