Denim Is Getting Spicy in 2023—the Details and Cuts Turning Jeans Controversial

Trends come and go, but one thing surely remains constant: Denim never truly goes away. The silhouettes and the rises may change (suddenly, everyone is all for low-rise now), but denim is that staple that will always have a place in the fashion conversation. With elegant normcore at the forefront of fall’s collections, denim is playing a huge role in reinforcing the wearability factor designers are so readily embracing.

But that’s not to say there hasn’t been a fair share of out-there denim trends. For one, players such as Y/Project, Blumarine, and Givenchy turned things up a notch with unexpected washes and offbeat and sometimes nostalgic details like brown-washed denim and big brass studs. The twists deviate from the über-approachable trends like loose denim and straight-leg cuts, and even if we don’t consider them controversial, they’re at least edgy and whimsical. Other designers and brands have joined the fray, leading us to think that a spicier approach to denim will be the status quo for the seasons ahead. For a full report on the controversial denim trends buzzing about now, keep scrolling below.