More than any other clothing item, jeans can define the look of an era. Think of the flare in the 70s, or the skater styles of the 90s. Or – right now – the oversized jean. The skinny jean was the cockroach of the denim world for a long time: it refused to die. But there are signs it finally has. Maybe that’s the effect of generational wars on social media, with gen Z roasting millennials’ love of the skinnies, or a post-pandemic need for comfort. Either way, shapes are changing, and bigger is becoming the overriding choice. The online vintage retailer Depop reports that searches for baggy jeans have increased 66% since January, and style icons – Rihanna, Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish, Dakota Johnson and more – are going for a the-baggier-the-better approach to denim. Gap’s Get Loose campaign with Troye Sivan perhaps cemented the look: it features the singer surrounded by dancers all wearing oversized jeans. Beyond celebrities, just take a look at young people on a street near you – baggy denim is everywhere. The classic Levi’s Silver Tab shape. View image in fullscreen The classic Levi’s Silver Tab shape. Photograph: Levi’s Amy Leverton, a trend forecaster and the author of Denim Dudes, says the silhouette has been in the offing for a while. “Someone suggested them to me around seven years ago when I was personally not ready for them,” she says. She finally succumbed recently, pulling out a pair of vintage Silver Tab Levi’s. Leverton says this is the most sought-after style among denim-heads where she lives in LA, because the jeans have the 90s energy that is so loved now. “Silver Tab was launched for skaters,” she explains. “It was [a shape] to react to baggy skater style, so all the ad campaigns were skater heavy.” If some of the popularity of baggy jeans comes back to a love of the 90s, there are also designers who are pushing this silhouette – including Demna at Balenciaga, JW Anderson at Loewe and Glenn Martens at Diesel. Anderson in particular has pursued an almost comically baggy shape, as seen in his spring/summer 2024 Loewe show. Agus Panzoni, Depop’s trend spokesperson, confirms that these are on the radar of their shoppers: “These brands are all known for their grunge aesthetic, where baggy jeans take centre stage. You also have celebrities like Rihanna and Eilish continually reinventing the style.”