Men’s denim is ready for a season of ease.
Brands have turned to vintage influence, Western roots and coastal cool as inspiration for their Spring/Summer 2026 men’s collections. They’re delivering relaxed styles built for comfort, with looser fits, lighter fabrics and sun-streaked washes dominating the market for next year for a consumer interested in an effortless, easygoing feel. The market has displayed an openness for deviations from the status quo, and brands are counting on nostalgia-tinged, casual-coded styles to keep propelling their men’s businesses.
Related Stories
Off the Cuff dives deeper into these ideas. In this content series, creatives and executives from crowd-favorite denim brands share more about the trends, ideas and innovation shaping their newest men’s collections.
Here, Vivian Rivetti, vice president of global design for Wrangler and Lee, shares how Wrangler is celebrating its cowboy heritage while embracing looser fits.
On the men’s business: Wrangler has always found strength in its core male consumer, who loves our original Cowboy Cut jeans and some of our other more “traditional” denim offerings. However, we’ve also been able to tap into a newer, and generally younger, male consumer in the past few years thanks in part to the ongoing Western fashion trends. However, we as a brand don’t necessarily see this as a trend, but as something that led consumers to what are now closet staples, like a great pair of jeans.
On non-jean denim styles: In S/S ’25, we saw a lot of interest in our flare and bootcut jeans, which we attributed partially to Kendrick Lamar wearing flare jeans during his Super Bowl Half Time Show. However, for S/S ’26, the straight leg and looser fits are having a comeback. To match demand, Wrangler will be offering a Greensboro Jean, a straight jean with a mid-rise waist, and a Straight Loose Jean.
Lighter washes are on the rise for S/S ’26 and will continue into fall. Our Wrangler brighter blue cast of indigo, whether light, mid or dark wash, has been an ongoing desire for a few seasons already and is continuing. Medium to dark to even raw denim washes are also important to consumers, especially from an occasion perspective; we are seeing more and more denim being dressed up, and the darker washes are amazing for a clean look.
On non-jean denim styles: Thanks to the ongoing Western trend, head-to-toe denim looks or really any look that incorporates denim is popular, and we’re taking that into consideration for S/S ’26… Though our jeans are still our best-selling men’s category, we have seen a lot of interest in our other denim offerings the past few seasons. For example, we’ll have fun new denim overshirts in the spring lineup to offer consumers a variety of denim options.
On inspiration: Always authenticity! Staying true to who you are as a brand and delivering to the consumer what they never knew they wanted.
On opportunities: Though men have historically tended to stick with the style of denim they know, we’ve recently seen an openness to trying new cuts and washes. As a brand that always incorporates its tried-and-true pieces as well as new looks into each collection, this is an opportunity for Wrangler to either introduce new consumers to our classic denim (like the Cowboy Cuts) or to get the more traditional Wrangler denim fans into our newer styles. But no matter which style a male consumer ultimately chooses, we still pride ourselves on making sure that all of our denim is approachable from a price perspective, as well as durable and comfortable.
This article was published in SJ Denim’s fall issue. Click here to read more.
