Since we’re entering the new year, it’s time to get confessional: I’ve never been one to love denim. Don’t get me wrong, I do adore beautiful tailored trousers and can find myself besotted with a simple satin pair of pants or something corduroy at the best of times. Still, I’ve never had that innate pull towards jeans like the French girls we covet, or the cool Scandinavian women we find so aspirational do. That was until I came across the biggest denim trends for 2026.
As a fashion writer, it’s not only my duty to stay up to date with, but also keep ahead of the major styles that will garner collective appeal in the months to come. So whilst conversations about the 2026 denim trends might not reach the mainstream until January, it’s a topic I’ve already been absorbed in for the past few weeks. Now, this isn’t typically a beat I’m inherently drawn to, given my natural predilection for other styles of bottoms. However, after previewing new season collections, witnessing seasonal designer launches first-hand as they debuted on the spring/summer 2026 runway and interviewing industry leaders who intimately work with the material, it’s safe to say I’m convinced in favour of embracing the fabric in my wardrobe.
“The adaptability of denim has made it a constant in wardrobes,” says Courtney Zheng, the founder and designer of her eponymous ready-to-wear brand. “It’s utilitarian, hardwearing, and carries with it decades of cultural cachet from workwear to subculture to high fashion. It combines function and style in a way that few materials can, and its processing (fading, fraying, distressing) only adds character over time.”
Speaking to those, like the Sydney-based Zheng, who are incredibly familiar with denim, makes its addition to any well-edited wardrobe all the more compelling. “[Denim] elevates any ensemble with ease, balancing craftsmanship and cultural significance in a way few garments can,” echoes Jonas Clason and Lena Patriksson Keller, the founders and designers of European denim house Jeanerica. “As Diana Vreeland once said, ‘denim is the most beautiful thing since the gondola,' and its enduring relevance proves the point,” they add.
So, what caused this paradigm shift? Ultimately, it’s the ease and elegance of the trends that will dominate over the next twelve months. “Looking ahead to 2026, I think we’ll see more experimentation with construction, proportion, and fabrication,” says Zheng. “Expect curved seams, wax coatings, over-dyed finishes, and hybrid garments like denim cargo skirts, corsetry, and structured outerwear.”
With this in mind, it feels like the optimum time to embrace denim is in 2026. And thankfully, there are plenty of options to pique your interest. So, whether you’re ready to inject new styles into your already robust denim arsenal or are just curious to know what shapes will reign supreme in the new year, scroll on for the 7 biggest denim trends already defining 2026.
The 7 Biggest Denim Trends of 2026
1. Indie Sleaze Jeans
Style Notes: Revised in the early 2020s as a diametric opposition to the isolation and conservatism that arose in the COVID-19 pandemic, indie sleaze has become a major cultural touchstone in the wake of an insulated and cordoned-off era of fashion. Now, over five years later, the era in which indie sleaze first thrived in is becoming more relevant than ever. When it comes to denim, this aesthetic is being exhibited through distressed jeans, acid wash colours and body-conscious shapes. “We’re already seeing the early signs of a super slim leg denim resurgence,” says Lara Fells, creative director and co-founder of Byron Bay-based label St. Agni. “It’s not quite the stretch skinny jeans we remember from the 2010s, but something more considered: straight-leg silhouettes with a close fit through the thigh, falling cleanly to the ankle,” she adds. “The cut is streamlined but not restrictive—slim, not tight.”
Shop the Trend:
Agolde jeans are a staple for fashion insiders.
Of course, when it comes to designer denim, Khaite will always make an appearance.
It wouldn't be a critique of indie sleaze denim without a mention of super-taut bootcut styles.
2. Textured Finishes
Style Notes: One thing that made me gravitate towards denim after ignoring it for what feels like an age is the way designers are pioneering the textile in ways I could never imagine. Indeed, denim is no longer just limited to jeans, with fabrics like suede and velvet gaining popularity for 2026. “We’re exploring new directions such as the wash development on our signature flock in corduroy and velvet, a combination of a denim base bonded with a luxurious viscose corduroy top layer,” explains Clason and Patriksson Keller. “These innovations open the door to new possibilities in texture and depth. Looking ahead, expect ultralight denims and airy constructions that introduce the kind of lightweight luxury modern wardrobes increasingly seek.”
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Costing a pretty penny, yes, but the texture on this pair is truly divine.
Trust Stockholm-based brand Acne Studios to defy the convention of both denim and suede jeans.
With a distressed finish, the coated detailing gives this pair an element of contrast that will only elevate anything it's paired with.
3. Overall Renaissance
Style Notes: Of course, to know denim is to know that it’s not just limited to jeans. Sure, some of the biggest denim trends for 2026 align with the key jeans trends for 2026, but that doesn’t mean it ends there. Over the last six months, I’ve noticed some of the most tasteful dressers reclaim dungarees, making a compelling case for investing in them come January. Practical and utilitarian in nature, it offsets casual and bohemian base layers like a puff-sleeve top or ruffle-front blouse. Seen on the likes of Alexa Chung and burgeoning chef Meredith Hayden (a.k.a @wishbonekitchen), prepare to spot more of this trend ahead.
