Buyers got their first look at what's next in Denim at Project Las Vegas last week, where established brands and industry newcomers alike showcased their Fall/Winter 2023-2024 collections.
Here, Rivet breaks down the men's and women's collections, revealing a season filled with utility trends, wide fits and vegan leather alternatives.
Men's denim
Solid autumnal colors and versatile pieces that can be dressed up or down anchored Jack & Jones' F/W 23-24 collection. The Bestseller-owned brand presented relaxed tailoring and knits in tonal shades of green, along with an assortment of '90s staples like wool/polyester blend varsity jackets, plum carpenter chinos and black cargo pants.
Plush sweatshirts and sweatpants in green, cream and brown—worn head-to-toe, color blocked or mixed with sportswear pieces—offered elevated solutions for loungewear.
Washed black and gray jeans, as well as classic denim shirting complemented Jack & Jones' line of core denim styles that are always in stock.
Flag & Anthem leaned into its all-American roots with vintage graphic tees, flannel shackets and quilted half-zip tops. The tops were merchandised with the brand's straight, slim, athletic, relaxed and bootcut jeans with natural wear washes.
PRPS presented distressed denim shorts and jeans with crinkled finishes alongside its collaboration with Soul Newspaper, the 1960s publication dedicated to soul music and artists. Items in the collection include jeans printed with lyrics from Marvin Gaye's protest anthem "What's Going On."
Mixed media constructions and trompe-l'oeil denim were among the surprises in Alpha Style's collection. The brand upcycles leftover fabrics from its previous designs into new collections, meaning styles from different seasons mix and match. A Trucker jacket was pieced with camouflage-printed cotton and nylon patch pockets, while nylon inserts widened jeans legs and baseball jerseys were trimmed with denim.
Mavi introduced Pro Dark Tech, a rinse wash jean made with recycled polyester that doesn't fade, and an organic cotton selvedge jacket and jean. The new items were presented alongside clay-dyed jeans and shackets carried over from previous seasons. Mavi also highlighted corduroy pants and check dress pants, underscoring the growing popularity of non-denim bottoms.
New for F/W 23-24 from Liverpool Los Angeles is a men's 11.5 oz. selvedge jean with 1 percent comfort stretch and selvedge ID at the cuff and pocket, and a range of super soft micro corduroy is available as a 5-pocket pant and drawstring trouser.
Known for outfitting, the denim-turned-lifestyle brand showed an expanded range of knit jeans, colored denim, chinos and drawstring trousers for men.
Jeans with light to medium washes and minimal whiskering appeal to consumers wearing denim to the office, while indigo styles overdyed with gray and green and washes with an oiled look give retailers something unique to merchandise with the core styles that are part of Liverpool's replenishment program. A brand rep said Liverpool is also bringing back its $98 denim "due to popular demand."
Described as "denim friendly," Liverpool's woven shirts and machine-washable knitwear coordinate with indigo and color jeans like navy and bottle gray. Solid and plaid shackets—some with chore coat pocketing—are also gaining momentum.
Joe's F/W 23-24 collection is an example of how denim plays nicely with other fabrications. For men, the brand expanded its assortment of Air Soft, a collection of French terry jeans that combines the comfort of loungewear with classic 5-pocket styling. The concept soft launched in S/S '23 with core indigo washes. Gray and rust red are new for fall.
Washed cargo pants in green and gray, brown-tinted jeans and washes with dimension add interest to men's bottoms without relying on destruction and echo the market-wide shift to cleaner looks. The bottoms are complemented by a cozy chore jacket, an earth-toned corduroy varsity jacket, a suede Trucker and a suede shearling coat.
Hudson balanced its two personas—classic lifestyle and elevated denim streetwear. For traditionalists, French terry jeans, chinos in gray and burgundy, and skinny jeans with dusty washes offer seasonal updates to Hudson's core collection. Kick flare jeans, coated jeans with a waxed black leather look and cargos with seam details are geared toward trend-conscious consumers.
A tie-dye cardigan with imperfections, a corduroy cobalt blue coach's jacket and coated puffer vests round out the statement pieces.
Hudson also bowed its collaboration with Brandon Williams, a celebrity stylist to some of the NBA, MLB, and NFL's most fashionable athletes. The co-branded range centers on coordinates and wide bottoms. A boxy navy blue work shirt matches navy cargo pants with bungee cord hems. A vegan leather jacket coordinates with cargo pants. A cream knit top matches knit bottoms with released hems for a bootcut effect. Standout denim pieces include super wide-leg jeans, available in dark indigo and vintage washes.
Nudie's F/W 23-24 collection has the eccentricity of a vintage shop. Nothing matches exactly yet pieces go with one another. Key denim items include the Dry Onyx Selvedge jean that mirrors the slim/straight fit of a jean from the 1950s. A heavy indigo selvedge jean is washed down so the wearer doesn't have to go through the process of breaking them in. The bottoms pair with pieces that have a retro twist, including a padded Buffalo check jacket, a black leather jacket with zipper pockets and a rodeo shirt with rabbit embroidery.
Women's denim
Though Liverpool launched in 2012 when the women's market was ruled by skinny jeans, the brand has learned how to evolve with its clientele. While the "death of the skinny has been overblown," according to a rep, "nothing too tight" is having a moment in the spotlight.
Liverpool's F/W 23-24 collection introduces the "not-so-skinny" skinny, its "cool-girl" take on a straight/slim jean available in high and regular rises. The brand also touts a variety of inseams. "The seasonality of inseams is changing," a rep said, adding that full-length, crop and ankle sell year-round.
