Could skinny jeans go the way of the dodo or the Tasmanian tiger?

Skinny jeans have been in everyone’s closet for a decade, but they could soon end up in the recycling bin.

These skin-tight versions of denim pants caught the attention of the rap and hip-hop crowd and, in 2010, quickly took over the fashion catwalks. Skinny jeans were everywhere in different colors, fades, ankle treatments and later distressed finishes.

But the word on the floor of denim tailoring is that skinny jeans fade quickly and flares are all the rage. Right behind those flares are wide-leg denim pants that are popular in Europe and making their way into American stores.

“Skinny jeans aren’t trendy right now,” said Cecilyne Mora, sales rep for Ceros Jeans, a relatively new denim brand in Los Angeles that creates all kinds of looks. “Flared pants and wide jeans are in fashion for the summer.”

Mora was showcasing Ceros Jeans’ latest collection at FashionGo, a new trade show held May 3-5 in Palm Springs, California. It was organized by FashionGo, a business-to-business website that sells clothing, accessories and other items to retailers.

The designers of Ceros Jeans believe that consumers want something a little special, so inside the waistband they add embroidered sayings, such as “The Universe Is Yours” and stitched images of Monoceros, the constellation of unicorns for which the blue jeans brand is named.

Other denim sellers on the floor agreed that after so many years of being a proven bestseller, skinny jeans are disappearing from the denim scene. “We moved away from skinny jeans and into boot cuts, flares and flare capris,” said Dianna Guerrero, salon manager and account manager for Judy Blue Jeans, a Los Angeles brand launched in 1999.

Judy Blue Jeans’ main customer is a person between the ages of 20 and 40 who wants to wear jeans to work and be fashionable. “Wide-leg jeans have been very popular,” Guerrero said.

Michael Godigian, co-owner of YMI Jeanswear, has been a savvy follower of jeans trends since he and his partners started their company in Los Angeles in 2000. He sees flares everywhere. “The flares were amazing. They’re tight from the waist to the knee, and then they have a leg opening that goes from 21 inches to 30 inches wide, which is brand new,” he said.

But Godigian also sees a rise in wide leg jeans. He said a friend recently visited Europe and saw baggy jeans everywhere. Average leg width ranged from 28 to 30 inches. So, last January, Godigian shipped its first batch of wide-leg jeans to keep up with the trends.

Mike Kim sees geography and age determining who buys which blue jean silhouette. As the owner of Mica Denim, a brand recently launched in Los Angeles, he noticed that flares and boot cuts are very popular in the Midwest. “The younger ones like wide legs,” he said. “Skinny jeans were the thing, but they’re going.”

For Charlie Chung, COO of Just Panmaco Inc., the Los Angeles parent company of Just USA Jeans, Just Black Denim and JBD, the denim market is all about washing. And, yes, skinny jeans are disappearing from the fashion front.

“Everyone wore skinny jeans a few years ago. They are still selling,” he said. “But it’s more straight legs, mom jeans and girlfriend/boyfriend jeans. Flares are coming and cropped flares are very popular because you can wear them with any type of shoe.

Many denim manufacturers are seeing in-store shoppers prefer a medium wash to their jeans and less strenuous to save money. With cotton prices up 40%, indigo dye prices jumping over 100% and polyester prices soaring 45%, blue jean makers are cutting costs to meet the needs of struggling customers. with inflation.

“When it comes to washing, shoppers are opting for single washes,” Chung said. “Before, there was a lot of destruction in jeans. Now, the best manufacturers get rid of this destruction to minimize costs. I think customers buy it.

Mora of Ceros Jeans said her company does a lot of medium washes and acid washes are coming back. People are also getting into a two button waist top which gives a more finished look.

She also sells two-tone pants which have been popular. One pant leg is a mid blue and the other is a faded black tone. Two-tone trouser turn-ups are also in fashion.

Stretching is another element that undergoes changes. Before, blue jeans usually contained about 1% spandex. Now manufacturers add an extra 1% to make it more comfortable. “We’ve noticed that customers want more spandex because they’re so used to being comfortable,” Mora said. “We now have 2% spandex. That extra 1% makes a big difference.

YMI Jeanswear’s Godigian ups that. It has pull-on jeans, like leggings, that come in 30 colors and contain 4% spandex. “It’s very big on TikTok,” he observed.

While many denim exhibitors at FashionGo were yet to incorporate sustainable fabrics into their garments, they were trying to make it work with a budget product. “Unfortunately, that means higher prices,” Chung said.

An expensive factor, however, sells well. Just Panmaco makes about 20% of its jeans in Los Angeles, bringing the wholesale price down to $34-40, compared to $20-25 for imported styles.

“Made in USA makes our customers happy,” said the COO. “They are willing to pay more for it.”