How denim shapes popular culture and politics

By Keyanee Walls

Photos by Abigail Wilt

As the trend-mill cycles at rapid speeds, spewing out and promptly discarding each new fad, one thing remains constant: denim. For over four centuries, this twill-woven fabric has proven resilient, withstanding every inch of dirt, every new vogue and even every rebellion.

This textile has played a transformative role in the advancement of popular culture and politics worldwide. A symbol of the working class, counter-culture and individual spirit, jeans have remained at the forefront of several major social movements across history, including civil rights, anti-war efforts and women’s rights.

Denim belongs to everyone; no one group is able to claim it. This versatility has facilitated the fabric’s establishment as an unwavering staple in fashion.

Denim brands and consumers have continued playing into this elasticity, expanding on the various identities aligned with jeans today. This summer saw an influx of buzz-worthy denim campaigns and budding trends, toying with the unique ways that denim can be used as self-expression.

Levi Strauss & Co. is America’s oldest denim brand. Since its founding in 1853, Levi’s has become a symbol of the American cultural tradition. This brand identity is reflected in their marketing, often incorporating motifs that represent an idealistic image of a proud American working class.

Levi’s use of commercial advertising reshaped how jeans were marketed, utilizing strong storytelling elements, popular music and of course — sex appeal.

While Levi’s did not spearhead the introduction of sexuality in jeans advertisements (this can be attributed to Calvin Klein’s 1980 commercial starring a 15-year-old Brooke Shields), the brand certainly propelled the trend forward.

In 1985, Levi’s released their “Laundrette,” commercial featuring model and heartthrob Nick Kamen walking into a laundromat, stripping down to his boxers and tossing his pants — a pair of Levi 501’s — into a washer, as bystanders gawked in both disbelief and awe while Marvin Gaye’s 1968 Motown classic “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” thumps in the background.

This commercial, set to a post-war era backdrop, is a prominent example of Levi’s alignment with Americana thematics that focus heavily on the deep ties denim has to the country’s history, placing this idea (and the product itself) at the center of the advertisement.

In contrast, the Gap launched its iconic “Individuals of Style” campaign in 1989, which highlighted the idiosyncrasies in how luminary figures of the time dressed.

Photos by Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritz and Steven Meisel illustrated the personal styles of icons like Joan Didion, Spike Lee, Lenny Kravitz, Whoopi Goldberg and many more in a series of black and white portraits.

This campaign undertook a unique spin on advertisements from a denim company, shifting focus beyond the jeans themselves and instead marketing a lifestyle.

The “Individuals of Style” campaign perfectly reflected the Gap’s brand credo: “Championing Originality.” Moving forward through the late 90s, the company remained consistent with this identity, ap- proaching their marketing in yet another new and bold way — dance.

In 1998, the company released a commercial centering khakis, which featured a group of swing dancers jiving to Luis Prima’s “Jump, Jive an’ Wail.” Another 1999 advertisement included individuals dancing to Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day.”

This series of advertisements aided in implementing the Gap’s image as a brand concentrated on adding to and elevating the pre-existing style of its consumers, rather than wholly defining it.

Think piecing and trendsetting

This summer, three campaigns from large denim brands were at the center of internet discourse.

The frenzy began with the launch of American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” advertisement campaign on July 23, which featured the actress in a full denim set saying:

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”

This ad sparked conversation surrounding underlying nods to eugenics and the brand’s contributions to the hypersexualization of women. Much of the outrage derived from the campaign could be attributed to the current political climate, where President Trump’s administration has continuously promoted hateful rhetoric against marginalized groups, setting a dangerous precedent for people of color, immigrants and many other oppressed communities living in the United States.

In light of this, the ad’s use of a white, blonde-haired and blue-eyed woman as the portrayal of “great genes” came across to many viewers as grossly ignorant and distasteful.

Despite the massive influx of negative responses to the campaign, American Eagle stock surged 25% on Sept. 3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, American Eagle’s Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers said on the company’s earnings call that, “Sydney Sweeney sells great jeans.”

Newly released items from the collection reportedly sold out in weeks, some not even lasting a full day, according to a CNN report. These results suggest that a demographic of consumers responded positively to the rhetoric pushed within the ads.

So then — who was this campaign really for?

According to American Eagle’s Fall ‘25 campaign news release, Sweeney’s attachment to this project is an effort to uphold the brand’s status as Gen Z’s first choice when it comes to denim.

Since the late 90s, American Eagle has made significant strides in appealing to younger generations. In 2000, the brand partnered with the popular drama series “Dawson’s Creek,” becoming the show’s official sponsor. This union aided in boosting American Eagle’s impressions among teens and young adults, creating a foundation for the identity the brand is known for today.

Amid recent controversy, however, this identity was called into question as American Eagle’s marketing choices have sparked disillusionment with younger generations.

