Let's talk about your denim collection. You likely have the bases covered: Dark-wash skinny jeans, destroyed boyfriend jeans, mom jeans, maybe even a wide-legged pair, too. In fact, at this point, your piles of jeans has probably turned into one big blur.
But a new crop of denim brands is out to do more than just add to that typical arsenal of "basics." Instead, these labels are shattering the expectations of jeans completely and offering details and surprises that will stick in your mind, rather than fading into the dark, forgotten corners of your closet. All typical silhouettes and shapes aside, these brands aren't just aiming to provide you with yet another boot-cut jean — instead, they're pushing the envelope with everyone's favorite indigo fabric.
Whether snipping and resewing or getting innovative with construction or embellishments, the 10 names ahead are changing the denim game for good. Get to know the masters ahead, because your next favorite pair of jeans might just have one of their names on it.
Y Project
You'll know a pair of Y Project jeans when you see them: They have two waistbands instead of one, typically feature cutouts where they're not "supposed" to be, and oftentimes have a hem that's perfectly unflattering. That's how Y Project approaches denim. Its styles are always sure to make you scratch your head and furrow your eyebrows — in the best way possible.
Y Project Stacked Denim, $428, available at Y Project.
SJYP
Denim pants are one thing, but denim in entirely new and unexpected silhouettes is another. SJYP not only offers cool takes on denim jackets and skirts, but also crafts some pretty epic layering pieces, like this sleeveless denim tunic or an apron-like skirt that's totally open on both sides, too. To sum it up: Its pieces force you to experiment with your styling, which we're definitely here for.
SJYP Sleeveless Denim Dress, $325, available at Shopbop.
Trinity
Take everything you know about denim, cut it up into pieces, and put it back together with a blindfold on — and you'll get Trinity. This girl knows how to work a pair of scissors. She takes pockets and puts them where they don't normally belong and turns other elements of a normal pair of jeans inside out, upside down, and backwards to create one-of-a-kind pieces you can hardly put a price tag on.
Trinity Tiffany Two-piece, $298, available at Trinity.
Ashish
This in-your-face brand is no stranger to sequins, but when its sparkly, colorful touch hits a good pair of jeans, things really get taken up a notch. Ashish's pieces are like crazy works of art, so if you're not trying to be a denim wallflower, this brand was made for you.
Ashish Sequin Wide Leg Jeans, $1,354.13 $609.36, available at Farfetch.
3x1
As purveyors of the laser-cut, fringe-hem jean that completely blew up among the fashion crowd last year, we're always watching for what 3x1 might do next. Plus, the brand's customization can't be beat — in-store, you can choose which buttons and thread you'd like, and everything cut is tailored to fit just right (which might explain the hefty price tag).
3x1 Crop Fringe Soldier, $325, available at 3x1.
Alyssa Less
At this point, we're used to seeing embellished, destroyed, or embroidered denim, but the embossing on Alyssa Less' standout pieces made us stop in our tracks. It's a modern redux of the '80s trend that saw logos printed primarily on the backs of jackets. But, Less' style manifests itself in all-over pattern-repeats and holds its 3-D shapes with embroidery. And though it's a labor-intensive, time-consuming process, the pieces can still (thankfully!) be thrown in the wash.
Alyssa Less Debbie Classic Jacket Floating Shapes, $660, available at Alyssa Less.
Sandy Liang
Indie designer Sandy Liang has made a name for herself with It Girls, but outside of her epic outerwear and separates that just ooze cool, she's forged her own path when it comes to denim. Carpenter loops; frayed, uneven hems; and quirky silhouettes are all fair game. One thing's for sure: She just gets what girls want in their clothing.
Sandy Liang Sabrina Skort, $390, available at Shop Super Street.
Closed
Not all next-level denim has to be so over-the-top. Closed's cool-girl, pared-down silhouettes utilize neat details like button flies, selvedge fabric, cuffed hems, and super-high rises to create fresh silhouettes that still feel chill enough to wear with your usual tees and sweatshirts
Closed Lily Italian Selvedge Denim, $246, available at Closed.
Off-White
No denim brand has busted onto the scene with quite as much buzz as Virgil Abloh's Off-White. The label is founded with a vision and concept that shifts season-to-season based on what's current. Judging by these jeans, velvet patches and circle zips are very "now" (and we agree).
Off-White Velvet Patch Jeans, $1,231, available at Farfetch.
Re/Done
The fashion industry let out a collective sigh of relief when Re/Done released its perfectly tailored Levi's jeans and put all of our fruitless searches through bins at thrift stores to an end. There's a reason models and bloggers have made Re/Done their go-to — you won't find a fit like this anywhere else. Plus, the brand's continuously launching fresh new styles, from collaborations with influencers like Man Repeller's Leandra Medine to its recent patch and no-waistband collections.
Re/Done Levi's The Leandra, $325, available at Re/Done.
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