Denim has come a long way over its lifetime.
Since the material was invented by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss in 1873, it’s gone from a heavy-duty fabric for work pants to a staple in the American wardrobe.
From those humble — and through the hits and misses of the past 50 years — denim became the most popular type of pants in the western world.
Today, the variety in fabric, cuts, and design has never been greater. In this article, we’ve analyzed hundreds of news stories, denim companies, and jeans themselves to understand what is popular, on the frontline, and passé in denim.
This article breaks those findings, showing you how to wear your jeans in 2019 and beyond.
2018’s Popular Denim
high waisted jeans
High Waisted Jeans
It’s no surprise after seeing these jeans on the Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner for the last year, but high-waisted jeans had their most popular year ever, having been search for more than any other year. Even more, related jeans — like distressed high waisted jeans and high waisted boyfriend jeans — also enjoyed their most popular year ever.
Denim Jackets
I’ve though a fab denim jacket looked great for years…and I guess the whole world if catching up. Searches for denim jacket have increased tenfold since 2010, with twice as many searches in 2018 as 2017. Interestingly, denim jackets were also one of the most searches for items on reseller platforms, including this light wash jacket on Depop with over 200,000 shares on Facebook.
Ripped Denim
Another thing to blame on rap music and Bella Hadid, as both played a role in the popularity of this style. Vogue Magazine hit in on the head when they asked “Are Trashy Chic Jeans” back. Searches for ripped jeans have doubled since 2015, so has interest in related terms like “distressed denim” and variants like distressed black jeans.
cropped jeans
Cropped Jeans
Interestingly cropped jeans double in their annual popularity each year during the summer months. Makes sense. Since 2017, however, searches for cropped jeans are up 30% across the board, showing how strong lines from AMO and other chic brands have matches (or created) interest among shoppers
Bell Bottoms
This shocked me tbh, but bell bottoms had their most popular search month ever — ever! — in October of 2018 and searches have been increasingly steadily since 2013. Culottes had a similar jump in 2015 but has since steadily lost popularity. Maybe this outfit from Harry Styles explains everything?
White Denim
June 2018 marked the biggest search month for white denim ever. Shoppers have a very seasonal interest in white denim, as you might expect. Coverage from Vogue and Cara Delevingne likely boosted interest, but white jeans have been more and more popular since 2015.
Japanese denim
While terms like raw denim and selvedge denim were on the downswing, Japanese denim had its best year ever in 2018. In the world of denimheads, Japanese denim has taken over as the fabric gold standard, including patrons like Elon Musk and articles from Hypebeast and Gear Patrol.
cropped jeans
Light Wash
Light wash jeans had their best year in 2018 — so did light wash skinny, light wash denim jacket, and light wash shorts. This is without much fanfare or boosted from celebrity or big publications, making it the only trend mentioned here that didn’t have a feature in a major publication. In other words, this trend was organic.
Fashion Nova Jeans
Fast fashion done super fast and super cheap had its moment in 2018. Fashion Nova burst onto the scene with more searches than any other year — though I believe they’ve only been around for a few years. In any case, celebrity endorsements from Cardi B, Kylie Jenner,and Iggy Azalea along with tons of fashion hauls must’ve had an impact along with fashion hauls from from all your favorite Youtubers.
Madewell Jeans
I’m not sure of the origin of Madewell — since they are part of J Crew — and have had search relevancy for years. In the last 3 months of 2018, searches for Madewell doubled, making 2018 their best year by a solid margin. The combo of quality and an attractive price point likely made them a good choice during the holiday season as there were no significant press or celebrity endorsements during this time.
2018’s Unpopular
What’s not in 2018
Skinny Jeans
As my co-editor has been saying for years, skinny jeans are dead…sort of. Though search volumes reached their peak in 2009 there is still about half that volume of interest in 2018, making them still one of the most searched for cuts, though not as popular as back in the day.
Jeggings
No surprises here…leggings peaks for a brief moment in 2010 and have been declining ever since, seeing their worst year ever in 2018.
Raw Denim
Since 2013, searches for raw denim have declined steadily, with 2018 seeing the lowest search volume ever. Interest in artisan denim has, however, increased. I guess that as shopped become more sophisticated general terms like raw denim lose popularity as more specific terms — like Japanese Denim — become more popular.
Wide Leg Jeans
Interestingly 2007 was the best search year for wide leg jeans. With the sad departure on JNCO —among other setbacks — wide leg jeans bottomed out in 2015. Today, searches are on the rebound, though still significantly less than in the mid 2000s.
Tapered Jeans
We’ve seen an uptick in interest in tapered jeans, especially from premium denim brands that we keep an eye on though there has been no increase in search volumes. In fact, tapered jeans had their best year all the way back in 2004. We will see what 2019 has in store.
Premium Denim
The best for last – searches for premium denim had their worst year ever in 2018. This seems crazy in light of the number of premium denim brands out there, but it’s the fact. One reason could be the inquiries for premium denim features — stretch denim, Japanese denim — and premium denim brands — Paige Denim, DL1961 — increase while searches for the generally “premium denim” term decrease. This shows how shoppers have come a long way in knowing more about the industry. Nearly 20 years in this feels like it could be the case.