Iconic 90’s Denim Moments That Still Influence the Fashion World Today

The year is 2024, but we’re still living for ’90s denim.

Still fresh in the minds of millennials, the decade was full of pop cultural moments and entertainers that continue to influence fashion choices. Consumers tuned into sitcoms and music videos, picking up style cues along the way. The casualization of the workplace made it to the White House and runway models became supersized media personalities.  

From the normcore aesthetic unknowingly coined by standup comedians and world leaders to the hip hop artists’ big and baggy fits, here’s a look at the most iconic denim moments from the ’90s.

The grunge movement

When Nirvana’s second album “Nevermind” entered the mainstream music scene in 1991, lead singer Kurt Cobain’s secondhand knits and dirty, patched-up jeans became the blueprint for angsty teenage rage. It also provided an alternative to the over-the-top and on-the-nose looks favored by ’80s rock bands like leather pants and cropped tees. Other grunge brands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden shared Cobain’s style, making old Levi’s, DIY fashion and flannel shirts symbols of disillusioned youth. The era continues to be a source of inspiration for brands like R13 and Dsquared2.

Off-duty supermodel style

Though the term “supermodel” entered the pop culture vernacular in the ’80s, models Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and more became household names in the ’90s thanks to programs like MTV’s “House of Style” and George Michael’s 1990 music video for “Freedom.” Their off-duty styles—often jeans and a T-shirt—became just as influential as the designer fashion they wore down the runway, however. Their impact in basic denim was magnified in Cindy Crawford’s 1992 Coca-Cola commercial in which she wears a white tank and cutoff shorts.

Back(wards) in style

Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly and Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith gained global success as the hip hop duo Kris Kross at just 12 and 13 years old in 1992. Their hit single “Jump” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single. Their unique fashion style called “Kross-dressing” created another type of craze: teens wearing clothes backward including baggy jeans. The fad quickly fizzled out—though not before wreaking havoc on schools’ dress codes—but the idea of deconstructed denim lives on collections by Y/Project, Balenciaga and Act N°1.

Casual workplace

Though his Texan-born predecessor George H.W. Bush wore blue jeans on fishing trips and family vacations, there was more denim in the White House during Bill Clinton’s presidency from 1993 to 2001. While Clinton’s choice to wear jeans on the campaign trail was an appeal to the everyman and a reminder of the 24-year age gap between him and his older opponent, the style choice was also a reflection of the casualization of the workplace. Companies adopted Casual Fridays and business casual dress codes in the ’90s, setting up the groundwork for the casual and hybrid fashion seen across workplaces today.

Blue blood

From engagement rings to haircuts, Princess Diana sparked global trends throughout the ’80s and ’90s. Interest in her off-duty style popped off in the 2020s, however, as consumers took to thrift shops to duplicate her casual looks. The People’s Princess’ penchant for scrunching blue jeans into cowboy boots and styling them with all-American items like varsity jackets, NFL jackets, sweatshirts and novelty knits has become a blueprint for effortless cool girl style. Diana’s denim style has been a source of inspiration for everyone from Hailey Bieber and Virgil Abloh to Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini and Gucci.

Teen dream

Fictional Californian teenagers received a generous amount of airtime on ’90s television. While “Save By the Bell” offered a comical take on life as Bayside High School student, its more serious, prime time counterpart “Beverly Hills, 90210” delivered drama and influential fashion. The series aired on Fox for the entire duration of the ’90s, bringing to light topical (and sometimes controversial) issues, while documenting the decade’s style evolution. While the show’s ritzy zip code often called for designer threads, the light wash jeans and loose-fitting tees worn by its original cast—Brandon, Brenda, Dylan, Kelly, Donna, Steve, David and Andrea—was an accessible Cali look copied by teens across the world.

Logomania

Tommy Hilfiger launched in 1985 but the brand had a breakthrough in the ’90s when musicians like Aaliyah, Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg began wearing the label’s logo-laden tops, jackets and jeans on and off stage. By infusing East Coast prep with the West Coast’s laidback vibe, Tommy Hilfiger developed a signature aesthetic that laid the groundwork for elevated streetwear. Meanwhile, the brand’s ’90s archives have become coveted by nostalgia-loving Gen Zers.

Normcore foundation

“Seinfeld,” the NBC comedy famously described as “a show about nothing,” became an unexpected force in fashion nearly a decade after it ended when main character Jerry Seinfeld’s dad jeans and white sneakers became the blueprint for normcore. Though the show had entire episodes devoted to puffy shirts and “urban sombreros,” it was Seinfeld’s back-to-basics style that resonated with millennials trying to build long-lasting wardrobes following the Great Recession.

Peekaboo underwear

Rapper-turned-actor Mark Wahlberg (a.k.a. Marky Mark of the hip hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch) launched into stardom when his single “Good Vibrations” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. His bad-boy persona caught the attention of teenagers and designers alike. Wahlberg’s underwear campaign for Calvin Klein, in which he and model Kate Moss wear only white boxer briefs and low-slung jeans, became part of his signature look during the decade. It also continues to be a winning formula for the brand, evident in its Spring 2024 underwear campaign with actor Jeremy Allen White.

Getaway denim

Classic blue jeans enjoyed a lot of screen time in “Thelma & Louise,” the 1991 crime/drama starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon as two best friends on a road trip that turns into a crime spree. The actresses give fugitive fashion a glow-up, wearing broken-in jeans, oversized denim jackets and knotted denim shirts with cowboy boots and Western belts as they evade police. Brad Pitt also makes an infamous appearance in the film wearing double denim. Elements of the film’s wardrobe live on in festival fashion and in collections by brands like Ganni and Isabel Marant.  

Overall success

Overalls benefited from a cool makeover thanks to rapper Tupac Shakur and R&B girl group TLC wearing the workwear on and off stage. Worn baggy and loose, and often with one strap undone, the utilitarian staple was part of the ’90s hip hop wardrobe that consisted of Timberland boots and oversized tees, laying the groundwork for brands like Carhartt and Dickies to go mainstream.