Pre pandemic, a side effect from streetwear’s glow-up on the runway and a design strategy to incorporate deadstock or upcycled materials, “Frankenstein denim” was all the rage before consumers shifted to safer purchases.
Spliced jeans gave way to straight fits and classic washes as consumers focused on building evergreen wardrobes. Patchwork and shredded denim were even further into the backs of closets when quiet luxury entered the fray.
Fall/Winter 2024-2025 collections signal a return to the unique and unexpected, however.
Amongst a sea of drapey jeans and slouchy rises that continue to trend upward, designers showed hybrid jackets, exaggerated proportions, and experimented with washes to add depth to their denim.
Act N°1 showed some of the boldest looks. Corset tops—with tops that mimicked the look of jeans’ waistbands—were shredded and worn over denim shirts. Others were undone revealing layers of basic tees. The tops were styled with jeans with double cuffs and barrel-shaped legs.
Balenciaga transformed a pair of upside-down jeans into a top. Kolor pieced combined the back of a denim jacket with a silk dress.
Designers also leaned into elongated proportions. Mihara Yasuhiro presented a washed denim anorak with extra-long sleeves and an oversize lapel and belt. Styled with a hoodie and matching cargo jeans, the jacket’s curved sleeves gave it a cocooning effect. Known for exaggerated proportions, Loewe designer Jonathan Anderson introduced the extra-long pussy bow blouse to men’s wear this season, including one version made with vintage wash denim.
Other designers went wide. Juunj showed a cropped jean jacket with shoulders that rival a football player’s uniform. The denim’s faded wash emphasized the jacket’s strong and imposing frame.
Bolder fades and shadowing were present in collections. Andersson Bell played with high and low contrasts and whiskering to add interest to jeans, denim jackets and kilts. Diesel contrasted yellow tints tints with purer shades of indigo on jeans and long coats. Light and dark fades split Rokh’s cropped jeans in half. Ambush washed and then removed patches from jeans and skirts to reveal darker spots.
Others kept it simple like Alice & Olivia, which punctuated bleached-out jeans with a black leather tuxedo stripe. Stella McCartney pieced denim and herringbone together on a front-slit midi skirt and matching zip-up jacket. Dhruv Kapoor updated the basic hoodie with panels of denim with an orange peel texture.
Meanwhile, Andersson Bell’s wool plaid jacket merged into a classic jean jacket on the bottom half.