After a slow start, girlfriend jeans and boyfriend fits are now breakout stars. The latter satisfies the demand for relaxed and slouchy fits that feel vintage. Liverpool's boyfriend jean is designed with a button-fly and larger pockets, however, it is introducing its first zipper version for F/W 23-24. The brand ships them cuffed for styling, but not tacked.
Black and gray, raw hems and clean dark washes with minimal destruction round out the denim collection. The bottoms are complemented with garment-dyed tops and belted shackets—items that allow consumers to play with new proportions.
Australian brand Abrand teased its collaboration with Swedish model Elsa Hosk. Launching in August, the collection taps into Gen Z 'It' items like a denim pleated miniskirt, vest, maxi skirt and wide-leg jeans. A medium wash slouchy jacket and straight fit jeans smacks of the '90s, while a low-rise miniskirt and jacket in coordinating chalk white give endless summer vibes.
The collaboration complements Abrand's F/W 23-24 collection dense with utility styling. Green and light wash rigid cargo jeans featured carpenter details. The brand's bestselling Carrie fit is offered as a simple slouch fit and as a carpenter jean.
Driftwood leaned into coordinates as well. The brand's new three-piece sets include denim vests, blazers and flare jeans with matching floral embroidery. Printed velvet jackets and pants mimicked the appearance of embroidery. The brand is also betting big on maxi skirts and pencil skirts with front slits.
Small embroideries decorated Washlab's denim shirting. Motifs included rainbows, celestial stars and fruit.
Desigual approached novelty in several ways, including trompe-l'oeil denim prints. The Y2K-inspired assortment centered on a scarf, tank top and cowl neck slip dress with printed patchwork denim. The faux denim pieces were merchandised with a mesh logo top and crystal-embellished miniskirt with cargo pockets.
Two-tone jeans, a pink denim set with a nipped waist jacket and a red denim set with graffiti-inspired lettering injected color into Desigual's collection. Small flowers made with candy-color sequins added a youthful feeling to the brand's vintage wash jacket and jeans.
Dark indigo flare jeans decorated with navy blue crystals and silver-coated black jeans offered sleek options for holiday. A Trucker jacket was deconstructed with pinstripe suiting fabric. The same fabric was used for matching trousers with a denim waistband.
Show Me Your Mumu channeled the '70s with retro floral jumpsuits and fringed jean jackets. Other items included a pair of cropped jeans with long crystal fringe around the ankles, a belted denim dress, and jeans with an elastic waist.
Celebrities like Halsey are not the only ones noticing Los Angeles-based Noend. The four-year-old brand's deconstructed approach to fashion denim caught the eye of buyers at its first time exhibiting at Project as well.
Made in L.A. with fabrics sourced from Turkey, Mexico and Japan, Noend balances women's classic staples with the patchwork and pieced statement pieces that denim fans love. A collection of skirts is made with patchwork denim, resulting in a mashup of washes and handkerchief hems. Jeans are pieced with various washes spanning bright indigo to bleached-out denim and a strapless top with a zip-up front is made with bands of different colored denim.
Meanwhile, twill jumpsuits in utilitarian colors, denim jumpsuits with an ultra-soft vintage hand, flare jeans and high-rise straight crop jeans are among the brand's most wearable and versatile pieces.
Mavi showcased soft twill cargo pants and natural dyed denim shackets for women alongside Modal sweatshirts and joggers.
The brand also took home the Rivet x Project Award for "Best Sustainable Collection" for Recycled Blue, a new women's jeans collection that incorporates Tencel with Refibra technology, a process that blends upcycled pre- and post-consumer cotton textiles with wood pulp. For this collection, Mavi blended the Tencel with Refibra with recycled cotton, resulting in jeans that have a vintage look with a soft handle.
Utility was prominent in 7 For All Mankind's collection. A genderless dark wash chore jacket was styled with dark wash jeans. Button-free pockets created a slimming effect on the brand's cargo jeans, available in black, dark wash and light wash.
Crystals cover the brand's new Logan fit. A longer version of the wide-leg jean is also available as well as a cargo version. Other standouts were a 100 percent lyocell puff-sleeve blouse and wide-leg jeans for a soft and drapey look.
Vegan leather was also part of 7 For All Mankind's story. The brand styled cream-colored vegan leather pants with a matching button-down shirt with eyelet laser cuts. It also offered vegan leather pintucked pants, puff-sleeve blouses, maxi skirts and bomber jackets.
Vegan leather was a key fabrication in Hudson's collection for women. It was offered as overalls, cargo pants, flare pants, a midi skirt and a coordinating cropped top and miniskirt. Though Hudson's faux leather styles were mostly easy-to-wear neutral colors, the brand's coated denim styles offered a serotonin boost. Highlights included a coated beet-red denim jacket and jeans, and a set coated with cinnamon glitter.
Other denim styles included a low-rise, wide-leg jean with a skater vibe, parachute pants made with a Tencel blend and a new jean with a 30-inch inseam that makes it an ideal length for wearing with sneakers, a rep said.
Joe's coated denim story includes the cropped bootcut Callie and the wide-leg Mia. The brand offers the Mia with a 34-inch inseam for a long and fluid fit. Indigo and rust versions of the Mia have pintucking on the front for a retro nod. A cropped Mia is also available in vegan leather. The leather alternative is also featured as a short trench coat, puff-sleeve blouse and dress with a knotted front.
A goldenrod corduroy blazer and flare trousers are Joe's coordinates of the season. Details like split hems and shiny gold hardware give the matching pieces an editorial edge. Dark rinse cargo jeans, black cargo trousers and rigid denim with a soft brushed surface round out the versatile collection.
