Where Did All The Baggy Jeans Go?
One evening in 2015 I headed out to buy some jeans and it was a less than satisfying experience, to say the least. As I discovered much to the shock and disappoint of this old school’er, the return of the skinny jean around 2015 was not a welcomed return. Due to the nature of mass production in the fashion industry, baggy and loose-fitting jeans practically disappeared from the shelves seemingly overnight. And normal jeans were replaced with "skinny fit" and baggy jeans were replaced with "slim fit" and my face was replaced with an OMG expression! Knowing that not even God himself at this moment could get me some normal jeans anywhere in this shopping mall was not a great feeling. Although I had abandoned the ultra baggy jeans from the late 90s made by such legendary brands as FUBU, Sean John, Phat Farm, Roc-A-Wear and Karl Kani, I still rocked nothing less than "loose" jeans. So while standing in that mall in 2015 I was thinking, "Do I have to order some knock off FUBU jeans now? Because I don't think they are still around anymore..." (1) That unattractive prospect made me even more uneasy, knowing that the brands that I loved in the '90s were probably not even around anymore.
So what did I do? I'm slightly embarrassed to say that I tried to embrace the new look and I eventually bought some "regular" jeans which were not too slim, but not as baggy as I was accustomed to. They were red and I was only thinking about using them when "going-out" on the weekends. And that is what I used them for. But now my foot was in the door and I decided that I wanted some black/dark gray jeans that maybe I could have for everyday use. I ended up getting a pair of fairly tight-fitting Lee's which turned out to become one of my favorite jeans because of the awesome charcoal color. This was about 3 years ago… so what has changed since? Well, I for one have gone back to baggier jeans, thanks to finding some great models at the Guess outlet store on Staten Island. They are much, much looser than the jeans I found at the mall only 4 years ago, and more akin to the jeans of just 5 years ago (before the skinny jean onset).
Are Baggy Jeans Really Cycling Back Into Fashion?
But knowing that fashion goes in cycles, is it safe to say that even baggier jeans are coming back soon? Does the "bagginess" of clothing progress incrementally? Meaning it goes from normal to skinny back to normal and then finally to baggy? A friend of mine, who runs the popular old school hip-hop fashion store Retro Hip Hop Shop, says they have noticed a huge uptick in baggy jeans sales during 2019. He says that, although baggy jeans models have been a steady seller ever since they opened in 2017, this year (2019) has shown more sales than before. And it's not only marginally, in fact, 2 of their top 5 most sold products this quarter are baggy jeans!! This would seem unthinkable just 1-2 years ago when ripped and padded jeans were all the rage. My business owner friend says that he feels baggy jeans are coming back amongst the teenagers who are bored with the skinny jeans sold everywhere else. It's also plain to see that all mainstream fashion has been centered around 90s fashion for the past year or so. Bold, color-blocked shirts, sweatshirts and sports jackets have been all the rage with the youth for quite some time. However, it never seemed to manifest itself in the jeans department...until now. It's becoming almost commonplace to see youth with baggy 90s style overalls while the 1970s styled "flare" jeans have become really hot amongst many girls.
What Does 2020 Have In Store For Us?
As we head into 2020, do not be surprised if big and baggy jeans become popular again towards the spring, at least among the youth. As far as the adults, regular (loose) jeans have become available again, and there are definitely some old school heads still buying 90s/00s "real" baggy jeans, especially as they become more available online.
(1) FUBU still has a website, but they don’t sell jeans (per November 2019), only hoodies, t-shirts, and caps.
