Is quiet western the new quiet luxury?
It could be according to Michelle Gass, Levi Strauss & Co. president and CEO. In the company’s Q2 2025 earnings call on Thursday, the exec said the cowboy trend is evolving into a softer and subtler aesthetic.
“With our robust denim lifestyle offering, we’re seeing consumers find that perfect pairing more and more often. Women are pairing a classic blue cut or flared jean with our simple essential rib tank or one of our textured knits inspired from our heritage. And men are wearing a classic western shirt with a Khaki XX Chino. Quiet western is perfect for the Levi’s denim lifestyle aesthetic and a natural place for us to lead,” she said.
Related Stories
Net revenues for the Levi’s brand increased 9 percent globally on an organic basis, energized by a 10 percent increase in direct-to-consumer organic revenues and a 7 percent increase in wholesale. Harmit J. Singh, LS&Co. executive VP, chief financial and growth officer, said the brand generated a “healthy mix of revenue growth with two-thirds driven by higher volume and one-third by higher AURs.”
Levi’s bottoms business was up 8 percent, driven by double-digit growth in women’s. Men’s was up mid-single digits. In terms of products, Gass said the brand’s lightweight Linen+ Denim launch is seeing strong success across both men and women, while baggy bottoms continue to gain popularity.
“Ahead of the summer, we saw this trend accelerate in our short offering, which grew double digits in both men’s and women’s,” she said. “With the ’90s and Y2K fashion in full swing, longer and looser style shorts are in high demand. We’re confident we have the right newness and innovation like the Baggy Dad Jort in place to deliver for our fans and drive this trend.”
Additionally, Singh said the 578 Baggy for men performed exceptionally well in Levi’s DTC channels.
The brand is also seeing momentum with tops. Gass reported that Levi’s tops business grew 16 percent in Q2 with acceleration across genders and channels.
In Q2, Levi’s opened 16 new stores that better reflect the brand’s improving lifestyle assortment. Levi’s direct-to-consumer continues to be an area of growth and opportunity. Sales from the channel increased 10 percent in the quarter. Increased store traffic, better conversion rates and higher AURs, are leading to growth in Levi’s stores and online across all geographic segments, Gass said.
However, wholesale exceeded expectations with the channel up 7 percent, posting its third consecutive quarter of growth. “Our wholesale partners are embracing our head-to-toe offerings, broader product assortment and fashion fits. Having a strong direct-to-consumer presence and focus gives us insights to product trends, enabling both us and our customers to have the confidence to buy and fill flows for our new product offers,” Singh said.
He added that the company will remain “prudent” when it comes to wholesale as it’s a channel it doesn’t control.
On the horizon
Given the positive first half of the year, continued strong execution and momentum in our business, LS&Co. raised its top and bottom-line guidance for the year, increasing organic net revenue growth by 1 percentage point to 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent. Gass said Levi’s has everything it needs to continue momentum including “a fresh lineup of product innovation, unique and exclusive product collaborations and globally relevant partnerships.”
A fourth chapter of Reiimagine, Levi’s ongoing women’s campaign with Beyoncé, will launch as well as a new campaign focused on underscoring the brand’s relevancy and authenticity with men.
Levi’s will also diversify its fit portfolio with more loose and baggy styles, fresh skinny and straight silhouettes and more bootcut and western-inspired fits. Additionally, the 501 will get a performance fabric update with thermoregulating technology.
