Report: Denim goes authentic

London - If ever there was a time to update your denim wardrobe and replace your skinny jeans, now would be it. Ever since the millenium the denim market has been flooded with skinny jeans - from spray-on jeggings to super-stretch lean silhouettes - there were few shapes that revolutionised the denim market so radically on a global scale. Raw indigo, even 100 percent cotton jeans, much like your vintage Levi’s, were pushed to the back of the wardrobe. Until now that is.

The past decade saw the skinny jean push out the bootcut, a long favoured shape in womenswear, but like all fashion trends, a new source of inspiration is becoming prevalent. Authentic denim is making a return to the jeans market and is evolving from an overkill of the stretch. This includes a trend for true vintage characteristerics where we are seeing the non-stretch denim become a new staple categorie for women.

The denim revolution is being led by a fresh wave of designers reworking the authentic denim archives as seen by the perfectly stiffened jeans on Fashion Week streets and at festivals. Inspiration comes from the 1960s style of Jane Birkin, who favored high-waisted and frayed seams, or Debbie Harry's signature high and tight 505s, which at the time offered looks revolving around the rigid, anti-fit styles, a true characteristic of ‘real’ denim fabric.

As a result, brands and stores have begun offering refurbished and reshaped Levi’s 501s, providing new takes on original fits. So too original jeanswear brands explore their archives and revive icons with a new identity such as Levi's CT (customised taper), Closed '85 Pedal Icon and Guess x A$AP Rocky.

The death of the skinny jean is doubtful

While many media publications have been quick to cite the death of the skinny jean, WGSN INstock data confirms the silhouette is still an essential item throughout the UK and US retail landscape. Interestingly, the skinny jean tops the list in both UK and US markets. In the UK, it not only remains the most popular subcategory but also shows year-on-year increases, holding 57 percent of the new-in jeans seen in March 2016, compared to 53 percent in 2015.

In the US, the skinny has kept the same percentage within new-in jeans in March, with 55 percent. Crop jeans increase by 2 percent to hold the second top position with 22 percent. It's interesting how the rank has changed, with flare jeans jumping from 7 percent to 14 percent. The boyfriend has lost its position in the ranks in favour of other leg shapes such as the flare or bootcut. Crop jeans and loose fits increase by one percentage point each year on year to hold 12 percent and 5 percent of the mix, respectively.

In both the US and UK different leg shapes such as the flare jean and bootcut gain traction as well as the rise of the cropped jean. The consumer has more choice from a market point of view which could potentially make the share of the skinny go down but it remains solid at the first position.

Tommy Hilfiger is one of the brands aiming to bring back authentic denim. The company has turned to its archive from the 90s with a new mixed capsule collection of the looks that captured the era some 25 years ago. In doing so, Hilfiger re-presents the items that made his brand popular, such as oversized jeans, denim overalls, and logo underwear peeking out from under jeans. These looks couldn’t be more relevant again today.