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How Leopard Print Clawed Into Denim Fashion in 2024

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How Leopard Print Clawed Into Denim Fashion in 2024

Street style was a literal catwalk this summer with brands and retailers from all tiers offering leopard print denim, and consumers of all ages eating it up.

While animal prints have long held a neutral status in categories like footwear and accessories, a fresh wave of Scandi-cool brands and luxury Italian labels has brought leopard denim into the spotlight, elevating its status in the fashion hierarchy.

“The data surrounding ‘leopard jeans’ is impressive—the style is seeing a 1,539 percent increase in average weekly searches in comparison to last year and a 3,300 percent increase in social buzz (engagements and posts across platforms) to last year, too,” said Kendall Becker, Trendalytics fashion and beauty director. “The market is reacting accordingly as we’ve seen a 144 percent increase in products that file under this trend.”

Diesel Resort 2025

Becker pointed out that the trend began gaining traction in early 2024, fueled by the popularity of a particular Ganni pair that went viral online. “Since then, the trend has continued to be adapted in more mass and fast-fashion markets that had led to an increase in posts on TikTok as more and more users have access to the trend and can create content around it,” she said. “Currently, ‘leopard jeans’ has acquired 43 million views on TikTok and hit its peak in September when fall receipts hit the stores.”

Susie Draffan, WGSN’s senior denim strategist, explained that leopard print exploded this year, partly due to the viral ‘mob wife’ aesthetic linked to the 25th anniversary of “The Sopranos.” This moment resonated globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, where the 1990s-inspired series “Blossoms Shanghai” featured characters wearing leopard prints.

While millennials experienced leopard denim in the form of indie sleaze skinny jeans in the early 2000s Gen Z is taking the trend into a new direction with loose, slouchier fits. Draffan said the trend feeds into Gen Z’s appetite for ’90s fashion. “Think of 20-something Kate Moss and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy pictured in leopard print coats,” she described.

Draffan added that these pop culture influences were backed up by pre-Fall 2024 catwalks with designers including AZ Factory, Blumarine, Moschino, Ermanno Scervino, and Max Mara showcasing “true, super glam” leopard print. Dries Van Noten, Isabel Marant and Versace continued the theme with leopard print jeans in their Fall/Winter 24-25 collections.

This article was published in Rivet’s winter issue. Click here to read about more 2024 trends.

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