Denim — The Big Mass Market Shake-up

In the fight for sales as the casualization trend shows no sign of abating, ath-leisure has been the clear winner over the last few years. That is starting to change, however, as denim companies fight back and some shoppers are hanging up their leggings in favor of a fresh pair of Levi’s 501s. This movement is starting to show up in the data. According to NDP’s consumer tracking service, women’s jeans sales grew 6 percent to $8.8 billion last year, while the overall jeans market increased 3 percent to $16.3 billion, following a 2 percent sales gains in 2017. The research firm expects this trend to continue throughout 2019, stating in its “Future of Apparel” report that “the social, fashion-forward shopper will be the primary investors in women’s jeans as they seek comparable alternatives to their activewear.” The denim companies are in agreement that there is a lot to play for. “The world that we live in is really casualizing and that will benefit us and that will benefit denim going forward,” Scott Baxter, the chief executive officer of Kontoor Brands Inc., whose labels include Lee and Wrangler, told WWD in an interview last week. But this revival doesn’t necessarily mean all the main U.S. players in

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