Denim stole the show during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime performance.
On Sunday, the 17-time Grammy award-winning rapper hit the stage for Super Bowl LIX—where the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22—at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
During his 13-minute set, Lamar crammed 11 songs from his extensive discography, including Drake diss track “Not Like Us.” He was also joined by special guests like SZA, Samuel L. Jackson (who portrayed a satirical version of Uncle Sam) and Serena Williams.
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While his symbolic performance was undoubtedly the highlight of the show, one of the most talked-about moments came from the Compton native’s choice of fashion: $1,300 light wash bootcut jeans by Celine. Searches for bootcut jeans and Celine reached their peak popularity in the past year following his performance, according to Google Analytics.
Since the performance, multiple denim brands have hopped on the bootcut bandwagon by pushing out email and social media promotions for their version, including Wrangler, Levi’s, Good American, EB Denim and Maurices.
Gen Z retailer Urban Outfitters swiftly took to social media promoting its bootcut jeans–which retail for around $59-$79—with captions like “Me after seeing Kendrick wear flared jeans at the halftime show” and “I’ll have what he’s having.”
PacSun also hopped on the denim trend by promoting its Spring ’25 collection—which includes an array of bootcut and flared jeans like the men’s Jordan jean and the Jade jean for women—after Lamar’s performance.
Grace Na, founder and creative director of premium women’s denim brand Pistola, said that bootcut and flare jeans have “always been part of our collections,” but the brand is now “doubling down on modernizing them” by refining the fit for a more flattering and versatile look.
“Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl appearance in bootcut jeans signals a revival of these styles in the denim market,” Na said. “Consumers are craving something fresh, and his bold choice sparked renewed interest in the nostalgic silhouette. It’s a perfect mix of past and present—giving people a way to reconnect with early aughts while giving a break from skinny jeans.”
Despite the style becoming the hottest pair of jeans overnight, data from retail intelligence firm EDITED shows that bootcut/flared jeans have been a “rising trend in the market” for quite some time. The Western trend that swept denim fashion in 2024 flung the cowboy fit back into the spotlight. Meanwhile, tastemakers like Pharrell Williams have been rocking the jeans on and off the Louis Vuitton runway for over a year.
The fit was a fixture in Fall/Winter 2025-2026 collections presented last month during men’s fashion weeks. Louis Vuitton, Acne Studios, Grossi and ERL were among the brands that embraced the silhouette. However, year-over-year (YoY) growth shows steady signs of decline, according to Karis Munday, menswear analyst, at EDITED.
“Although options are tracking negative 14 percent YoY, there are signs of growth by some early adopters,” Munday told Sourcing Journal. “Both Neiman Marcus and Mr Porter increased options by 73 percent and 24 percent YoY, respectively, with an uptick from cult brands such as Kapital and Diesel.”
Trend chasers
Lamar is not the first Super Bowl performer to spark a consumer frenzy with their outfit.
In 2023, “Rude Boy” singer Rihanna delivered a 12-song set at the Super Bowl halftime show sporting an all-red ensemble, including a custom Alaïa puffer coat and Loewe jumpsuit paired with a bustier and gloves.
One of the standout items from Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance was the Maison Margiela MM6 x Salomon Cross Low sneakers which took the internet by storm and became a major talking point of the night. Rihanna’s performance sent U.S.-based Google searches for “red sneakers” skyrocketed by over 136 percent, which was “currently at an all-time high” according to a study by Manchester-based fast-fashion giant Boohoo. Additionally, “Rihanna shoes” garnered over 5,000 searches during the pop icon’s 13-minute performance.
