As casual wear maintains its hold on women’s clothing, denim will continue to experience market growth during pre-fall 2022. This season will see customers interested in comfortable denim that is reminiscent of the Y2K era. These are the trendy key items in women’s denim business buyers should pay attention to coming out of spring and summer.
Table of Contents
What influences the women’s denim market this season?
Women’s denim trends for pre-fall 2022
Comfort remains essential in women’s clothing
What influences the women’s denim market this season?
Denim is a sturdy cotton twill fabric, typically blue, used to make jeans, shirts, jackets, overalls, and other clothing items. Globally, the denim market was valued at an estimated USD 57.3 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach a value of USD 76.1 billion by 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% over the forecast period.
A rising acceptance of casual wear in the workplace, along with rising employment of the young generation, is likely to fuel growth in the denim market. Jeans are widely being considered ideal for a variety of special occasions, including as formal attire. Competitors in the market are also aggressively promoting innovatively styled denim garments, with the launch of newer styles in the market generating renewed interest in denim among customers.
Women’s denim trends for pre-fall 2022
Denim jacket
For pre-fall 2022, women’s denim jackets adopt nostalgic Y2K styling. Long and lean denim coats with fur, fleece, or shearling trim accents take inspiration from noughties fashion. Digital prints in joyful color options are another staple of 1990s dressing that help make the denim jacket stand out this season, along with experimental front openings featuring asymmetric closures. As the winter season approaches, chunky down styles, quilted denim, or wide sleeve proportions will also give denim jackets extra bulk as layering pieces.
A responsible approach to denim wash and finish can appeal to customers who seek out low impact fashion options. Laser finishes or digital prints are techniques that can be used on denim jackets to help reduce the processes required at the denim wash stage.
Denim dress
Pre-fall 2022 runway collections prove there is a place for denim dresses at all levels of the market. 1990s grunge designs with distressed textures offer a more youthful approach to the silhouette, while new femininity themes inspire dressed up styling for women’s denim dresses. Maxi length denim dresses or denim dresses with light or tie-dye washes will be suitable for businesses catering to customers outside of the youth market. Long denim dresses can also be layered over jeans for an unexpected take on double denim styling.
Denim is popular in relaxed fits this season, with loose fitting denim shirt dresses in Tencel appealing to the stay-at-home dressing trend. Loose and languid dress styles are commonly rendered in closed-loop cellulosic material for drape and soft handle. Even bodycon pieces are being produced in cellulose blends for added comfort and stretch.
Low-rise jean
Youth brands are steering women’s denim towards Y2K silhouettes for pre-fall 2022. As a result, low-rise jeans with waistbands that rest on the hips are coming back in fashion as a popular denim jean cut. Even the luxury space is adopting the women’s low-rise jean to mirror the youth interest in vintage fits from the 2000s.
Low-rise fits are trendiest in slim or straight cuts, but low-slung denim can also be designed in wide or boot cut shapes to make it more inclusive for diverse body types and sizes. Playful details such as curved waistbands or contrasting leather trims can give the low-rise jean versatility to transition from day to night dressing. In alignment with the market’s comfort-first approach to clubwear, drop crotches or cut off finishes with frayed edges can also transform women’s low-rise jeans into edgy partywear.
Miniskirts and shorts
1990s nostalgia continued to sweep through women’s denim collections, with pre-fall 2022 designer catwalks reinforcing the ongoing appetite for the era. Business buyers are advised to capitalize on the mood by exploring leg-baring items like denim shorts and miniskirts.
Women’s denim miniskirts and shorts are reimagined this season with novelty details, such as reverse back-pocket styling, double waistbands, and self-fabric belts. A denim miniskirt or short with bleached denim wash, patchwork denim, or distressed texture will also emulate the decade’s iconic off-beat style. Refined silhouettes updated with green-cast hues and trompe l’oeil digital prints can cater to the contemporary womenswear market or businesses who target customers outside of Gen Z.
Wide-leg jean
Skinny jeans remain at the top of the denim market, but relaxed and comfortable wide-leg jeans are performing well in retail and offer a fashion-forward addition to women’s wardrobes. For pre-fall 2022, the luxury market is also rapidly shifting focus to straight and wide-leg denim jeans. Commercial brands should take note and rebalance product offerings to reflect this shift in tastes.
Although straight leg cuts are the most commercial fit, flare and boot cut shapes in extra-long lengths will appeal to fashion conscious consumers. Long women’s wide-leg jeans can be paired with denim tops and jackets to create triple stacked denim-on-denim styling. For ultimate wearability, cargo pant styles in fabrics that feature closed-loop Tencel cellulosic fibers will offer comfort and extra pockets for practicality. Fabric bases that are also laser ready will be suitable for achieving retro stonewash effects.
Comfort remains essential in women’s clothing
There are several key items in women’s denim for the pre-fall 2022 season. Y2K nostalgia continues to dominate fashion trends as denim jackets, dresses, low-rise jeans, miniskirts, and shorts with vintage styling become hot wardrobe items. Moving into autumn, the wide-leg jean also maintains its relevance in the market as a comfortable fit for many women.
With demand for stretch and soft fabric jeans reaching an all-time high, comfort remains as important as ever in the market. Businesses are advised to invest in cellulose blends and ensure product mix reflects the rising interest in loose fits. By offering ultra-comfort in women’s clothing design, businesses can give customers versatile pieces they will want to wear all day.
