The Kingpins NY fair held in Pier 36, Manhattan has given much inspiration and insight into the denim trends for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2024 season with Denim Dudes presenting key directions for the season. Characterised with a distinct retro feel, the themes are divided into four distinct stories that feature different moods, textile suggestions, details and colour palettes for easy understanding.
The first, ‘XS’, focuses on bold and edgy self-expression using acid-bright colours and the greencast dyeing process. The second theme, ‘Burned Out’, takes a darker turn with a protective, layered style in shades of black, grey and blue, featuring mineral washes and upcycling, whilst ‘The Last Tourist’ showcases denim adorned with souvenir patches, Indian block printing, expressive laundering, hole punching and hand adornments.
The fourth theme, ‘Ethos’, is the more commercially viable theme amongst all four themes of the season and explores practical and relaxed workwear with themes of durability, peasant styling and humble Americana, including lightweight raw denim in sun-faded hues, sand and stone-inspired washes and natural overdyes.
To conclude, the trends that will be a defining factor in the coming season include bold colours and greencast dyeing, upcycling processes, adorned denim, stone-inspired washes and sun-faded hues with natural overdyes.
Read on to discover each theme in detail.
XS
The XS theme is a youthful and unconventional interpretation of the Noughties trend that places focus on provocative and extravagant self-expression, using vibrant colours and a green-tinted dyeing process called ‘greencast’. The process involves dyeing the garment with green sulfur before indigo is added to create a bluish-green hue.
The rise of social media and individualism has led to a group of style-savvy individuals, known as ‘bedroom makers’ who use simple materials to create impactful looks at home, bypassing traditional fashion gatekeepers.
The trend channels the indie sleaze mood of club culture in the early 2000s, characterised by starlets stumbling out of Hollywood nightclubs and London cabs. Influential advocates of this style include Thought We Friends, who use intensive denim treatments, and Space Paradiso, who create artful spraying and airbrushing effects.
The trend urges one to revisit their closet to unearth pieces from brands such as True Religion, Guess, D & G and Von Dutch.
Burned Out
Even though the world is currently in turmoil, people continue to indulge in materialistic pursuits, like buying shoes or in this case, jeans. While the XS story celebrates the idea of Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burns, the Burned Out storyline adopts a more serious and less lighthearted approach.
It is a response to the bleak times the world is currently experiencing, reflecting the growing dissatisfaction with capitalist values and the glorification of productivity and hustle culture, as studies reveal a decline in happiness in both the US and UK.
The vibe of Burned Out is sombre, with layers of casual clothing in a limited colour palette of blacks, infused with blues and greys. Mineral washes are used to create a dirty effect, while upcycling has become a staple. Delicate, high-end denim pieces from Paradoxe Paris are contrasted with muted comfort items from brands like Fear of God, reminiscent of the ’90s Helmut Lang’s tonal and columnar layering.
The Last Tourist
Get ready for a cultural explosion in fashion that showcases the heritage of countries worldwide like never before.
The renewed interest in travel post-Covid has brought about a heightened cultural sensitivity resulting in more authentic storytelling. In this space, brands such as Kardo from New Delhi, Bode from NYC, England’s SS Daly and Indian-Canadian Norblack Norwhite have all made a mark. Additionally, a Parisian collective has taken over the once-defunct West African airline, Air Afrique, committed to reintroducing the world to the airline’s pan-African philosophy that also touched fashion, art and film.
The new preppy look is redefining elite, European pursuits such as golf to challenge the status quo. Souvenir patches on denim are a popular trend, along with Indian block printing, hole-punched denim, expressive laundering and hand adornments.
Ethos
Ethos emerges as the most commercially-oriented story of the four themes and highlights the resurgence of authentic and holistic garment production that aligns with spirituality and nature, which early capitalism and the industrial age had turned us against.
Patagonia Founder, Yvon Chouinard’s decision to donate his company to combat climate change is a significant change to capitalism, and the effects of this decision are yet to be fully realised. This quest for a new equilibrium is reflected in practical and relaxed workwear with themes of durability, peasant styling and humble Americana.
The clothing features lightweight raw denim in sun-faded hues, sand and stone-inspired washes and natural overdyes. Denim is paired with crumpled jacquards, rustic sheers, lived-in dobbies, hemps and linen blends for a comfortable yet stylish look.