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Invest now and wear all year long.
When it comes to denim, you can always count on Levi's to produce a superlative style.
Throw on a boxy wool jumper and no one will know you're wearing a farm-inspired piece underneath.
4. Dark Washes
Style Notes: Perennial tastemakers like Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber are always at the forefront of trends. So, when they step out wearing a new denim trend, it’s assured that I’ll pay attention. In late 2025, the California-based cool-girls continually wore indigo jeans, proving that dark denim washes will command 2026. “[This] direction is toward silhouettes with space, ease and longevity. That is the beauty of denim: it adapts to every style while allowing true expression,” notes Clason and Patriksson Keller.
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"Lighter indigos, yarn-dyed neutrals and fabrics that feel gently worn from the first touch will continue to grow," explains Clason and Patriksson Keller.
British fashion powerhouses M&S and 16Arlington have teamed up to deliver one of the most impactful collaborations—and denim moments—of the year
Ask any industry notable and they'll tell you COS jeans always come in clutch.
5. Tailored Maxi Skirts
Style Notes: “As a European denim house, we see how regions shape denim in subtle yet distinct ways. Northern cities gravitate toward clarity and function, southern climates favour ease, lightness and softness, and metropolitan centres blend denim with tailoring for an elevated urban uniform,” Clason and Patriksson Keller explain. However, whilst innovative shapes are synonymous with these Northern Hemisphere cultural outposts, it’s actually locales down under that are informing this trend. After prevailing in the early 2020s, denim maxi skirts fell into somewhat oblivion. But after being resuscitated by Zheng in the brand’s Resort 2026 runway at Australian Fashion Week, it’s proof that this silhouette will soon return with a vengeance. “
There’s a deep personal connection to denim for me,” Zheng tells me.”My parents and grandparents owned a cotton mill and denim washing factory in the ‘90s. They spent decades manufacturing for Australian retailers. Production was the default dinner table conversation, and school holidays were spent at our factory in China, helping with different stages of the distressing process,” she explains.
“That early exposure taught me the fundamental ‘rules’ of denim. Like painting, you need to understand the rules before you can break them. Today, I approach denim as a medium for sculpting and innovation. Working within the constraints of a single material that has limited colours, textures, and weights challenges me to be more creative. It’s endlessly versatile, and that challenge is what keeps it exciting.
“There’s an appreciation for wardrobe staples, but also a desire for them to be reimagined in a way that feels directional. These pieces (whether it be a mermaid skirt or low-slung jeans) still nod to denim’s utilitarian roots, but the manipulation of silhouettes, the panelling, and treatment make it feel more considered. They carry a sense of individuality, and I believe that’s what our customer connects with.”
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French denim will always be amongst one of the best available, and Celine proves this point entirely with this gorgeous midi skirt.
Just an incredibly stunning and unique piece. I'm so enamoured.
Parisians know their denim, so don't be surprised to see so many chic people in Le Marais and Montmartre wearing something similar
6. ‘90s Minimalism
Style Notes: Blame it on Ryan Murphy putting a microscope on Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s personal wardrobe or the fact that there is so much nostalgia surrounding the decade, but the ‘90s have garnered more sartorial momentum than ever. Speaking about the trend, Fells, who draws inspiration from ‘90s off-duty style, notes that there’s a “quiet confidence in pieces that nod to classic denim references, like ‘90s low-rise or traditional workwear, but are reimagined with modern restraint.” She adds that she finds “the appeal lies in their simplicity and wearability.”
“A revival of 1990s straight cuts will gain traction, but the true evolution will come through washes, textures and craftsmanship that bring these silhouettes to life,” adds Clason and Patriksson Keller. “A renewed fascination with the 1990s will guide 2026. Straight cuts with relaxed clarity will return, alongside soft, low-waisted silhouettes with gentle flare. This is nostalgia expressed through a modern lens, grounded, timeless and confident. This decade offers a balance of ease and individuality that resonates today.”
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The perfect straight-leg doesn't exist—
A staple shape in any well-edited wardrobe.
High waisted, but cutting perfectly at the ankle.
7. Denim Handbags
Style Notes: “The direction ahead is toward silhouettes with space, ease and longevity. That is the beauty of denim: it adapts to every style while allowing true expression,” says Clason and Patriksson Keller. I can’t personally think of a better phrase to encapsulate the trend of denim bags. “Designers have reimagined denim in various forms, proving its ability to evolve while retaining its core identity,” Fells adds, acknowledging a shift towards styles that enable functionality and freedom. Pioneering this trend most is the designer set, from Gucci to Bottega Veneta. Like anything, expect this to trickle down and be sported on the shoulders of the most prolific dressers. Because why wear jeans when you can tote denim on your arm?
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Make like Sienna Miller and acting fashion editor, Sophie Robyn Watson, and embrace in the Gucci Giglio.
Thanks to Pieter Mulier, the east-west shape has never been more covetable than ever.
Bottega Veneta bags will always be lust-worthy, but there's just something so undeniably covetable about this denim-effect Andiamo with contrast flannel lining.
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