“I would say I hated [it], and I lost all respect for American Eagle after that,” said Marcus Cheatham, a freshman studying kinesiology, when he was asked whether the brand’s latest campaign resonated with him.

More students expressed a similar sentiment, some criticizing the overt sexual nature of the campaign.

“Like that’s [sex] not really a selling point for me,” said Zakye Mitchell, a junior studying architectural studies.

According to Brianna Walsh, a sophomore studying fashion design, the American Eagle campaign missed the mark for her as well. She also said that creative and thoughtful marketing is a great way to pique an audience’s interest, and she found just that in another denim campaign this summer.

Soon after the release of “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” the Gap came out with a new campaign in collaboration with girl-group KATSEYE on Aug. 19. The launch of this collection and its accompanying ads gained a lot of attention on social media, for far different reasons.

The Gap’s “Better in Denim” campaign is a continuation of the company’s recent shift toward marketing jeans through emphasis on movement and music.

Last summer, singer-songwriter Troye Sivan partnered with the brand in their “Get Loose” campaign. The commercial garnered a lot of engagement on TikTok, as many viewers found inspiration in the funky choreography performed by Sivan and an accompanying ensemble, dressed in baggy jeans and various other denim garments.

This year’s campaign was set to a re-recorded version of Kelis’ 2003 hit “Milkshake,” and featured choreography that similarly captivated audiences.

According to Sydney Cohen, a sophomore studying fashion design, this advertisement appealed to her both for its display of free movement while wearing jeans as well as the brand’s partnership with the culturally diverse girl-group.

“I’m also a dancer, so I think moving in your jeans is something so important, and being able to showcase that is just so vital to their advertising,” Cohen said.

Responses to this campaign highlighted how the Gap’s consistency in maintaining its brand identity translated well to a new generation, despite drastic changes in pop culture and political values in the last 30 years.

Levi’s also released the final chapter of their “Reiimagine” campaign on Aug. 4 after a year-long collaboration with singer Beyoncé, promoting her 2024 country album “Cowboy Carter.” The four ad installments within this campaign referenced iconic Levi’s commercials of the past.

These advertisements include the aforementioned “Laundrette” commercial. This time, however, it depicted Beyoncé — adorned in a denim cowboy hat and Levi’s 501s — mirroring the motions performed by Kamen way back in 1985. The next two chapters “reimagine” the 1991 “Pool Hall Crash” and 1988 “Refrigerator” commercials. The final chapter is a compilation of the previous three, combining them into one cohesive story.

Beyoncé replaces the previous white male stars of these commercials and carries out their stories through a refreshed lens. This campaign thoughtfully revisited some of the brand’s most iconic (and controversial) campaigns, pulling them back into relevancy in a way that addresses cultural progress.

Student choices

What does Gen Z really value when it comes to their jeans?

Authenticity, versatility and comfort are among the factors most important to current young adults when choosing their denim, according to a Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor report from 2019.

For some students at ASU, much of this still applies. However, there are plenty of other considerations being made in the search for the perfect pair of jeans.

Tatiana Martinez, a junior studying sports journalism, cited Old Navy as her choice denim brand for its range and inclusivity in lengths.

Kayleigh Mapps, a sophomore studying fashion design, chose the Gap for similar reasons: “I feel like their jeans are size inclusive and they really know how to show that with their consumers,” she said.

Walsh and Cheatham both said that Levi’s is their top pick. According to Cheatham, Levi’s are both accessible and easily customizable.

For Mitchell, denim is an important mode of self-expression, offering consumers a chance to really make it their own.

“With denim, I feel like you could do so much with it,” Mitchell said. “You could dye it so many different ways. And the distressing, you can’t really get something like that with cotton or any other type of fabric. So it’s just very versatile, and allows you to express yourself.”

When it comes to his own jeans, Mitchell prefers brands that implement unique design choices like Martin Ksohoh’s Red Monkey jeans, which utilize embroidery and other interesting features that make the jeans distinctive.

According to Cheatham, who enjoys customizing his own jeans, denim has the ability to make its consumers confident through this versatility.

“My homeboy, he started making jeans for me, and he gave me these custom black and white [jeans] with a strip of white down the inside and the out- side. Those are probably my favorite,” Cheatham said.

“They fit so nice, and I always get confidence when I wear them, because they’re just [something] no one’s ever seen before.”

Cohen looks for comfort first when it comes to her denim, typically opting for a much looser fit.

“I have to wear a belt to keep my pants up because I wear the baggiest jeans there are … I like street wear,” she said. “I like to be comfortable and I think [with] jeans [we] are often made to believe that maybe we can’t be comfortable in them. So I think baggy jeans are that perfect in between.”

For many students at ASU, jeans are an extension of their individual values and interests. Even as different styles of denim swing in and out of popularity, there remains space for the inclusion of distinct personal expression in the denim they choose to wear.

“I think just looking at someone’s denim means seeing a part of them,” said Cheatham.