‘Godmother of Denim’ Christine Rucci on Trends and the U.S. Market’s Transition
Industry veteran Christine Rucci has been a denim head since her childhood and she is celebrating 40 years in the denim industry. This lifelong passion has turned into a four-decade career working with iconic brands like Diesel, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren. Fittingly, the “Godmother of Denim” began her denim career working for Adriano Goldschmied, often referred to as the “Godfather of Denim.”
Today, Christine runs a New York-based consulting firm that supports brands with design, trend forecasting, finishing, visual merchandising and more. She recently caught up with Carved in Blue to fill us in on her latest projects and where she sees the denim market headed.
Carved in Blue: One of your areas of expertise is denim trend reporting. What do you expect will be trending in denim in 2025?
Christine: Denim will become both a core and fashion category. After seeing a cavalcade of designer collections offer denim down every runway from New York, London, Milan and Paris, denim is back and elevated. The key for these designer brands is offering diffusion price points, going back into their archives and concentration on fit, body type and sizing for both the women’s and men’s denim market. And there are opportunities in denim for short and tall women and the men’s denim segment are less stretch and heavier weights and a segment of the men’s denim market, which has overlooked inclusive sizing in “Big & Tall,” which doesn’t just mean adding to the inseams. And inclusive sizing needs a fit makeover, not just adding more poly super stretch but really look at the fit, grading and sizing.
We will see the return of low rises from the 2000s but in a relaxed leg, the cropped fitted jean jacket, unisex jeans, and the bootcut offering. Slim (replacing skinny) and straight legs should be a staple for every brand. My trend inspiration for 2025 is a combo of the ‘60s, ‘80s and 2000s in fashion, music and political climate, which mirrors very much the current state of the world.
I see patches becoming important much like when I was a teen, to customize and make a statement. I think individual style and DIY on denim will continue, and studding and embellishments will be important. I see the return of colored denim, garment dye as well as ecru denim.
For wash direction, there are two clear trends: clean and vintage-inspired with natural lap lines with 3D and less fake chemical abrasion and whiskering. We will see the return of medium classic indigo and light shades using eco bleaching alternatives such as ozone and absolutely no more PP (potassium permanganate) spray. Gone will be the ripped, torn, patched and hole trend, in favor of cleaner washes, which will give garments more longevity and can go from day to night.
Carved in Blue: How do you see TENCEL™ fitting into current and upcoming denim trends?
Christine: It is key and TENCEL™ blends for softness and comfort. I feel we need less super stretch with polyester in favor of comfort stretch—1-2 percent—and authentic vintage 3×1 weaves with slight vintage slub effects and deep indigo tones and for garment dye colors.
Carved in Blue: You recently referred to New York as “New York Denim City.” What role does the city play in driving the direction of the global denim market?
Christine: New York has always been a denim city to me. Seems the denim industry wrote off NYC for a period and now it’s back and more important than ever. Growing up in NYC since the 1960s, I have seen all the trends in denim right before my eyes. NYC is a multi-generational city, and everyone walks here. I get a lot of inspiration from people on the street and there are many social media accounts showcasing NYC street trends, many of which were seen down the runways this season.
Also, people come to NYC for the diverse culture and rawness which allows people to take risks, and as they say, “If you can make it here…you can make it anywhere.” There are a lot of smaller brands with retail shops and pop-ups, as well more vintage shows focusing on denim offerings. I don’t travel to go to other places for inspiration and often will stop people in the street to take a photo of them in the jeans either for style, fit or finish. I also only design for U.S.-based brands, so my focus is on the U.S. market.
Carved in Blue: On a national level, what is the temperature of the United States denim market?
Christine: I think we are going through a transition in the U.S. denim market. I think consumers are tired of cheap jeans and are seeing denim as an investment. I think brands need to cater to multiple generations and not just youth culture who don’t have the finances of older generations. But as I always say, no matter the economic state of America, “You have to eat and you gotta get dressed,” and jeans are what most people wear. Gone are the days of suits and dresses for work and evening. Jeans are seen as “de rigueur” in every level of the fashion industry—from the catwalk to the streets—and every age.
I think that consumers in the USA are starting to care about how their clothes are made, and just like organic foods were expensive 10 years ago, now consumers are looking at jeans in the same way, opting for eco-conscious brands and now seeing the global effect of fast fashion. I think consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable and domestic-made jeans products. There is definitely a nostalgia trend in the U.S. denim market for heritage brands sparked by the vintage jeans market, which has been driven by youth culture. The issue is vintage doesn’t always fit and there is less and less of the vintage cotton jeans of the ‘80s and ‘90s. This has been noted in the recent advertising and marketing campaigns of major USA designer and denim brands. The challenges will be retail pricing. I think brands need to look back into their archives, update fits and tier the product and bring back diffusion brands instead of off-price to capture the younger aspirational consumer in the U.S. market.
Carved in Blue: You’re planning a Denim & Indigo Bazaar in May. Could you share some details on the event, and how the industry can get involved?
Christine: I am so honored to be collaborating with Grand Bazaar NYC for the first NYC Denim & Indigo Bazaar, on May 5, 2024, for an exciting event that celebrates all things denim and indigo. This unique bazaar will bring together a diverse range of vendors and interactive workshops, making it a must-visit for denim enthusiasts and fashion lovers alike. At the bazaar, there will be a selection of unique independent local merchants showcasing the latest trends in denim fashion and art—from up-and-coming designers and makers to emerging artists and knowledgeable vintage dealers. The NYC Denim & Indigo Bazaar will offer a series of interactive workshops to learn more about the art of working with indigo and denim, and I am excited to join with expert craftsmen and artisans as they share their knowledge and appreciation for this timeless fabric and dye. What makes this really special is that all the proceeds will benefit over 2,000 NYC public school students. I am hoping we can get some larger USA denim brands to sponsor the event and smaller denim artisans and designers can showcase their work.
Carved in Blue: What other projects are in the works for this year?
Christine: This year, I have been consulting and developing with a diverse group of emerging designer denim brands, each very unique and addressing niche segments of consumers with a focus on fit, form and function. One is a unisex brand with a sexy preppy twist and the jeans are alpha sized which is a first in the denim world—Raimundo Langlois. Another is [led by] a former women’s basketball player specifically designed not only for height, but the body shape for women over 6 feet tall, which make up 1 percent of the population—Corby Holbrook. And another brand for a rodeo star who wanted a jean that has been in the works for a year which has been engineered for women rodeo riders and has a patent pending, so I can’t share too much about it except it’s truly “saddle tested” and I feel a little “Jacob Davis” about it.
But the most exciting project is the video series I am launching called “From the Bean to the Jean,” which is also the title of a book I am writing about my 40 years in the denim industry. The first in the series was shot in Los Angeles with Adriano Goldschmeid, the Godfather of Denim, where we talk about the original Genius Group he started in Italy and my first design job of my career. I have been sharing some behind the scenes in social media and currently in the editing process. I viewed some of the rough cuts, and it was so emotional for me personally to be reminiscing with Adriano mutually sharing our journeys in denim.